The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation
by M.T. Anderson
|
|
| published
|
October 1st 2007
|
| first published
| 2006 |
| binding
| Paperback |
| isbn
|
1844282112
(isbn13: 9781844282111)
|
| ebook |
|
| pages
| 368 |
| literary awards
| 2007 Printz Honor Book; National Book Award 2006 |
| date added
|
05-27-07
|
|
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Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com
Even the title gives the reader a glimpse of the ostentatious nature of this incredible book. THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION is presented as a young adult title, which should in no way limit it only to the teen audience. Indeed, this book will be a challenge for many high school students -- a challenge well worth the effort.
M.T. Anderson immediately immerses his reader in the flowery, pretentious language sp...more
Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com
Even the title gives the reader a glimpse of the ostentatious nature of this incredible book. THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION is presented as a young adult title, which should in no way limit it only to the teen audience. Indeed, this book will be a challenge for many high school students -- a challenge well worth the effort.
M.T. Anderson immediately immerses his reader in the flowery, pretentious language spoken in the Revolutionary War period, a language that requires thought and concentration for today's reader. Once the reader is acclimated to the writing style, they are already hooked by Octavian's story. Octavian, an African prince, was sold while yet unborn, to one Mr.
Gitney, referred to as 03-01, of the Novanglian College of Lucidity. He was dressed in fine silks and fed the finest of fares. His mother was treated as the African princess she was, entertaining gentlemen, playing her harpsichord.
It was not until Octavian turned eight that he realized his life was not normal, that he was indeed one of the College's experiments. No other human being had their intake, as well as their body's waste, measured and recorded. Every word spoken, every situation, was a challenge to excel, an experiment to determine if the African race was capable of advanced thought and skill. Not all children, especially black children, were given the opportunity for a classical education. Octavian was already an accomplished violinist. He read all of the great literature, in several languages, including Greek and Latin. He understood figures, physics, and sciences of the earth. No discipline was left untouched in the quest to determine the potential of a slave to learn.
THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION is written from Octavian's point of view. Some passages are as though written by his own hand, then scribbled through, as if Octavian, with his vast education, still could not find the proper words to convey the horrors he had lived. His life of seeming luxury changes when the college's benefactor dies. Mr. Gitney entertains Lord Cheldethorpe in hopes that he will see fit to continue to finance the college as his uncle before him. For a time it seems that he is the solution to the College's financial distress. Especially since he has taken an acute interest in Octavian's mother. It is when she violently opposes his offer of her purchase, rather than a
royal marriage, that Octavian and his mother experience the outrage and beatings more typical in the life of a slave. To Octavian's great relief, Lord Cheldethorpe returns to England and a new financial supporter, Mr. Sharpe, is found.
But Mr. Sharpe changes the experiment. Now the lessons seem more designed to prove failure rather than success. When not engaged in his “lessons," Octavian is treated as a simple slave, along with his mother. Add to this the mounting unrest of the American nation, and fear is paramount. The entire household flees Boston to Canaan, Massachusetts. It is there that the most horrific experiment takes place. Mr. Gitney throws a pox party, whereby all, white and black alike, are “inoculated” against the small pox virus in hopes that they will be immune. Instead, Octavian witnesses pain and loss at the most personal level.
At this point the reader will identify with Octavian on a primal level, and feel enormous relief when, finally, Octavian makes his escape. We read about his life as a soldier in the Patriot's army through the letters of one of his co-patriots, one Private Evidence Goring. But it's not until his capture, and subsequent total isolation, that the reader truly understands the complete desolation and hopelessness in the life of a slave. When M.T. Anderson places the iron mask, which he so artfully described to the reader in an earlier chapter, on Octavian, the reader feels complete revulsion and aches for Octavian to be released from this abject misery.
