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A review by librarybonanza
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
5.0
Age: Freshman-Senior
Award: Printz, Young Reader's Choice
Cameron is the typical recluse character with an immensely sarcastic humor. His parents are distant, his popular twin sister feigns revolt against him, and he has no real friends. He smokes pot to deal with life's seeming "unreality" and appears content with simple, mundane pleasures like visiting his local record store and, well, that's pretty much it. When he's diagnosed with the human strain of Mad Cow Disease he's sent to the hospital Going Bovine is an adventure to save the world which is given to Cameron by a punk angel. Accompanied with his neurotic side-kick, Gonzo, and a viking dwarf they pick up on the way, the gang travels from Texas to Mississippi then to Florida on a search for Doctor X who will cure Cameron's disease and stop a wormhole on Earth that has unleashed a dark force from another universe.
Bray presents a rich and poignant humor unlike most young adult literature I've read. It is incredibly witty with a lot of social commentary that may still be relevant in the future because the popular icons that Cameron comments on are more like concepts than names existing in our current reality. Not only were the jokes humorous, but they were also descriptive and real. They carried out far more literary techniques than just humor. The end of this novel is tragically beautiful. Cameron's life is finally worth something because he has lived and experienced friendship, love, adventure, excitement, and spontaneous excitement.
Award: Printz, Young Reader's Choice
Cameron is the typical recluse character with an immensely sarcastic humor. His parents are distant, his popular twin sister feigns revolt against him, and he has no real friends. He smokes pot to deal with life's seeming "unreality" and appears content with simple, mundane pleasures like visiting his local record store and, well, that's pretty much it. When he's diagnosed with the human strain of Mad Cow Disease he's sent to the hospital
Spoiler
where his brain is left to deteriorate into madness. In the end, and with little hints throughout, we realize that this is exactly what happens. But Bray expertly hides this with fantasy elements that (appear to) covertly exist in the real world.Spoiler
In the end, Cameron finds Dr. X, who has been leading him there all along to meet his demise at the hands of an evil Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan's at it again!) who turns out to be Cameron himself. The book ends with Cameron's realization that he would take nothing, not even his life, in exchange for the fond memories and friendships gained from the trip.Bray presents a rich and poignant humor unlike most young adult literature I've read. It is incredibly witty with a lot of social commentary that may still be relevant in the future because the popular icons that Cameron comments on are more like concepts than names existing in our current reality. Not only were the jokes humorous, but they were also descriptive and real. They carried out far more literary techniques than just humor. The end of this novel is tragically beautiful. Cameron's life is finally worth something because he has lived and experienced friendship, love, adventure, excitement, and spontaneous excitement.