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guardianghost's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
juliwi's review against another edition
4.0
I remember when I was in primary school that something of a ADHD-craze hit the Netherlands. Across the country more and more boys, especially, were diagnosed with ADHD and medicated to control their behaviour. I also remember my parents thinking this increased diagnosing of children younger than ten wasn't a good idea. So when I saw a novel addressing this very topic, I knew I wanted to read it. And I was immensely and positively surprised by Sutcliffe's novel.
One of the things I liked about Concentr8 is that it's a novel that is not just a story, but also aims to be a lesson. Not in an overly pedantic way, but in an attempt to raise awareness for a topic that is clearly close to the author's heart. The way we treat the children in our societies is crucial and yet often neglected. Whether it's the continuously growing pressure on children to succeed in standardised tests or neglecting to take their concerns seriously, it is not necessarily an easy world for children, let alone for those living in war zones. I am always happy to see fiction novels pick up such controversial yet important topics and Sutcliffe's approaches his with the seriousness it deserves. Between chapters he quotes research on ADHD and his narrative also makes it clear he did a lot of research for this book. Of course he has his own opinion on the matter, but he doesn't force it down the reader's throat.
Concentr8 is a mix between different genres. On the one hand it's a dystopian novel about how we treat our children in a distant future, on the other hand it is a YA novel about children growing up in a world that doesn't care for them. It's also social commentary and, to a certain extent, science fiction. This mix is quite heady and probably not for everyone. I struggled through the first few chapters as Sutcliffe attempted to capture the voice of London teenagers, occasionally writing without punctuation and using slang. But once I got into it, I found that Concentr8 really worked for me. There was an insolence in how the novel addressed readers like me: relatively well-settled in life and having never had to deal with poverty or class. It doesn't make reading Concentr8 fun, but it does make it relevant. Sutcliffe doesn't give you a clear cut answer and doesn't even attempt to end with a classic happy ending, but it will leave you with a great set of questions to consider.
Despite struggling at the beginning, I ended up being really touched by Sutcliffe's Concentr8. He gives a voice here to teenagers who aren't often heard, highlighting a problem we prefer to forget about. Although it may be a struggle, I'd recommend this to those interested in YA fiction and social commentary.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2017/08/review-concentr8-by-william-sutcliffe.html
One of the things I liked about Concentr8 is that it's a novel that is not just a story, but also aims to be a lesson. Not in an overly pedantic way, but in an attempt to raise awareness for a topic that is clearly close to the author's heart. The way we treat the children in our societies is crucial and yet often neglected. Whether it's the continuously growing pressure on children to succeed in standardised tests or neglecting to take their concerns seriously, it is not necessarily an easy world for children, let alone for those living in war zones. I am always happy to see fiction novels pick up such controversial yet important topics and Sutcliffe's approaches his with the seriousness it deserves. Between chapters he quotes research on ADHD and his narrative also makes it clear he did a lot of research for this book. Of course he has his own opinion on the matter, but he doesn't force it down the reader's throat.
Concentr8 is a mix between different genres. On the one hand it's a dystopian novel about how we treat our children in a distant future, on the other hand it is a YA novel about children growing up in a world that doesn't care for them. It's also social commentary and, to a certain extent, science fiction. This mix is quite heady and probably not for everyone. I struggled through the first few chapters as Sutcliffe attempted to capture the voice of London teenagers, occasionally writing without punctuation and using slang. But once I got into it, I found that Concentr8 really worked for me. There was an insolence in how the novel addressed readers like me: relatively well-settled in life and having never had to deal with poverty or class. It doesn't make reading Concentr8 fun, but it does make it relevant. Sutcliffe doesn't give you a clear cut answer and doesn't even attempt to end with a classic happy ending, but it will leave you with a great set of questions to consider.
Despite struggling at the beginning, I ended up being really touched by Sutcliffe's Concentr8. He gives a voice here to teenagers who aren't often heard, highlighting a problem we prefer to forget about. Although it may be a struggle, I'd recommend this to those interested in YA fiction and social commentary.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2017/08/review-concentr8-by-william-sutcliffe.html
chrissireads's review against another edition
2.0
I appreciated what this book was trying to do, but it really didn't work for me. I didn't find myself connecting with any of the characters. It didn't really capture my attention either. It's an intriguing idea, that some might enjoy though!
liisp_cvr2cvr's review against another edition
3.0
"If you opened all the doors on all the cages at London Zoo you’d get the exact something – playtime for the animals and everyone else shitting bricks. It’d be the zookeepers that’d get eaten first- ain’t that the truth."
I found the read slightly emotional- the thoughts of each child of why they do what they do, how much they really do or don't understand and at times how much, leaving aside the main event of the book, is not actually their fault. How they have been let down by the system that is greedy for money, fame and power.