The story is masterfully written and researched. It is one of the most difficult books I've ever read, both in vocabulary and realism. That I made it through to the end makes me feel smart, educated, humble, and indeed amazed, nay fortunate, to have been given a glimpse into the mind of a genius, M.T. Anderson. I'm quite confident that the readers' desire to find out the fate of Octavian Nothing will still pulse within by the time Mr. Anderson shares Volume II with the world. ...less
bookshelves:
teen-fiction
Has a copy to sell/swap
recommended to Katherine by:
Printz winner
recommends it for:
older teens with a patience for more challenging texts/ adults wiling to dabble in YA fiction
Okay, for those of you have read M.T. Anderson's OTHER fabulous book Feed, Octavian Nothing proves to be very interesting on a thematic comparison level. Feed is, of course, set in the distant future and depicts a very Brave New World-ish, anti-utopian warning about where we're going as a culture (and it ain't pretty, folks). Octavian Nothing, on the other hand, is set in New England during America's Revolutionary War. Both books are written in the style a...more
Okay, for those of you have read M.T. Anderson's OTHER fabulous book Feed, Octavian Nothing proves to be very interesting on a thematic comparison level. Feed is, of course, set in the distant future and depicts a very Brave New World-ish, anti-utopian warning about where we're going as a culture (and it ain't pretty, folks). Octavian Nothing, on the other hand, is set in New England during America's Revolutionary War. Both books are written in the style and vocabulary of the thoughts of its protagonists. Feed's main character is a high-school-aged boy with very little education outside of the internet and MTV, and the book, therefore, has a kind of text-messagey, anti-intellectual, lazy, sarcastic feel to it. Octavian, conversely, is a highly educated black slave, the son of an African princess and the pupil of a highly respectable classics scholar and scientist; his writing is, therefore, of a very elevated, poetic, esoteric sort. During the first fourth of the book, I kept wondering, how on EARTH are these books written by the same author?!
This is a great book for those interested in the following:
1) expanding their vocabulary exponentially. Even I had to grab a dictionary occasionally
2) African American, pre-emancipation history
3) First-hand fictional accounts of the revolutionary war (ones which are not cheesy or blindingly patriotic)
4) Exploration of human dignity, resistance, pride, bondage (of many different symbolic levels), freedom (again, transcending circumstance), and true power
I finally discovered the link between the two books in this fourth and final point. I don't want to go into too much detail for fear of ruining the book. For those who have read Feed, however, I will include the two quotes below to whet their appetites for some more M.T. Anderson this summer. I should also note that the book is organized like a collection of historical manuscripts. The first 2/3rds and the last 1/8th or so pages from Octavian's "manuscript testimony" (although it is not clear how it was obtained, nor who it was that blotted out unreadable a small handful of the pages); while the remainder is peppered and bridged with a collection of authentic looking letters, invitations, newspaper advertisements, etc. Very interesting for those fascinated by mixed-media art forms.
-----------------------------
"'All shall be changed,' I whispered.
"'Except,' said Dr. Trefusis, looking around the gathering, 'that I fear one thing shall remain. When I peer into the reaches of the most distant futurity, I fear that even in some unseen epoch when there are colonies even upon the moon itself, there shall still be gatherings like this, where the young, blinded by privilege, shall dance and giggle and compare their poxy lesions.'"
--------------------------
"At long last, you may no longer distinguish what binds you from what is you."
As for maturity level, there is not much here to find objectionable, but the difficulty of the writing could be prohibitive to many readers. Might be a good choice for parent and child to share a reading and discussion of....less
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
adult and teen readers
Fantastic literature; one of my top books of all time,
I am blown away by the brilliant, lush style and more brilliant ideas and intellect of this coming-of-age and bildungsroman novel. I was delighted by the mystery of it and the growing horror, how the limited point of view of the little hero worked as he gradually makes his discoveries about the realities of his world. It reminded me of The "Handmaid's Tale: A Novel", which I have used as a textbook when teaching teenagers. I...more
Fantastic literature; one of my top books of all time,
I am blown away by the brilliant, lush style and more brilliant ideas and intellect of this coming-of-age and bildungsroman novel. I was delighted by the mystery of it and the growing horror, how the limited point of view of the little hero worked as he gradually makes his discoveries about the realities of his world. It reminded me of The "Handmaid's Tale: A Novel", which I have used as a textbook when teaching teenagers. It reminds me of The "Matrix" and "My Ishmael" as the viewer/reader learns through innocent eyes, as the veil begins to be pulled back.
It is fascinating to read reviews from people who find it abominable. What kind of minds do they have? What kind do I have? How can I be so utterly different - on the opposite pole - from these readers? This book is on my top ten favorites of all time and I am pretty old by now, and have read thousands of literary novels starting from 7, when I read "To Kill a Mockingbird". People say it should't be read by teens. I fervently disagree; I would have been thrilled to have had Octavian on hand in high school. I wish my daughter had read it. Kids are very smart with powerful intuitive radars, just like the main character in the novel. They "know something is happening...they (just)don't know what it is". They don't like being condescended to, having things over-explained; in fact, that might be one big reason kids don't much like reading anymore, because so much that is published for them these days is dumbed down and prettified, "whitewashed". The erudition and historical reference, the chaos and mystery of Octavian Nothing wouldn't have thrown me off when I was 12 but intrigued me to find out more. I've heard parents say they were too shocked by the sickness and brutality of the story; they had to put the book down and forbade their progeny from reading it. My goodness, parents, what about what is on the news every night? The evil in this delectable, astounding novel is disturbing, sure, but it is the true history of this country,and a brilliant look into the human psyche and ability for denial, to do evil in the name of "good" or of scientific research. To censor this book from youth would be like not letting them find out about Hiroshima or the Holocaust. Overprotect them from history and you end up with white kids not knowing why hanging a noose is a hate crime. Why not give them our history in the form of a great literary work, through great art? Octavian Nothing is destined to become a classic, and someday will be required reading everywhere, mark my words.
