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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
A very well-written story, read well by Peter Francis James, about a young boy in the 1770-1775 era in Boston. The youngster is treated like a scholar, and educated in Latin, Greek, and the classics. As the story progresses, we find out that he is a slave and the subject of an experiment.
The story is told both as a memoir and epistolary novel. The language is flowery to my ears, being written in as close to a Revolutionary War-era style as possible.
The story is disturbing and fascinating. It shows slave-owners trying to make the case that Africans are inferior to whites, and the callous way in which they will pervert reason to shore up their beliefs. Seen in the reflection of recent events in Charlottesville, VA and other places, the story offers both insight into the minds of racists and the horrors that people endure when they are not seen as human.
The story is told both as a memoir and epistolary novel. The language is flowery to my ears, being written in as close to a Revolutionary War-era style as possible.
The story is disturbing and fascinating. It shows slave-owners trying to make the case that Africans are inferior to whites, and the callous way in which they will pervert reason to shore up their beliefs. Seen in the reflection of recent events in Charlottesville, VA and other places, the story offers both insight into the minds of racists and the horrors that people endure when they are not seen as human.
We read Octavian Nothing for book club along side the George Washington: Spymaster book and I felt the two were good complementary texts. This one is a young adult novel which has a rather elevated vocabulary and explores some difficult issues. There was some discussion in our group as to whether or not we'd even call this a "YA book." It was meant to be written in the Gothic style and I think it's a very successful effort in that regard. It's quite neat, actually.
Much of the story is set in Pre-revolutionary war Boston at the home of Mr. Gitney or 03-01 as he prefers to be called (in his numerical system he's devised). There, young Octavian lives with his mother and it's not too long before we discover things are a bit unusual at the Novanglian College of Lucidity which is the official name for Gitney's "operation" in Boston. He has a team of researchers in science and all sorts of philosophical pursuits who come and go and are apparently studying Octavian as well.
The story explores the science and beliefs of the era, racial tensions, mounting tensions between the British and the Patriots, and personal freedoms and responsibilities. Most of the story is told through Octavian's eyes, but there is one section which I rather liked in which a young soldier named Evidence writes letters to his sister Fruition and we learn the events of the story that way.
A great scene in the story, which occurs just before all hell breaks loose, is the Pox Party which lends its name to the title of the book. In this scene Gitney rounds up friends and family and they infect themselves with a low dose of the small pox in an effort to become immune. One book club member commented that the scene reminded them of The Masque of the Red Death.
There is a sequel and if I'd had it handy I might have just kept on reading. I was pretty captivated by this story and am eager to see where it leads.
Much of the story is set in Pre-revolutionary war Boston at the home of Mr. Gitney or 03-01 as he prefers to be called (in his numerical system he's devised). There, young Octavian lives with his mother and it's not too long before we discover things are a bit unusual at the Novanglian College of Lucidity which is the official name for Gitney's "operation" in Boston. He has a team of researchers in science and all sorts of philosophical pursuits who come and go and are apparently studying Octavian as well.
The story explores the science and beliefs of the era, racial tensions, mounting tensions between the British and the Patriots, and personal freedoms and responsibilities. Most of the story is told through Octavian's eyes, but there is one section which I rather liked in which a young soldier named Evidence writes letters to his sister Fruition and we learn the events of the story that way.
A great scene in the story, which occurs just before all hell breaks loose, is the Pox Party which lends its name to the title of the book. In this scene Gitney rounds up friends and family and they infect themselves with a low dose of the small pox in an effort to become immune. One book club member commented that the scene reminded them of The Masque of the Red Death.
There is a sequel and if I'd had it handy I might have just kept on reading. I was pretty captivated by this story and am eager to see where it leads.
I just kept expecting this book to get interesting, but I couldn't make it past page 100.
I know this won the National Book Award, but the antiquated language and slow pace made for a slow read for me.
http://ginasblogging.blogspot.com/2007/01/astonishing-life-of-octavian-nothing.html
This is the next book in our book club reading. It won the Michael Printz book award - an award for YA fiction that I have used to recommend books to many people. Whoever selects these books knows good writing and what older teens as well as adults will like to read. I'm looking forward to this one.
This is not the kind of book you necessarily enjoy reading, but it was truly amazing.
Well, the pox party was disgusting. And the book was definitely unique. But it was just an up, down, up, down plot that sort of ran out of pages, instead of an actual arched plot. I guess it's called "Vol. 1," but still. I don't think Octavian (the character) was endearing enough for me to read Volume 2. And if I wonder what happens to him, it seems to be following the plot of his namesake fairly obviously.
The Pox Party and its sequel, [b:The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|2751662|The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|M.T. Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1213111792s/2751662.jpg|2777360], are solid young adult historical reads. You have to read both books and it is probably better to think of them as one long book than as a book and a sequel. The second is the better of the two in terms of believability and interest of the plot, but the first is necessary setup. In trying to make the novels feel like a late-eighteenth-century memoir, the author occasionally uses gimmicks that are over-the-top and unnecessary, but that's a minor inconvenience. The real value in these books is the subject matter, the role of slaves in the American Revolution and the impact of the Revolution on the institution of slavery, which isn't often addressed in works aimed at young adults.
Review also posted on [b:The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|2751662|The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|M.T. Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1213111792s/2751662.jpg|2777360]
Review also posted on [b:The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|2751662|The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II The Kingdom on the Waves|M.T. Anderson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1213111792s/2751662.jpg|2777360]
This particular title has won a Printz Honor Award as well as the National Book Award for Young People's literature, and quite deservedly so. Many librarians and educators question if teens will voluntarily pick up this tone, written in the formal educated speech of the late eighteenth century. Because the themes of the novel--identity, loyalty, duty-- are YA issues, they will surely be of interest to YA readers. Once the reader gets into the cadence, the formal educated speech is a treasure; just as Feed's inventive vocabulary required a certain level of deciphering, so does Octavian.
The voice of an experimentally educated black in an historical time period is unique and clear, and a voice not yet heard in the canon of YA literature. The format is daring and innovative. The convention of the reader figuring out what is going on alongside the protagonist is effective showing not telling. When such unspeakable things happen to the narrator that he can no longer share his story, the novel switches to letter format that has a strong impact. The technique of using thick dark strike throughs to convey difficulty in expression is also brilliant. What is NOT being said reveals a great deal about the character.
Set during the American Revolution, the initial focus is a scientific society, rather than the rebellion. The accuracy is high; details are based in fact and meticulously researched. And the faintly hideous cover art hints at a dark event to come that is shudderingly real and very discomforting.
A must have for all collections, this can be cross-marketed to adults who may be fans of titles dealing with this time period.
The voice of an experimentally educated black in an historical time period is unique and clear, and a voice not yet heard in the canon of YA literature. The format is daring and innovative. The convention of the reader figuring out what is going on alongside the protagonist is effective showing not telling. When such unspeakable things happen to the narrator that he can no longer share his story, the novel switches to letter format that has a strong impact. The technique of using thick dark strike throughs to convey difficulty in expression is also brilliant. What is NOT being said reveals a great deal about the character.
Set during the American Revolution, the initial focus is a scientific society, rather than the rebellion. The accuracy is high; details are based in fact and meticulously researched. And the faintly hideous cover art hints at a dark event to come that is shudderingly real and very discomforting.
A must have for all collections, this can be cross-marketed to adults who may be fans of titles dealing with this time period.