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Candor

by Pam Bachorz (Goodreads Author)

3.62 of 5 stars 3.62 · rating details · 3,257 ratings · 613 reviews

In the model community of Candor, Florida, every teen wants to be like Oscar Banks. The son of the town’s founder, Oscar earns straight As, is student-body president, and is in demand for every club and cause.

But Oscar has a secret. He knows that parents bring their teens to Candor to make them respectful, compliant—perfect—through subliminal Messages that carefully correc...more

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published September 22nd 2009 by EgmontUSA

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Dec 27, 2010 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-physical

"Candor" is about Oscar Banks, the model son who lives in the model town of Candor, Florida. He is perfect in every way - he gets perfect grades, is the perfect boyfriend, and is the epitome of what every child in Candor should be. However, this alibi is just a cover. Oscar knows the big secret of Candor - that his father, the head of the town, is brainwashing everyone with subliminal messages in order to keep them perfectly orderly and rule-abiding. Oscar has even made a counter - business in o...more "Candor" is about Oscar Banks, the model son who lives in the model town of Candor, Florida. He is perfect in every way - he gets perfect grades, is the perfect boyfriend, and is the epitome of what every child in Candor should be. However, this alibi is just a cover. Oscar knows the big secret of Candor - that his father, the head of the town, is brainwashing everyone with subliminal messages in order to keep them perfectly orderly and rule-abiding. Oscar has even made a counter - business in order to smuggle the rich kids out of Candor, and get them back to regular society. But what happens when Nia, a strong-headed, rebellious girl comes to Candor and challenges Oscar with the question: should he save the girl and let her return to a normal life, or save her for himself and keep her close with him? Regardless, his decision changes his life already abnormal life forever.

This book was a refreshing experience. The writing was simple and easy to follow, which made the complicated premise easy to understand. I liked all of the characters - at first I didn't like Oscar too much (hello, even his name is sorta unappealing). I came to like him after about fifty pages though. Candor provided an interesting take on something most people don't read about too often: brainwashing, which was actually pretty cool, in a strange, creepy way. Another thing I like about this book is that I know most teenage guys my age who don't read as much would probably pick this book up, it has a cool cover, easy writing, and an interesting plot.

There were only a few points in the novel where I wanted to give the book 4.5 stars. The plot could have been developed more, like what happens to the kids that escape Candor. Also, I think the whole "perfect image" thing Oscar had going on for him let him get away with a couple of his pranks a little too easily - but, I digress. It was a really good book and I'm HOPING for a sequel, especially with the ending... *shiver*

*EDIT: I'm now giving the book four stars. For the reasons listed above. Also, I compared Candor to some of the other books I've given five stars to and I realized although it was really good, it was more of a 4.5... but not a 5. Maybe with a sequel the story will get a five. We'll just have to wait and see.

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Feb 26, 2011 Sophie Riggsby rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dont-tell-others-youre-my-fave

First, I cannot say enough about this book, so forgive the Gushing Factor right away or you'll never finish reading this post.

Second, I admit to loving books about a dystopian/utopian, Stepford-esque society. It's a bias. So I'll throw it out there.

Third, wait, you're still with me? Okay, here comes the review part. Pam Bachorz introduces her snarky male protagonist on page one. We meet Oscar Banks. The son of the founder of Candor, FL. He is the Boy Who Can Do No Wrong. And he doesn't. Well, o...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Kristen "Kirby" rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Light weight Sci-fi fans

Shelves: march-2010, reviews, ya

The first 5 chapters of Candor had me thinking "Wow. This is going to be an exciting, well-rounded, and complex story."

Many, many chapters later, on page 162/256, I was sighing, hoping for something, ANYTHING to happen.

Then, on page 170ish there's finally a major conflict. (I'm sure you can guess what happens, but I won't say.)

The story took far to long to get started, but once it did, WOW. Awesome. The ending is unlike anything you'd ever guess.

Candor is a story to be taken lightly. If you l...more

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Dec 06, 2009 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first got Candor I actually had no idea what it was about. From that I can say that from page one Candor is totally mind-blowing. I absolutely loved it and I think that Candor is an amazing stroke of genius. I think that Candor is a book that people should read at least once in their lives.

I thought that Oscar was a pretty cool guy but at times I thought that he was being too obvious and I was actually really surprised he hadn't been caught.