~ by Lesley Thomas, author of coming-of-age novel <i>Flight of the Goose <i> ...less
bookshelves:
listened-to-audiobook,
teen
Read in April, 2007
sweet jesus, i have never been so anxious for a book to be done as i was with this one. i listened to the audiobook and it just seemed interminable! ugh! the language is very…. gothic and high and oh, i just hated it! here’s the thing i’ve decided about m.t. anderson. he has really great premises to his books (like in “feed” where it’s in the future and everyone’s brains are jacked into the internet, or “game of sunken places” where two boys have to play a “game” to save th...more
sweet jesus, i have never been so anxious for a book to be done as i was with this one. i listened to the audiobook and it just seemed interminable! ugh! the language is very…. gothic and high and oh, i just hated it! here’s the thing i’ve decided about m.t. anderson. he has really great premises to his books (like in “feed” where it’s in the future and everyone’s brains are jacked into the internet, or “game of sunken places” where two boys have to play a “game” to save the world, or this one where it takes place during the american revolution era and a group of white men have decided to do an experiment and give a black slave boy a classic upbringing to test the “negro’s native capacity”–very interesting and thought provoking premise, no?) but then he takes it in this direction that i just don’t care about and don’t want to read! in octavian nothing, for example, the first part talks about all of the ridiculous things they make this boy do in order to “study” him (he poops on a plate and they weigh and record it every time), but i thought that the climax of the book would come when he suddenly discovers who they are and what they’re doing to him (kind of like the truman show), but no, that sort of happens about a quarter of the way through the book and it’s like it’s no big deal, really. then, his owners (or whatever they are) decide to hold a “pox party” — ostensibly to innoculate a group of their friends and then all hang out together while they recover if they contract the illness in any form. and that’s kind of interesting, but also really gross because at least some of the people don’t survive the innoculation. then, octavian runs away and joins the army and the telling of his story is taken over by a soldier (named “evidence goring”) writing letters to his sister (”fruition”) and he tells stories from the battlefield and occasionally mentions octavian (who goes by the nickname, “prince”). i soooooo don’t care about reading battlefield stories. having them read to me in archaic language is excruciatingly painful. then, he is recaptured and they slap this metal hood– complete with a metal bit that goes in him mouth–onto him and lock it. at one point, they describe him gagging on the bit and then puking inside the hood and then the puke plugging up all the holes for him to breathe through and dripping out of the eyeholes and it’s just so groooossssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss! uck! maybe i would have been able to better enjoy the book if i were reading it myself and could have skimmed the parts i didn’t like....less
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Everyone
Octavian Nothing is a slave boy owned by a group of rationalist philosophers living in Revolutionary War-era Boston. Slowly, we learn that Octavian's upbringing, characterized by a rigorous classical education and musical training (in which he excels) regular measurment of such bodily functions as his bowel movemements, are all part of a disturbing experiment to determine whether or not people of African descent are inferior to whites. Octavian comes to realize this as well, and in the course of...more
Octavian Nothing is a slave boy owned by a group of rationalist philosophers living in Revolutionary War-era Boston. Slowly, we learn that Octavian's upbringing, characterized by a rigorous classical education and musical training (in which he excels) regular measurment of such bodily functions as his bowel movemements, are all part of a disturbing experiment to determine whether or not people of African descent are inferior to whites. Octavian comes to realize this as well, and in the course of his relationship with an older fellow slave, begins to chafe under the bonds of his servitude, however "humane" it might appear on the surface. With the revolutionary struggle against Britain about to explode, Octavian learns increasingly bitter lessons about the hypocrisy of those who take up arms in the name of liberty but continue to sanction the bondage of tens of thousands of their fellow countrymen. The nerve-wracking, cliffhanger ending will leave you clamoring for the publication of the second book in this two part series, which should be released in 2008.
While the book is nominally written for a young adult audience, this is a serious book of ideas that should satisfy any adult reader. It is written in an archaic, 18th century style and makes us of a number of innovative narrative techniques; one section of the narrative is told completely through letters written back and forth between various characters in the story. Such techniques could have easily damaged the cohesiveness of the book, but Anderson masterfully brings all of the elements of his story together. The result is stunning.
