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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
DNF. From the back blurb: "Something is happening to teenagers across America..." It's not a spoiler to reveal that "something" is teen suicide. It's revealed in the beginning of the very first chapter. Hard pass.
My Uncle Terwilliger on the Art of Eating Popovers - Dr. Seuss
My uncle ordered popovers
from the restaurant’s bill of fare.
And, when they were served, he regarded
them with a penetrating stare...
Then he spoke great Words of Wisdom
as he sat there on that chair:
“To eat these things,” said my uncle,
“You must exercise great care.
You may swallow down what’s solid...
BUT ... you must spit out the air!”
And... as you partake of the world’s bill
of fare,
that’s darned good advice to follow.
Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.
And be careful what you swallow.
My uncle ordered popovers
from the restaurant’s bill of fare.
And, when they were served, he regarded
them with a penetrating stare...
Then he spoke great Words of Wisdom
as he sat there on that chair:
“To eat these things,” said my uncle,
“You must exercise great care.
You may swallow down what’s solid...
BUT ... you must spit out the air!”
And... as you partake of the world’s bill
of fare,
that’s darned good advice to follow.
Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.
And be careful what you swallow.
Hawley has written a near-future dystopian thriller interwoven with essays about the state of the world and our broken political system. His writing is excellent and his discourses are insightful and balanced, but it was a little jarring to keep being taken out of the action to read a treatise on how messed up the planet is. An epidemic of suicide is sweeping through the world's teenagers, and a small disparate group of teens team up to rescue a girl held captive by a Jeffrey Epstein-like monster. This is a really good book in many ways, but I think I would have preferred two books: one with the thriller uninterrupted, weaving social commentary in through the plot and the interactions of the characters; and one as a collection of essays. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
When I finished reading this book (which I tabbed more than I have ever tabbed any other book that wasn’t used for college in my entire life), I messaged my best friend in a flurry of praise and said this: “A lot Vonnegut, a little Pahalnuik, some Gabriel Garcia Marquez, some cool 4th wall breaking from the author put to great use. It's magical realism + dark satire + scathing sociopolitical commentary.”
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the masterpiece that is Noah Hawley’s “Anthem”. I’m not even sure there is a manner in which I could describe what this book is, what this book means, how this book affected me, how much I want to shove it in people’s faces and beg them to read it. How I want to tell them, “This is a book about a group of teenagers, but I wouldn’t put it in the hands of teenagers unless they asked, because who really needs to read it are people over the age of 35. As a matter of fact, I think this should be required reading for anyone old enough to run for President”.
“Anthem” is a scathing indictment of the adults of America. And it’s a very virulent entreaty for the readers of this book to listen to it and to take it seriously, even if its wit and whip-sharp humor come on a barbed tongue. Everything about this book is quintessentially American, but it’s been turned dark and cheap like America has been turned dark and cheap in the eyes of the book’s main characters. To this book’s main characters, the adults of America are the problem, and the youth are the solution. It’s an opinion I happen to share in real life, but in this book there is the open civil war between the right and the left (or, as Hawley puts it, the party of truth versus the party of truth), and the much more subversive civil war, which is the old against the young.
The youth is wasted on the young? Don’t tell Noah Hawley that.
This book is not a happy book. This book is tragic. This book is dark. This book is terrifying in some ways and exultant in others. This book is as profound as it is humble. I’ve never read anything like it before and I don’t know if I will again.
But I know I will never be able to read it again for the first time… I will never be able to recapture that feeling. And that feeling of reading a perfect book is something all readers long for. I cannot recommend this book enough.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the masterpiece that is Noah Hawley’s “Anthem”. I’m not even sure there is a manner in which I could describe what this book is, what this book means, how this book affected me, how much I want to shove it in people’s faces and beg them to read it. How I want to tell them, “This is a book about a group of teenagers, but I wouldn’t put it in the hands of teenagers unless they asked, because who really needs to read it are people over the age of 35. As a matter of fact, I think this should be required reading for anyone old enough to run for President”.
“Anthem” is a scathing indictment of the adults of America. And it’s a very virulent entreaty for the readers of this book to listen to it and to take it seriously, even if its wit and whip-sharp humor come on a barbed tongue. Everything about this book is quintessentially American, but it’s been turned dark and cheap like America has been turned dark and cheap in the eyes of the book’s main characters. To this book’s main characters, the adults of America are the problem, and the youth are the solution. It’s an opinion I happen to share in real life, but in this book there is the open civil war between the right and the left (or, as Hawley puts it, the party of truth versus the party of truth), and the much more subversive civil war, which is the old against the young.