Each paragraph is narrated through the eyes of the characters… we have the youngsters where the writing style is exactly the way they would speak (so, bad grammar!It's quite genius, really!) and we have the mayor, the journalist, the odd paragraph through the eyes of the negotiator. At the end of each paragraph is a factual piece about ADD medicines. Quite frankly, a scary eye-opening read. It’s as if the whole book is created to get the factual pieces across in a hands-on manner. As if explaining maths by using apples or something :)
Aside from the children, the characters of the journalist, the mayor and the negotiator have been perfectly brought across and with each paragraph my reading voice changed the tune and the voice accordingly.
Quite interesting… I would recommend at least to try and read this book. It will give some food for thought… Let us all interpret the message to our best abilities…
Book via: Netgalley
I found the read slightly emotional- the thoughts of each child of why they do what they do, how much they really do or don't understand and at times how much, leaving aside the main event of the book, is not actually their fault. How they have been let down by the system that is greedy for money, fame and power.
Each paragraph is narrated through the eyes of the characters… we have the youngsters where the writing style is exactly the way they would speak (so, bad grammar!It's quite genius, really!) and we have the mayor, the journalist, the odd paragraph through the eyes of the negotiator. At the end of each paragraph is a factual piece about ADD medicines. Quite frankly, a scary eye-opening read. It’s as if the whole book is created to get the factual pieces across in a hands-on manner. As if explaining maths by using apples or something :)
Aside from the children, the characters of the journalist, the mayor and the negotiator have been perfectly brought across and with each paragraph my reading voice changed the tune and the voice accordingly.
Quite interesting… I would recommend at least to try and read this book. It will give some food for thought… Let us all interpret the message to our best abilities…
Book via: Netgalley
kba76's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting idea, but can't understand why we don't get any real insight into the character who initiated the action. Frustrating.
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
3.0
Here's the link to my video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnNO4xlpHVs
Concentr8 is a book about how the easiness of prescribed drugs, for suffers of ADHD and behavioural problem, can impact the youth and general society of London, at least this is what I grasped. In this novel, we follow Blaze, Troy, Femi, Karen and Lee: a gang of sorts, who, upon seeing the riots of London, knows they want in but they almost feel the need, the insane drive, to do something bigger... Something serious... Something LUDICROUS, in order to get their voices heard... Even if they're not too sure what their voices want to say.
I'm really not sure how to review this book because I think, under the surface it went into deeper tones, exploring society, than I am able to comprehend. As well as this, I'm not entirely certain how much is fiction and how much is not, but from what I can gather the plot is fiction based on a probable occurrence, hoping to share with the readers the distinct line between working class Londoners and, their fanciful rivals, the politicians. Skimming reviews prior to reading this, I noticed a mixed response but I thought it started out feeling tense and continued with that electricity throughout.
I enjoyed that this book was told from the perspectives of many people, both the gang and the higher class people, such as the mayor and the journalist. It gave me an insight on how others felt about the situation this plot delivered and also allowed me to see how all people responded to the actions of others, perhaps not in their social class. It also had excerpts from articles and books regarding ADHD and the use of drugs, which gave me a greater understanding to the medical side of things and therefore allowed me to better judge whether actions by characters in the book where just or insincere.
I found that everybody's point of view felt like a complete different person, which was great. I had the hardest time, initially, understanding Troy's parts because it was written exactly how I could imagine him speaking and showed how little educated he was, so it lacked sense of grammar and punctuation. I don't know if I had just got used to the style of Troy's narration, but I felt like it was more collected and easier to read, with more punctuation as I read on. Karen was a nuisance to read from because everything was written with question marks and I think she was not developed as some of the other characters were, although I generally think character development was an issue in this book.
All in all, I wish I could understand the depth, I know this book has, more than I did, but it still made an interesting and thought provoking read.
This was received free to read for an honest review, via the publisher on Netgalley.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! ^.^
Gén
Concentr8 is a book about how the easiness of prescribed drugs, for suffers of ADHD and behavioural problem, can impact the youth and general society of London, at least this is what I grasped. In this novel, we follow Blaze, Troy, Femi, Karen and Lee: a gang of sorts, who, upon seeing the riots of London, knows they want in but they almost feel the need, the insane drive, to do something bigger... Something serious... Something LUDICROUS, in order to get their voices heard... Even if they're not too sure what their voices want to say.
I'm really not sure how to review this book because I think, under the surface it went into deeper tones, exploring society, than I am able to comprehend. As well as this, I'm not entirely certain how much is fiction and how much is not, but from what I can gather the plot is fiction based on a probable occurrence, hoping to share with the readers the distinct line between working class Londoners and, their fanciful rivals, the politicians. Skimming reviews prior to reading this, I noticed a mixed response but I thought it started out feeling tense and continued with that electricity throughout.