Anyone interested in exploring ideas surrounding the contradictory relationship between freedom and private property, racism and the role of race in the Revolution, and the conflict bewteen extreme rationalism and human dignity should read this book. So should everyone else for that matter. ...less
M.T. Anderson likes to take chances with his writing. This is an incredibly challenging book for a kid to read. The vocabulary is difficult, and there are a lot of references to ancient Greek and Roman stories. My 16 year-old classicist son had to enlighten me on a few of the allusions.
In some cases, I didn't think the vocabulary had to be quite as arcane as it was. The book takes place at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, but perhaps simply making the syntax and grammar consistent...more
M.T. Anderson likes to take chances with his writing. This is an incredibly challenging book for a kid to read. The vocabulary is difficult, and there are a lot of references to ancient Greek and Roman stories. My 16 year-old classicist son had to enlighten me on a few of the allusions.
In some cases, I didn't think the vocabulary had to be quite as arcane as it was. The book takes place at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, but perhaps simply making the syntax and grammar consistent with the era would have been enough. Of course, the point is that Octavian has been educated to speak that way (even the other characters in the book find it arcane -- e.g. "What's fain?") -- but in some cases ("perambulate" instead of "walk") I had a niggling feeling that it was the author's voice more than Octavian's.
The length of the book also distracted me. The writer in me wondered in various spots, "Is this necessary, or could it have been cut?"
Finally, although I think this was intentional, I had a hard time relating to Octavian. He's quite reserved when he's speaking (some parts of the book are in first person), and then when the voice switches to another character we're more clearly shown his emotion, even when that other character doesn't understand it or seems to miss the point. But that technique made it hard for me to feel close to Octavian, although I did sympathize something fierce with his lot in life.
I liked the way Anderson built up the horror of Octavian's existence. At the beginning of the novel my son said, "Educating a slave, feeding him well, and including him in your social circle -- tell me what's wrong with that?" -- but of course that's how we're meant to feel at the beginning. The perversion underlying the surface is brought up, along with the pox pustules, to a gaping, roiling, feverish mutilation of a person's humanity. ...less
bookshelves:
work
Read in August, 2008
This was a completely extraordinary book - thanks for sending it, Lacy! I'm struck again by the question of what exactly makes a YA adult book a YA book. Nothing in here, whether it's writing, topic, or style, seems "YA" to me - is it simply judged so because of the age of the central protagonist? Is it a marketing choice?
The book's structure captivate me from the very start, as the title page and chapter headings so beautiful recreate the style and form of eighteenth-century Am...more
This was a completely extraordinary book - thanks for sending it, Lacy! I'm struck again by the question of what exactly makes a YA adult book a YA book. Nothing in here, whether it's writing, topic, or style, seems "YA" to me - is it simply judged so because of the age of the central protagonist? Is it a marketing choice?
The book's structure captivate me from the very start, as the title page and chapter headings so beautiful recreate the style and form of eighteenth-century American pamphlets. Nothing after that disappointed, and I relished the language, the way in which the author showed vagaries of class and education in the Revolutionary period through speech and thought. The very start of the book, which confused me a little in the beginning, since it seemed so much like fantasy, was a stroke of brilliance revealed in hindsight - the world seen through the eyes of a child who cannot comprehend the reality of his life.
I plan to use this book in my class on the American Revolution. It does such a marvelous job of showing the factionalism in the north, even among those who called themselves 'patriots,' and the conversations about race and gender we can have as a result of this story will prepare my students very well to pay attention to those issues as they do their own research. It humanizes the things my students have to glean from dry court records and fragments of letters - less, usually, if they seek to reclaim the stories of the north's enslaved people. Their understanding of the Revolution will be so enriched by this book, by Octavian's many struggles, and perhaps most of all by what happens to his mother.
(The history, by the way, was impeccable. It was refreshing to read a historical novel that didn't make me want to chew on my hand even once.)
...less
bookshelves:
abandoned,
young-adult
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
no one. No, wait--someone bedridden for 6 months who therefore won't miss the lost time.
I admit right off the bat, this one-star rating isn't completely fair. My sister has this thing about books. If she starts it, she mustmustmust finish it, no matter how horrid she finds it to be. That, say I, is a stupid rule.
Why waste my valuable time reading something boring or awful or just plain yucky, when I could be reading something wonderful that makes me laugh or makes me think or is just downright entertaining?
I wanted to like Octavian Nothing. I listened to about an hour and a...more
I admit right off the bat, this one-star rating isn't completely fair. My sister has this thing about books. If she starts it, she mustmustmust finish it, no matter how horrid she finds it to be. That, say I, is a stupid rule.