The whole idea of the messages brainwashing peop...more

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Oct 29, 2009 Nicole added it

I loved the idea of a planned city where everyone is perfect due to subliminal messages. While the teenagers are perfect children for their parents, one happens to rebel quietly and right under the nose of the city's founder, and I love that Oscar Banks is the rebel and the city planner is his dad. It was wonderful to see all the ways Oscar was able to trick his dad, and you are just waiting for him to get caught. However, while this story had a great plot of Oscar rebelling against this perfect...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, young-adult, sci-fi, cover-appeal, too-much-hype, let-down, dystopian, books-i-own

I'd been looking forward to reading this book but I can't say that I loved it all that much. The premise was fantastic, the plot was decent, the execution just wasn't impressive. The writing was simple and pretty easy to follow. The protagonist, Oscar, wasn't complex enough and very uninteresting - I just couldn't connect with him. His relationships were unbelievable too and not just because he was living in Candor. The only character I could feel anything for was Nia, and that was only slight....more

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Oct 25, 2011 El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it

Shelves: 14-eltemplo, que-no-leerás-en-español

"Oscar Banks vive en Candor, un pueblo utópico donde todos respetan las normas. La simple tentación de hacer algo prohibido es aplacada por potentes mensajes subliminales en la música que nunca deja de sonar, los Mensajes, que insisten en lo que se debe y no se debe hacer. Pero Oscar, el hijo del fundador, tiene suficiente práctica para ignorarlos y a espaldas de su progenitor es capaz de hacer lo que quiere en Candor, e incluso cobra dinero por ayudar a otros chicos a escapar. Todo cambia cuand...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Timmy Tsai rated it 3 of 5 stars

The universe created by Candor by Pam Bachorz is one that is definitely worth exploring. A perfect boy named Oscar Banks lives in a perfect planned community in Florida called Candor and is seen as a popular role model by everyone. He’s class president, he gets straight As, every club envies him to come to their club, and he has the best girlfriend around. However, inside he is not the boy that everyone thinks he is.
Candor’s plot is definitely interesting, although slow at times. His image is...more The universe created by Candor by Pam Bachorz is one that is definitely worth exploring. A perfect boy named Oscar Banks lives in a perfect planned community in Florida called Candor and is seen as a popular role model by everyone. He’s class president, he gets straight As, every club envies him to come to their club, and he has the best girlfriend around. However, inside he is not the boy that everyone thinks he is.
Candor’s plot is definitely interesting, although slow at times. His image is created by his father thorough brainwashing the citizens of Candor through Messages, music that is played throughout the town that contain hidden messages only understood by their subconscious. The only reason Oscar was still there was because he managed to find a way to counter these Messages by creating Messages of his own, and even made a quick buck helping new Candor teens retain their free will. However, all of that changes when Nia moves to Candor and makes Oscar choose between helping Nia stay the person she is or hide behind his disguise again.
I really enjoyed the overall themes of Candor like combating conformity and how humans want to be individuals rather than cookie cutter people. Although the residents of Candor see Oscar as someone perfect, Oscar is not portrayed to the readers as someone perfect at all. In fact, he commits graffiti with Nia “making a big orange streak on the post, defacing property” right in the first chapter of the book. This one streak of graffiti is seen as a big issue to the townspeople, which is a huge difference from our world where graffiti is common sight to most people. The fake Oscar conflicts greatly with Nia, who is vocal and not afraid of being herself unlike Oscar. In public, Oscar has to keep his persona or his father will find out that he isn’t brainwashed like the others, but Nia acts like herself no matter where she is. Nia definitely values individuality and being herself over conformity, which is something Candor values.
The characters of the book were well written even though at times they felt unlikable. Oscar is definitely interesting in the beginning of the book. The way he manages his persona is fun to read and it’s interesting to see how Oscar says one thing but really feels another away inside. This persona feels important to the story and by the end of the book, this entire aspect disappears with him pretty much exposing himself to his ex-girlfriend by accident. The relationship between Oscar and Nia is complicated, especially after Nia gets brainwashed and ceases to remember any of her experiences with Oscar. The way Oscar approached post-brainwash Nia was definitely realistic and enjoyable. However, after that point Oscar seems to treat Nia like she belongs to him, even though these actions do make sense under the guise of love. In fact, it gets to the point where Oscar brainwashes Nia into running away from Candor with him, something Nia definitely wouldn’t have done if Oscar hadn’t made her go with the Messages.
The most controversial part of Candor is definitely the ending. After thinking about the ending, I feel that the book definitely ends on a right note. However, it felt incomplete as it kept many storylines still unfinished like what happens after Nia manages to get away, and whether or not she decides to tries to save Oscar. There could be an epilogue, or perhaps even a sequal to the book detailing Oscar’s escape from Candor.
Overall, Candor is a fun read and I would definitely recommend it to people interested in a book in a dystrophic setting.
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Apr 19, 2013 Emmy rated it 4 of 5 stars

