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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
2007 Printz Honor Book
I was surprised at how difficult it was for me to get into this book. The strange life Octavian leads and the slowness with which the outside world is revealed match the reality of the character, but made it difficult for me to get my bearings. I was halfway through before it picked up for me. This is, though, an interesting look at slavery during the Revolutionary War, the uncertainty of freedom within the supposed cause of liberty, and insight into pox parties and early inoculation, and the scientific experimentation of the time.
I was surprised at how difficult it was for me to get into this book. The strange life Octavian leads and the slowness with which the outside world is revealed match the reality of the character, but made it difficult for me to get my bearings. I was halfway through before it picked up for me. This is, though, an interesting look at slavery during the Revolutionary War, the uncertainty of freedom within the supposed cause of liberty, and insight into pox parties and early inoculation, and the scientific experimentation of the time.
Kind of bordering on two stars, I liked Octavian's POV occasionally.
It was just so boring.
It was just so boring.
I tried to finish the whole thing; I really did. I mean, it won a Printz Honor Award and is extraordinarily unique in its use of old-style language (think classics). But I just couldn’t do it.
Octavian and his mother Cassiopeia are the only inhabitants at a scientific college who have real first names; everyone else is numbered by rank. Great philosophers document his every bowel movement, his thoughts, his education, and his successes on the violin. Reading a bit further, we find out that Octavian and Cassiopeia are black, and that Cassiopeia was an African princess sold into slavery. Still, Octavian’s mother holds herself like a queen, and entertains all the scholars with her dazzling beauty and wit.
The young Octavian discovers one day that he is part of an experiment to prove that Africans could, with the proper education, be every bit as superior as the typical white prince. Octavian goes about his studies and life without question…until, some years after the college started, they run into financial troubles. Their new financial benefactor is Mr. Sharpe, a man from a group of Southern investors who is determined to prove that Africans are, in fact, incapable of being on par with whites.
Octavian’s lifestyle changes drastically as he is demoted from the privileged “prince” of the house to a common servant, only with the additional burdens of having to read dull passages that make him lose his former interests in his studies and love of music. They want Octavian to fail, and so far he seems to be doing just that.
The novel’s concept is very interesting, but many readers will undoubtedly find it hard to slog through Anderson’s difficult vocabulary, a vocabulary that even many college students will have trouble understanding. However, it does give this book its own characteristic. I can only say that for those who are able to make it through this book, they should not be disappointed.
Octavian and his mother Cassiopeia are the only inhabitants at a scientific college who have real first names; everyone else is numbered by rank. Great philosophers document his every bowel movement, his thoughts, his education, and his successes on the violin. Reading a bit further, we find out that Octavian and Cassiopeia are black, and that Cassiopeia was an African princess sold into slavery. Still, Octavian’s mother holds herself like a queen, and entertains all the scholars with her dazzling beauty and wit.
The young Octavian discovers one day that he is part of an experiment to prove that Africans could, with the proper education, be every bit as superior as the typical white prince. Octavian goes about his studies and life without question…until, some years after the college started, they run into financial troubles. Their new financial benefactor is Mr. Sharpe, a man from a group of Southern investors who is determined to prove that Africans are, in fact, incapable of being on par with whites.
Octavian’s lifestyle changes drastically as he is demoted from the privileged “prince” of the house to a common servant, only with the additional burdens of having to read dull passages that make him lose his former interests in his studies and love of music. They want Octavian to fail, and so far he seems to be doing just that.
The novel’s concept is very interesting, but many readers will undoubtedly find it hard to slog through Anderson’s difficult vocabulary, a vocabulary that even many college students will have trouble understanding. However, it does give this book its own characteristic. I can only say that for those who are able to make it through this book, they should not be disappointed.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've now read two of M. T. Anderson's novels for teens (the other is FEED), and neither qualifies as pleasant reading. But boy, are they good. Anderson is interested in language; the intersection of thinking and feeling; what it means to be human; and what it means to be peculiarly American. In both FEED and THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING (about an American slave subjected to the experiments of a group of rational philosophers), Anderson manages to interweave compelling stories with powerful ideas. In each, he uses period language (in FEED, an imagined future-speak; in OCTAVIAN NOTHING, eighteenth-century prose). There's not a false note to be found in either. The man is a marvel. I marvel at him.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
This is an awesome Revolutionary war book from the perspective of someone who doesn't know who will win the conflict. All of the book is set up as primary sources, so a chapter might be from Octavian's diary, or it could be a letter that a soldier is sending to his loved one. It was so awesome to read, and I am impatiently waiting for my hold to come through for the second one. I recommend this for history nerds, people who like big questions, and people who are ok with old timey capitalization and spelling.
TW: gore, death, sickness, and dissection
TW: gore, death, sickness, and dissection