Why waste my valuable time reading something boring or awful or just plain yucky, when I could be reading something wonderful that makes me laugh or makes me think or is just downright entertaining?
I wanted to like Octavian Nothing. I listened to about an hour and a half of the audiobook before I could subject myself to it no longer. It was like listening to a boring English professor ramble on about Herman Melville or Hawthorne. Don't get me wrong, the narrator (what was his name?) had a marvelous voice--strong, deep, and very nice. It was just those incredibly dull, rambling paragraphs he was reading that lost me.
Remember being forced to read a diary of an early American colonist, or some such boring tome, in high school and/or college? Remember thinking, "My word, man, for the love of all that is good in the world, stop rambling and using all those hoity-toity words, and just get to the point"? Yeah, that's what I was thinking for the entire hour-and-a-half I listened.
Now I know that you Octavian-lovers out there are thinking, "Good grief, you didn't even give it an hour-and-forty-seven minutes! How can you possibly know whether this book was any good or not? You completely missed the brilliance!" And I would have to say that you are probably right. But the beautiful thing about reading and enjoying books is that just because a title is deemed a "good" book doesn't mean any given person will like it.
Moby Dick.
I believe I've made my point....less
Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
adults, young adults, people who like a different take on history
An awesome book that reexamines the beginning of the American Revolution from an often-overlooked viewpoint: that of a slave. Octavian's life is anything but normal, as he and his mother are educated and pampered as part of an experiment run by a household of scientists. I don't want to give away much more of the plot, but what follows is a gruesome tale of how African-Americans were used mercilessly to prove both scientific and philosophical evidence that would ultimately damn them in the eyes ...more
An awesome book that reexamines the beginning of the American Revolution from an often-overlooked viewpoint: that of a slave. Octavian's life is anything but normal, as he and his mother are educated and pampered as part of an experiment run by a household of scientists. I don't want to give away much more of the plot, but what follows is a gruesome tale of how African-Americans were used mercilessly to prove both scientific and philosophical evidence that would ultimately damn them in the eyes of Americans for decades to come.
While Octavian's strange upbringing and his heartbreaking relationship with his mother were intriguing themes, what really hooked me was the way the "War for Independence" was treated. We like to paint the Founding Fathers as ultimate heroes, and the American Revolution as a war fought for liberty and justice and the right to live free....meanwhile, many of our leaders were slave-owners, and while "Americans" were fighting for their "freedom", slavery existed in our country long after it was abolished in England.
It's an interesting part of history that doesn't receive a lot of light, especially in the Young Adult sector, where this book is placed.
Which brings me to something else: although classified as YA, I found that adults can easily get into it. I've read reviews online of people complaining that this book is too "hard" for teens. Give me a break. Maybe if the book market stopped pandering to the lowest common denominator of readers and actually realized that teens are able to grasp and learn from complicated themes, we'd have less insipid Gossip Girl series and more thought-provoking novels like this. ...less
bookshelves:
1stperson,
adventure-survival,
death-grief,
historical-fiction,
series,
young-adult
Read in August, 2007
Time Period: 18th c.
Genre: Historical Fiction/YA
Geographical Setting: Massachusetts
Plot Summary: Octavian is raised by the College of Novanglian Lucidity as an experiment in the development of the African child. Though he lives a strange life he and his mother are treated fairly by their master, Mr. 03-01. Octavian is a prince, his mother having been an African princess and as such, he is taught and treated as though he were royalty. However, when the college begins to lose funding the...more
Time Period: 18th c.
Genre: Historical Fiction/YA
Geographical Setting: Massachusetts
Plot Summary: Octavian is raised by the College of Novanglian Lucidity as an experiment in the development of the African child. Though he lives a strange life he and his mother are treated fairly by their master, Mr. 03-01. Octavian is a prince, his mother having been an African princess and as such, he is taught and treated as though he were royalty. However, when the college begins to lose funding they must turn to other benefactors, who change the course of the experiment, mistreating Octavian and his mother. Thus, Octavian learns of the tortures other Africans must live through when his mother is tortured and killed. He escapes his home, searching for freedom and learns more of the Revolutionary War, joining forces with a local militia.
Subject Headings: Historical fiction, African Americans - fiction, Freedom - fiction, slavery – fiction, science - experiments – fiction, Massachusetts – History – Revolution, 1775-1783 – fiction.
