354 reviews for:

Anthem

Noah Hawley

3.48 AVERAGE

stephtaylor's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark tense fast-paced

megabooks's review

3.75

dark tense medium-paced

isabellabaker's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

amywoolsey_93's review against another edition

4.5

dark funny tense fast-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

---

A scream into the void in novel form. I imagine some people might be turned off by the amount of explaining and editorializing, not to mention the premise involving mass suicide, but I found Anthem weirdly comforting. It's the first fictional work I've encountered that treats the COVID-19 pandemic not as just a weird event but a catastrophe that permanently changed the world. The reality it presents, full of teenage avengers, evil billionaires, and apocalyptic violence, feels truer than the fantasy of normalcy peddled by politicians and the news, where society in its current form is not only logical but desirable and a stable, prosperous future is not only possible but inevitable because the story America (humanity?) tells itself is one with a happy ending. What's more absurd than insisting that an absurd thing is not absurd? Anyway, LOL.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Medical content

Minor: Confinement, Self harm, Vomit, Mass/school shootings

ashleyreadsandruns's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

---

This book SHOOK me! I was riveted from the beginning to the end, and I was frustrated every time I had to put the book down! I cringed throughout as the author made such incisive points about American society, and I was in awe at the breadth of the topics that he was able incorporate in this novel.
-
Anthem by Noah Hawley is a dystopian look at post-pandemic America set just a couple years in the future. It explores the mental health of teenagers and how they have been impacted by all the decisions of adults. It also has a commentary throughout around the climate crisis and what we have done to our Earth.
-
I highly recommend this to anyone ready to take on a very dark commentary about America. The book is full of triggers, though, so please tread carefully if that is of concern!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Suicide

Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Violence

readbetweenthespines's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

tattooedtreereads's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide

jenthebookfanatic's review

5.0

adventurous dark emotional reflective fast-paced

jennsbookshelves's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail

joannasbookshelf's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH

---

Wonderfully written but the talk on suicide early in the book was too much for me for personal reasons 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide