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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
Strong stuff. I am amazed by what is called "young adult," seemingly only because it features a teenager.
Despite it being fiction, I found myself thinking again and again of all the other books I've read about the revolution and Boston specifically, and crying out (once, literally), "How could they write about anything else, when this was happening?!"
This made me feel like I'd been missing the really important parts of the entire episode the whole time.
Will read Book Two.
Despite it being fiction, I found myself thinking again and again of all the other books I've read about the revolution and Boston specifically, and crying out (once, literally), "How could they write about anything else, when this was happening?!"
This made me feel like I'd been missing the really important parts of the entire episode the whole time.
Will read Book Two.
The American Revolution is a subject that is woefully underrepresented in Young Adult literature (Johnny Tremain, anyone?). So when America's foremost young-adult author turns his attention on the time period, he's not just filling a huge hole; M.T. Anderson has a tabula rasa on which to focus his mighty imagination.
The character he chooses, through whom we witness Lexington & Concord and Bunker Hill, is no mere Minute Boy. He's Octavian, a slave in whom the credibility of an entire race is under examination. He's chafing in his bondage, and he's longing for a type of liberty that the boys bleeding on Bunker Hill might not recognize (but that the boys who bleed later at Gettysburg will).
The style of the book is very modern. The story is told through a number of voices--Octavian, a militiaman who befriends him, letters and escaped slave advertisements. The sections where Octavian writes about his mother's death are actually inked out. The language is elevated with lots of echoes of 18th-century prose. I would recommend this for thoughtful, experienced teen readers who are ready to think.
The character he chooses, through whom we witness Lexington & Concord and Bunker Hill, is no mere Minute Boy. He's Octavian, a slave in whom the credibility of an entire race is under examination. He's chafing in his bondage, and he's longing for a type of liberty that the boys bleeding on Bunker Hill might not recognize (but that the boys who bleed later at Gettysburg will).
The style of the book is very modern. The story is told through a number of voices--Octavian, a militiaman who befriends him, letters and escaped slave advertisements. The sections where Octavian writes about his mother's death are actually inked out. The language is elevated with lots of echoes of 18th-century prose. I would recommend this for thoughtful, experienced teen readers who are ready to think.
This was a really interesting book, set at the time of the American revolution, with an unusual narrator: an African slave raised by philosophers and given a classical education. Written in a very Gothic style with archaic language, which might be off-putting to its intended readers. It shouldn't be categorized as a young adult book, really, but that's not a problem for my enjoyment of it at all. Fascinating concept, and well-executed. Can't wait to read the second volume.
This book is amazing. First of all, how does Anderson do this? Feed was incredibly good, but so different from this book. Apparently Anderson just writes really well and can write about anything. What else would explain an author who can write about the future, the past, vampires, and whales on stilts.
I don't want to say that I loved this book, because what happens to Octavian is horrible. But this story grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. I would listen on my compute and driving around town and when I left my car, Octavian would travel around in my mind. Anderson has made me think about slavery and freedom more than I even did before. And that is a good thing. I am thankful to both Anderson and Octavian.
I thought the narrator of the audio book was excellent - one of my friends said she thought his accent was Southern, but I did not hear that. I could tell the characters apart and I knew when Octavian was speaking.
I can't wait until I get the second volume and I will be listening since I now have Octavian's "voice" in my head.
I don't want to say that I loved this book, because what happens to Octavian is horrible. But this story grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. I would listen on my compute and driving around town and when I left my car, Octavian would travel around in my mind. Anderson has made me think about slavery and freedom more than I even did before. And that is a good thing. I am thankful to both Anderson and Octavian.
I thought the narrator of the audio book was excellent - one of my friends said she thought his accent was Southern, but I did not hear that. I could tell the characters apart and I knew when Octavian was speaking.
I can't wait until I get the second volume and I will be listening since I now have Octavian's "voice" in my head.
This was a fascinating combination of Gothic literature and history. Especially as an American, it was startling to read (even in fiction) about the treatment of slaves in early America and the hypocrisy of the American Patriots' struggle for freedom against the British while they denied freedom to hundreds of thousands of slaves. I would also recommend the writing for the excellent (if somewhat antiquated) vocabulary that helped build the setting and atmosphere.
This book is extraordinary. I have so many thoughts about it I'm not sure where to start, but I will say I'm so happy to have so many thoughts, to read a book that triggered so many thoughts and feelings. The pacing of the book is skillful, the historical background meticulously researched - but the true magic derives from Anderson's use of perspective, namely Octavian, an exceptional slave raised in exceptional circumstances during exceptional times. It's strange how we don't teach about the Revolutionary War in conjunction with slavery - it's almost like slaves are absent entirely from the narrative, as if the issue of slavery as immoral and unjust didn't even arise until the Civil War. Anderson places this moral dilemma front and center, rather than shunting it to the side: how can we fight for liberty for some and keep others shackled? And somehow he manages to do this in a way that doesn't seem sanctimonious or patronizing, which is remarkable. If he is occasionally longwinded it somehow works. Great beginning to reading for 2014.
I wanted to like this book, and although the subject itself was interesting, I found the writing incredibly boring.
absolutely incredible. i do worry that it's the sort of book that has to be placed into the hand of a teacher at first, than that of a reader, but i'd do whatever it takes to have everyone read it.
Young adult novel - but I think old adults will like it as much, or more.
Octavian and his mother are slaves in America, but Octavian doesn't realize he's a slave. He is owned by a philosphical college - and while they conduct experiments on him, they also teach him latin and greek and to read and write and think. Strange juxtaposition, and strange life for Octavian, especially when he becomes more aware of his real circumstances.
I can't wait to read the second volume.
Octavian and his mother are slaves in America, but Octavian doesn't realize he's a slave. He is owned by a philosphical college - and while they conduct experiments on him, they also teach him latin and greek and to read and write and think. Strange juxtaposition, and strange life for Octavian, especially when he becomes more aware of his real circumstances.
I can't wait to read the second volume.
Beautifully composed story with thought provoking prose. I fell in love with Octavian and horrifically drawn to his story.