Appeal: Told through a combination of Octavian’s journals, newspaper and journal clippings and letters in first person narrative. Characters are well developed and realistic. The setting was well researched and historically accurate for the most part. The tone varies depending on who is speaking to the reader, at times light and at times dark and disturbing. The story is filled with intrigue, mystery, adventure and horror/violence, as well as some humor. It has a happy cliffhanger ending, allowing the reader to decide what adventure Octavian and the doctor will embark upon next. ...less
Read in February, 2008
recommended to LeAnn by:
Donald Maass Web site
recommends it for:
Older YA, adult, historical fiction readers
First of all, this isn't an easy book to read in many ways so I caution against introducing it too soon. It really is a book aimed at older teens and adults. The diction is old-fashioned, the vocabulary is complex, the storytelling is dramatic, but not movie-like, and the subject matter is disturbing and intense. In some places, the reader needs to be mature and patient enough to allow Octavian's story to be told while another character provides insight into the mindset and beliefs of those who ...more
First of all, this isn't an easy book to read in many ways so I caution against introducing it too soon. It really is a book aimed at older teens and adults. The diction is old-fashioned, the vocabulary is complex, the storytelling is dramatic, but not movie-like, and the subject matter is disturbing and intense. In some places, the reader needs to be mature and patient enough to allow Octavian's story to be told while another character provides insight into the mindset and beliefs of those who took up arms against England during the Revolutionary War.
Having started (but not finished) Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver, I found the "experiments" conducted by the "natural philosophers" in Octavian familiar and believable, if still bizarre. I guess science had to start somewhere, but learning more about the birth of scientific inquiry makes me appreciate all the more the fact that I live in modern times. (However, watching an episode of Penn & Teller's HBO BS show on parasites last night reminded me that some of us are still unenlightened about a lot of things that science has shed light upon.)
I personally loved the old-fashioned feel of the book, the places in the text where Octavian's emotions overcame him so much that he had to blot out his account, the sidetracks into letters from his owners, his militia friend, and the newspaper ads. These things added a richness and a dimension to the story that moved it beyond the account of one colonial slave boy to an indictment of slavery.
I am looking forward to reading the second volume when it is published....less
bookshelves:
historical
Read in January, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The book begins as the remi...more
Some atrocities are studied as school children with such a narrow focus that the idea that the atrocity could happen again, to anyone, seems impossible. The Holocaust is one--slavery in America is another. There is a glut of fiction written using each as its background, but few stories convey any immediacy or intimacy of the horror. Yolen's The Devil's Arithmatic is one that does; this is another.
The book begins as the reminiscence of a young prince. He is being raised by his mother, a foreign princess, and by a cadre of men known only by their numbers who have taken charge of his education. From a very young age he is taught music, the classics, scientific reasoning. And he is never allowed to go outside. An intriguingly gothic tale, and one that abruptly increases in horror upon the revelation that the prince and princess are African slaves. Their pampered lives are part of an experiment--an experiment drastically changed by the start of the American revolution. This is probably the most hard hitting piece of historical fiction about slavery I have ever read. It drew me in, got me comfortable with its exquisite style, carefully crafted language, and brilliant narrator, and then started punching me in the gut and never stopped.
Although it is excellent, I cannot give this book five stars as I spent a good half of the novel feeling violent and ill....less
bookshelves:
fiction,
gothic-literature,
historical-fiction
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
lovers of historical fiction and gothic lit
M.T. Anderson's treatment of the American Revolution is revolutionary in itself. He focuses on an oft overlooked issue in the war for American freedom in this gothic tale, the issue of slavery. Octavian, however, is unlike any slave you have ever heard of, as he is trained in the classics, he is well-spoken, and he is observant of everything occurring around him.
The tone of this novel is reminiscent of that of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, as is the theme of nature vs. nurture. What sort o...more
M.T. Anderson's treatment of the American Revolution is revolutionary in itself. He focuses on an oft overlooked issue in the war for American freedom in this gothic tale, the issue of slavery. Octavian, however, is unlike any slave you have ever heard of, as he is trained in the classics, he is well-spoken, and he is observant of everything occurring around him.
The tone of this novel is reminiscent of that of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, as is the theme of nature vs. nurture. What sort of creation is birthed out of scientific experimentation? The creation conceived in Anderson's novel contrasts that of Shelly; nevertheless, Octavian is a being influenced by the nature of the experiments conducted on him...experiments testing the mental capacities of Africans in comparison to those of European descent. His observers are unprepared for the results they incur, as the young man demonstrates a voracious courage to accompany his philosophical integrity and demands just treatment in a period where such is nearly unthinkable.