The youth is wasted on the young? Don’t tell Noah Hawley that.
This book is not a happy book. This book is tragic. This book is dark. This book is terrifying in some ways and exultant in others. This book is as profound as it is humble. I’ve never read anything like it before and I don’t know if I will again.
But I know I will never be able to read it again for the first time… I will never be able to recapture that feeling. And that feeling of reading a perfect book is something all readers long for. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Ugh….
I put my big girl britches on and took the road less traveled. I was fully ready to embrace leaving my comfort zone. But, well, ermmm…Anthem was not my jam. Plenty of other anthems rang through my brain as I subjected myself to this outlandish violence and utter nonsense. Like the Supreme’s anthem “Stop! In the name of love” (before this story makes you hate books) played on and on as I tried to be a good girl and finish what I started. Every time the author jumped back and forth in time the jeopardy anthem played through my head and I knew I would fail the spirit of Alex Trebeck when he would say “Anthem the novel takes place in this time period” “what is all of them?” He’d scowl and look at me disapprovingly but also wink bc he understands it’s really hard to tell. My most loved of all anthems entered whenever my least favorite of characters (and that’s quite a title bc I disliked most of them), Redneck, wife beatin’, government hating, big money (no whammy’s) scheming, Avon entered the picture. And it goes a little somethin’ like this “Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Baby shark! The lyricist of Baby Shark has more respect for my intelligence than Noah Hawley has for his readers of Anthem.
But hey, that’s just me and what do I know anyway? I told you it’s not my usge/yooj (usual).
If you are into
-Authors apologizing for their writing (mid story)
-Time jumps all over the place
-Having 15373637393 characters but of those maybe only 3 are likable
-rape, kidnapping, extreme violence
-political commentary
-mask debate
-Jeffery Epstein types
-teen suicide
Well, if those things shake your groove thing then Anthem will Light your fire!
***In all fairness, Hawley did create two characters I found appealing. Claire, seems like a pretty badass chick even if she is a spoiled brat. unfortunately, Claire’s death sets everything else in motion (I don’t feel like that’s a spoiler since it’s like the first thing to happen). Girl knows how to make an exit. And, Judge Margot. Whenever she was in the picture the story had more depth, more heart. Those parts were enjoyable.
I put my big girl britches on and took the road less traveled. I was fully ready to embrace leaving my comfort zone. But, well, ermmm…Anthem was not my jam. Plenty of other anthems rang through my brain as I subjected myself to this outlandish violence and utter nonsense. Like the Supreme’s anthem “Stop! In the name of love” (before this story makes you hate books) played on and on as I tried to be a good girl and finish what I started. Every time the author jumped back and forth in time the jeopardy anthem played through my head and I knew I would fail the spirit of Alex Trebeck when he would say “Anthem the novel takes place in this time period” “what is all of them?” He’d scowl and look at me disapprovingly but also wink bc he understands it’s really hard to tell. My most loved of all anthems entered whenever my least favorite of characters (and that’s quite a title bc I disliked most of them), Redneck, wife beatin’, government hating, big money (no whammy’s) scheming, Avon entered the picture. And it goes a little somethin’ like this “Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo. Baby shark! The lyricist of Baby Shark has more respect for my intelligence than Noah Hawley has for his readers of Anthem.
But hey, that’s just me and what do I know anyway? I told you it’s not my usge/yooj (usual).
If you are into
-Authors apologizing for their writing (mid story)
-Time jumps all over the place
-Having 15373637393 characters but of those maybe only 3 are likable
-rape, kidnapping, extreme violence
-political commentary
-mask debate
-Jeffery Epstein types
-teen suicide
Well, if those things shake your groove thing then Anthem will Light your fire!
***In all fairness, Hawley did create two characters I found appealing. Claire, seems like a pretty badass chick even if she is a spoiled brat. unfortunately, Claire’s death sets everything else in motion (I don’t feel like that’s a spoiler since it’s like the first thing to happen). Girl knows how to make an exit. And, Judge Margot. Whenever she was in the picture the story had more depth, more heart. Those parts were enjoyable.
challenging
dark
I honestly can't make my mind up on this one. It's partly brilliant, partly awful and I wouldn't want to read it again.
The hottest summer on record in the story and in the world. No thank you.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No