I enjoyed that this book was told from the perspectives of many people, both the gang and the higher class people, such as the mayor and the journalist. It gave me an insight on how others felt about the situation this plot delivered and also allowed me to see how all people responded to the actions of others, perhaps not in their social class. It also had excerpts from articles and books regarding ADHD and the use of drugs, which gave me a greater understanding to the medical side of things and therefore allowed me to better judge whether actions by characters in the book where just or insincere.
I found that everybody's point of view felt like a complete different person, which was great. I had the hardest time, initially, understanding Troy's parts because it was written exactly how I could imagine him speaking and showed how little educated he was, so it lacked sense of grammar and punctuation. I don't know if I had just got used to the style of Troy's narration, but I felt like it was more collected and easier to read, with more punctuation as I read on. Karen was a nuisance to read from because everything was written with question marks and I think she was not developed as some of the other characters were, although I generally think character development was an issue in this book.
All in all, I wish I could understand the depth, I know this book has, more than I did, but it still made an interesting and thought provoking read.
This was received free to read for an honest review, via the publisher on Netgalley.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! ^.^
Gén
b00kr3vi3ws's review against another edition
3.0
Concentr8 welcomes its readers to a world set in distant future where most kids are on medication for ADD. The medication was welcomed willingly as it seemed to offer some relief to not only those who suffered from ADD but also to those around them. But then chaos breaks loose bringing riots to the city. And amongst all the chaos are five kids who have held a seemingly random man hostage. Troy, Femi, Lee, Karen and Blaze are five kids who have been on Concentr8 from the time they could remember. Why did they kidnap someone off the streets? And why are they holding him hostage? What is going on in the city to bring these kids, a journalist, a negotiator and the mayor together?
The concept of the book attracted me immediately. It is not very common to get a chance to get into the minds of such oddball characters – and I mean oddballs in a good way. We are so used to larger than life characters, the next door teenagers kind of characters play the lead roles in the books that it is often a refreshing change to read about different kind of characters. Told from multiple points of view, the story provides its readers with a complete sense of the plot. The author has done a great job of setting up the plot and then following it through till the end. The plot makes you question a lot of things and unfortunately does not provide any answers to them, leaving it up to the readers to decide.
However, I have to admit that the narration and characterization in the book was the most confusing thing ever. The author, in order to add to the authenticity of the characters, has given different voices to his characters and narrated the story in a way so as to stay true to its characters who suffer from ADD. As a result the narration can be difficult to follow and to warm up to. After all, one cannot expect people with ADD to be able to narrate coherently or with perfect grammar or without losing track. So, while on one hand the characters and their narration made it very difficult for me to read, on the other hand I marveled at the author’s ingenuity in deciding to tell the story in such a way. It is the biggest advantage and also the biggest disadvantage of the book.
In the end, while it was a really difficult book to complete, I appreciate the author’s endeavor to come up with something different more. I would recommend this book to readers who are always up for something different – no matter how daunting and at the same time suggest to pick this up at your own discretion.
The concept of the book attracted me immediately. It is not very common to get a chance to get into the minds of such oddball characters – and I mean oddballs in a good way. We are so used to larger than life characters, the next door teenagers kind of characters play the lead roles in the books that it is often a refreshing change to read about different kind of characters. Told from multiple points of view, the story provides its readers with a complete sense of the plot. The author has done a great job of setting up the plot and then following it through till the end. The plot makes you question a lot of things and unfortunately does not provide any answers to them, leaving it up to the readers to decide.
However, I have to admit that the narration and characterization in the book was the most confusing thing ever. The author, in order to add to the authenticity of the characters, has given different voices to his characters and narrated the story in a way so as to stay true to its characters who suffer from ADD. As a result the narration can be difficult to follow and to warm up to. After all, one cannot expect people with ADD to be able to narrate coherently or with perfect grammar or without losing track. So, while on one hand the characters and their narration made it very difficult for me to read, on the other hand I marveled at the author’s ingenuity in deciding to tell the story in such a way. It is the biggest advantage and also the biggest disadvantage of the book.
In the end, while it was a really difficult book to complete, I appreciate the author’s endeavor to come up with something different more. I would recommend this book to readers who are always up for something different – no matter how daunting and at the same time suggest to pick this up at your own discretion.
abbiefox's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kaitmary's review against another edition
2.0
It feels somewhat ironic that a book about ADHD and the effects of its treatment fails to zero in at the subject at hand.
Concentr8 is a novel about the bigger picture. It's about mental health, the way modern medicine has changed the landscape for teens with issues, and the reality of who is singled out and affected most by these diagnoses. There's certainly a story to be told here, but the novel fails to make much impact.