I highly recommend this novel to lovers of historical fiction, as well as those who appreciate Gothic literature. Though chategorized as young adult literature, I would recommend this to older students and adults because of the refined diction and mature situations. ...less
Read in November, 2007
I don’t really know what to say about this book. I kind of hated it. It went on and on and on and on. I was intrigued and disgusted and infuriated all at the same time. I appreciated the teeny bit of good that happened at the end on Octavian’s behalf, but there was so much vile filth that was done to him and his mother that made me want to retch. Do I care enough to read Vol. 2 if/when it comes out? I don’t know. I guess it depends on if I’m ever in the mood to read it if/when I happen t...more
I don’t really know what to say about this book. I kind of hated it. It went on and on and on and on. I was intrigued and disgusted and infuriated all at the same time. I appreciated the teeny bit of good that happened at the end on Octavian’s behalf, but there was so much vile filth that was done to him and his mother that made me want to retch. Do I care enough to read Vol. 2 if/when it comes out? I don’t know. I guess it depends on if I’m ever in the mood to read it if/when I happen to see it on the shelf. Right now I’m guessing the answer would be no.
I honestly don’t even know how much to say about it here without giving too much away. It’s set in pre-Revolutionary War America in a most extraordinary household. Octavian has been brought up amongst a group of scientists who conduct the most cold-blooded experiments; they train him in the types of subjects in which one would expect a young prince to be trained. His mother is treated like the queen she tells her son she once was. But then one day Octavian learns that he is not a prince. Things start to change for him, albeit slowly at first, and not necessarily unpleasantly. Then one day he learns the great secret that has been kept from him by Mr. 03-01, and things really start snowballing from there.
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bookshelves:
2008spring
Read in March, 2008
I was completely intrigued by the idea of this book--a young black boy who grows up during the American Revolution with a classical education believing he and his mother are royalty discovers that he is the subject of an experiment to prove that Africans are of lesser intellect than whites. Yet when I first started reading this book, the language was so reminiscent of 18th century writing I had to read in college that I wondered how horrible it would be to read this entire book. However, I soo...more
I was completely intrigued by the idea of this book--a young black boy who grows up during the American Revolution with a classical education believing he and his mother are royalty discovers that he is the subject of an experiment to prove that Africans are of lesser intellect than whites. Yet when I first started reading this book, the language was so reminiscent of 18th century writing I had to read in college that I wondered how horrible it would be to read this entire book. However, I soon got used to the language (it was much more readable than what I had to read!) and the story was so interesting and well done. The book really looked effective, and the change from Octavian's voice to second-hand sources in the middle was especially interesting, as you felt his sadness almost sharper than if he had narrated about his own sadness. I felt such anger at these people who conducted biased research in the name of science (having taken several courses on conducting research, I could tell exactly how biased it was). I grew to really like and admire Octavian. I do wonder about how future volumes in Octavian's Astonishing Life will play out, since this first one ended hopefully, but as the story points out, slaves at this time had little hope of true freedom. ...less
bookshelves:
historicalfiction,
ya
This is a brilliant book. Truly, truly brilliant—full of important ideas and hard truths about slavery and freedom, and about the essential core of what America was built on, and for. Furthermore, it’s incredibly well-written, with not one but several unique narrative voices, and a wonderful flair for subtle, chilling symbolism.
It is also so fucking painful I could barely get through it.
The reality of Octavian’s situation—as slave, as experiment—is so brutal that I had t...more
This is a brilliant book. Truly, truly brilliant—full of important ideas and hard truths about slavery and freedom, and about the essential core of what America was built on, and for. Furthermore, it’s incredibly well-written, with not one but several unique narrative voices, and a wonderful flair for subtle, chilling symbolism.
It is also so fucking painful I could barely get through it.
The reality of Octavian’s situation—as slave, as experiment—is so brutal that I had to force myself to keep reading. I just wanted it to stop. I don’t think this makes this book any less of an achievement on Anderson’s part, but god does it scare me when I think about reading the sequel or recommending this book to other people.
I did, however, tell the Los Angeles Public Library that I thought its decision to shelve this book under fantasy was either idiotic or offensive. We may like to pretend these things aren’t part of our history—or at least don’t really like to think about them, as my shuddery reaction surely indicates—but it’s important, every once in a while, to be reminded. Anderson does that, not just intellectually, but emotionally. It’s commendable....less
Read in December, 2007
The only reason I read (or listened) to this book was because it won the freakin' National Book Award for children's literature. The only reason I finished it is because it's only seven CDs. It started out incredibly slow and boring, crescendoed into flat-out dull, before ending with a surprise twist that gave me newfound respect for the author and the story. The passages that really set me back were the long stretches of story told through letters by Revolutionary War soldiers.
