Review by megankish23 - Dead Poets Society

megankish23 's review for:

Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum

3.75

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I read this book because i love the movie to bits and pieces and i was surprised that i wish so much of this short book was put back in the movie.(it’s my understanding that this book is written after the movies screenplay? so most of the scenes were in the movie, just cut)
The queer subtext is hardy subtext in my opinion, mainly just something that is not on the page but if you read it, i feel like anyone can see the connection of neil and todd in a romantic way.
the only thing about this book i don’t enjoy is how it portrays women, all of the women shown are sexually explicit in some way.

Chris gets sexually assaulted by Knox and she is the one apologizing at the end, Keating presents explicit photos of women to his class, and Charlie brings two older women to hang out with a group of teenage boys in order to woo them with poetry

obviously some of this is a symptom of the time, but i don’t think that excuses it from criticism.
Overall though it is a book that is short but very organized with the way it spends its limited time with the characters. Nothing felt rushed, it just felt like how fast life normally goes when you are in school and with your friends.

Content Warnings