After the government suddenly cuts off the supply of Concentr8, a futuristic drug used to treat ADHD, riots rage in the streets of London. Without their emotions in check via medication, the people are angry. Some more than others. When Blaze decides to kidnap a government official and hold him hostage, his friends Troy, Femi, Lee, and Karen go along with it because they simply don't know how not to-- they've been following Blaze their whole life. All five previously received Concentr8 and in the midst of a five-day hostage situation, they'll learn the truth about the ways the government has systematically failed "troubled kids" from the projects like them for decades.
This book has a constant POV shift that didn't really work for us. We rarely get Blaze's story, but we do get his loyal lapdog Troy, the doubtful Femi, clueless but attracted-to-power girlfriend Karen, and Lee, who was utterly pointless. I'm still not certain. All five narrate in the thick London accent known as Chav, which is gruff and not particularly pleasant in reading form, but understandably used to signify the characters' place in society. These are the kids everyone gave up on moments after they were born. Still, all of these POVs were not necessary. Lee added nothing to the story and could have been erased all together. Karen ended statements with question marks, which was added to suggest an upward inflection in her tone but grated on my eyeballs in a horrific fashion. Honestly, if it weren't for learning their individual roles in the group-- the loyal one, the doubtful one, the vapid one, etc-- the characters sounded nearly indistinguishable because there just wasn't much personality displayed.
There's also three adult narrators: The hostage, the mayor, and the journalist. The hostage had something to offer the story but was severely under-utilized. The mayor and the journalist felt like stereotypes: One over-confident, vain, and uninterested in the people he is meant to represent, the other hardened and haughty as she digs for the real truth.
I knew I didn't love the story from an early stage, but I held on in hopes that I'd get that big, profound moment that tied together the overall message hidden in there: Society is filled with injustices that target the poor and unfairly seek to modify behaviors, especially in the case of ADHD. But the story never hints that crucial moment where it all comes fill circle. Nothing much happens during the hostage crisis other than the kids sitting around and the determined journalist digging up the facts about the Concentr8 program. What the kids are doing doesn't even seem to implicitly tie back to ADHD or Concentr8, even though the story keeps telling you that it's all related.
Overall, this book meant well but failed to inspire or even truly advocate on behalf of a new approach to mental health, which made it a fairly frustrating read despite its good intentions.
Concentr8 is a novel about the bigger picture. It's about mental health, the way modern medicine has changed the landscape for teens with issues, and the reality of who is singled out and affected most by these diagnoses. There's certainly a story to be told here, but the novel fails to make much impact.
After the government suddenly cuts off the supply of Concentr8, a futuristic drug used to treat ADHD, riots rage in the streets of London. Without their emotions in check via medication, the people are angry. Some more than others. When Blaze decides to kidnap a government official and hold him hostage, his friends Troy, Femi, Lee, and Karen go along with it because they simply don't know how not to-- they've been following Blaze their whole life. All five previously received Concentr8 and in the midst of a five-day hostage situation, they'll learn the truth about the ways the government has systematically failed "troubled kids" from the projects like them for decades.
This book has a constant POV shift that didn't really work for us. We rarely get Blaze's story, but we do get his loyal lapdog Troy, the doubtful Femi, clueless but attracted-to-power girlfriend Karen, and Lee, who was utterly pointless. I'm still not certain. All five narrate in the thick London accent known as Chav, which is gruff and not particularly pleasant in reading form, but understandably used to signify the characters' place in society. These are the kids everyone gave up on moments after they were born. Still, all of these POVs were not necessary. Lee added nothing to the story and could have been erased all together. Karen ended statements with question marks, which was added to suggest an upward inflection in her tone but grated on my eyeballs in a horrific fashion. Honestly, if it weren't for learning their individual roles in the group-- the loyal one, the doubtful one, the vapid one, etc-- the characters sounded nearly indistinguishable because there just wasn't much personality displayed.
There's also three adult narrators: The hostage, the mayor, and the journalist. The hostage had something to offer the story but was severely under-utilized. The mayor and the journalist felt like stereotypes: One over-confident, vain, and uninterested in the people he is meant to represent, the other hardened and haughty as she digs for the real truth.
I knew I didn't love the story from an early stage, but I held on in hopes that I'd get that big, profound moment that tied together the overall message hidden in there: Society is filled with injustices that target the poor and unfairly seek to modify behaviors, especially in the case of ADHD. But the story never hints that crucial moment where it all comes fill circle. Nothing much happens during the hostage crisis other than the kids sitting around and the determined journalist digging up the facts about the Concentr8 program. What the kids are doing doesn't even seem to implicitly tie back to ADHD or Concentr8, even though the story keeps telling you that it's all related.
Overall, this book meant well but failed to inspire or even truly advocate on behalf of a new approach to mental health, which made it a fairly frustrating read despite its good intentions.