I just so hap...more
The only reason I read (or listened) to this book was because it won the freakin' National Book Award for children's literature. The only reason I finished it is because it's only seven CDs. It started out incredibly slow and boring, crescendoed into flat-out dull, before ending with a surprise twist that gave me newfound respect for the author and the story. The passages that really set me back were the long stretches of story told through letters by Revolutionary War soldiers.
I just so happens that I read a transcript of the author's speech accepting the Printz award, and he made the point, that I obviously missed during the slog through discs 1-6, that modern people assume that the mistakes of history were made by unintelligent people. In this book, the torturers of slaves and defenders of the institution of slavery were intellectuals - brilliant men who owned Octavian in order to do experiments on the capacity of a "negro" to learn. Of course, they were bad scientists because they couldn't acknowledge their own biases, but they were very learned men.
The best part of this book was the narrator. He really captured a Pepperidge-Farm-man accent....less
bookshelves:
from-library,
read-pre-12-07
Read in May, 2007
This is a magnificent and disturbing work, and it's clear to me why it won the National Book Award and was a runner-up for the Printz. It starts out so strangely that it almost feels like a gothic fantasy, but as it progresses the context becomes clear, and it's revealed to be an historical novel set during the time of the American Revolution.
Octavian has been raised by his mother (reputed to be an African princess) and a strange household of scientists. He is himself a scientific experiment...more
This is a magnificent and disturbing work, and it's clear to me why it won the National Book Award and was a runner-up for the Printz. It starts out so strangely that it almost feels like a gothic fantasy, but as it progresses the context becomes clear, and it's revealed to be an historical novel set during the time of the American Revolution.
Octavian has been raised by his mother (reputed to be an African princess) and a strange household of scientists. He is himself a scientific experiment; the scientists are giving him an education worthy of a European prince, to discern whether the members of Octavian's race have the same mental abilities as whites. Octavian gradually becomes aware of his true status as an experimental subject and a slave against the backdrop of growing unrest in the Colonies. I can't really say more without giving too much away, but it's truly excellent and heartbreaking. Most of the novel is told from Octavian's point of view, but Anderson also makes use of newspaper clippings, letters, and scientific notes to fill out the story. I highly recommend this, and I'm looking forward to the forthcoming sequel.
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Read in July, 2008
Mr. Anderson's writing interests and talents are wide-ranging. This is my first title of his, but I've heard much about Feed and will give that a look sometime this year. I will not, though, be going any further in "Octavian" series. When I look ahead, I see more of the same rather than something new. With some slight tweaking at the end, this Vol. 1 could be the end of the story.
My sense of the book is that he wrote it for an adult audience, and his publisher pu...more
Mr. Anderson's writing interests and talents are wide-ranging. This is my first title of his, but I've heard much about Feed and will give that a look sometime this year. I will not, though, be going any further in "Octavian" series. When I look ahead, I see more of the same rather than something new. With some slight tweaking at the end, this Vol. 1 could be the end of the story.
My sense of the book is that he wrote it for an adult audience, and his publisher pushed toward young adult. It's a sophisticated piece of writing, though, that most teens would not likely pick up. It won heaps of awards, but all from an adult point of view.
Written in the language of the time, Octavian is a young, black male growing up during the Revolutionary War. He and his mother are being housed and educated by a philosophical and science organization that records their every progress and failure. The day-to-day historical details and language were wholly interesting to me, but I tired of the battlefield stories once the war took hold.
An interesting tale for a history and/or war buff. Ages 18 and up. ...less
Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
american "history" buffs, everyone else
Although this book is marketed to young adults, it is definitely sophisticated enough both in form and content to satisfy adult tastes. The novel focuses on the experiences of a black youth named Octavian and his mother, a former African princess. Set just before the Revolutionary War, the story revolves around Octavian's journey towards self-discovery. As a young boy, Octavian and his mother are kept isolated from the outside world by the College of Lucidity, a group of philosophers, scientists...more
Although this book is marketed to young adults, it is definitely sophisticated enough both in form and content to satisfy adult tastes. The novel focuses on the experiences of a black youth named Octavian and his mother, a former African princess. Set just before the Revolutionary War, the story revolves around Octavian's journey towards self-discovery. As a young boy, Octavian and his mother are kept isolated from the outside world by the College of Lucidity, a group of philosophers, scientists and artists who are concerned with dissecting the world around them. As he grows older, he quickly learns what it means to be black and a slave in the greater world outside of the estate owned by the College, and Anderson deftly weaves Octavian's self-development with the rising tensions between the colonists and the British government. Although it is definitely painful at times to read, Anderson's book is enthralling, and I couldn't put it down. A very insightful book into the ideas of race, liberty, and capitalism. Well-deserving of the National Book Award for the category "Young People's Literature", which it won last year....less