First of all, I want to say that the storyline of Candor is pretty straightforward, but the plot is amazing. All the characters are well-developed also. The topic is about brainwashing, while it’s not only about that. Think deeply after reading the whole book, you will find out that it talks much more than that. It leaves us thinking about identities, manipulation and etc as well. Candor is really a pretty good novel.
The plot is very fast-paced. I spent two days and half in finishing the read...more First of all, I want to say that the storyline of Candor is pretty straightforward, but the plot is amazing. All the characters are well-developed also. The topic is about brainwashing, while it’s not only about that. Think deeply after reading the whole book, you will find out that it talks much more than that. It leaves us thinking about identities, manipulation and etc as well. Candor is really a pretty good novel.
The plot is very fast-paced. I spent two days and half in finishing the reading. All the scenes just played like movies in my head and this made me have a little trouble falling in sleep.
This novel gives us a new perspective on the protagonists of the stories. Some people say they can’t accept Oscar because he is a bad guy. Well, he is not a good one for sure. He is selfish, he lies and he manipulates others (as we can see from the entire book), while I don’t think this means he is a bad person. He is just not as perfect as they expect. In many novels, the protagonist represents the justice, but in Candor, Oscar is not very righteous. He is more like a petty person yet a hero. I just want to say that the protagonist doesn’t have to be a hero. We can get to know different things from the perspective of a nobody. I really think Oscar is a novelty figure and the author portrayed his characteristics really well.
Then I want to say that the characters are developed well in the novel. All of their character traits seem reasonable and real.The father behaves sort of cynically. He thinks all of the teenagers are careless so he designs the Messages. It seems really unreasonable to control the teenagers’ mind, but it’s somehow rational for him to do it. His son, Winston died in an accident when riding skateboard. He loves his son so much that he tends to transfer his love to the other teens (just like why the mother wolf adopts the wolf-child). He tries to make sure the teenagers are safe by using the Messages to control them. Another example, for Oscar, he hates the Messages systems. He wants to help Nia when he finds out her talent on arts. That’s all because of the impacts brought by his mom. His mom left them because she couldn’t stand this system. Also, his mom is really artistic. After his mom’s departure, art is completely blocked in the city by his father. Nia’s art talent brings back his memory with his mother and he decides to help Nia keep her art talents.
I put the book down when Oscar was taken to the Listening Room. I was really mixed-emotion when I saw the sentences “Dad holds out his hand. I take it. Our hands fit together. I remember my first day of school. Winston’s funeral. Times when I trusted him to let me. One more time” (Bachorz 245). Does the ending have to be like this? The father-and-son relationship just breaks up like this. The whole story seems to tell a story of generation gap. The father wants to help the teenagers by using Messages to control them, while Oscar is trying to help them escape. However they don’t share their feelings or thoughts. The story is like a hand lens, magnifying and showing the serious consequences of lack of communication issue. Should we talk more with our parents? Think of Oscar’s story, maybe we can find the answer.
There are few small contradictions in the plot though. It says the Messages in Candor can solve marital problems at the beginning of the book, but Oscar’s mom left the family. This doesn’t affect the whole story, but I’m just curious that why his mom hasn’t been brainwashed. Or the mom is so strong-minded and affects Oscar genetically so that Oscar has the ability to fight against the Messages?
After all, I just want to say Candor is really worth reading. I like it not only for the novelty topics and the interesting plot, but also the deeper meanings. It’s a perfect book telling how to shape your own identities and the serious consequences of lack of communication.
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Apr 11, 2013 Juan Perez rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The book Candor displayed a very interesting society with intricate characters. This is a book that starts out a bit slow, but forgivable because what the reader gets in return. The story that is displayed by Pam Bachorz is a love story put forth by the protagonist Oscar and his opposite Nia. They live in a growing community called Candor which is laid with speakers with subconscious messages playing that slowly change the families that move in, to model citizens. The book comes with some predi...more The book Candor displayed a very interesting society with intricate characters. This is a book that starts out a bit slow, but forgivable because what the reader gets in return. The story that is displayed by Pam Bachorz is a love story put forth by the protagonist Oscar and his opposite Nia. They live in a growing community called Candor which is laid with speakers with subconscious messages playing that slowly change the families that move in, to model citizens. The book comes with some predictable parts but that comes with any love story recently. Away from the weakness the book paints an elaborate and creative picture for the reader that is very pleasing.
The introduction to the story, as in any big picture stories are, was slow but rewarding by entirety of it. Oscar from the start we get a hint of his perfect side by resisting leaving his homework but also his rebel side by actually leaving his homework. To his surprise he met Nia, an obvious rebellious newbie to the town. The story slowly explains that his father left his old life to create a perfect society by placing subliminal messages in every song stating with his family. Also in little passages Oscar tells us little of his past. I feel that I can relate to him because he leaves in a place where he as to hide and I understand that after a while you get tired of hiding. He is well aware of everything his father does but, hides it by being the model teen in the town. Only to run a business of his own that takes the newbie kids and helps them run away. With meeting Nia you can say that she was his catalyst to becoming more corrupt.
With their first encounter he took a spray can that she had and used it showing his first public rebellious move. The only person that new was Nia and he tried to stop her by giving her some his messages but in doing so he fell for her and as described by him he felt “rush” when he is near her. She told him to be himself from time to time, “I do what I want. No. Just do what your parents pissed Maybe you should do what you want without worry if your parents like it or not.” So he protected her from his father’s messages but did not tell they exist. Then their relationship started, Oscar new that she was an artsy person and made her own museum. This was also wrong because Art was outlawed. During the story he is in the middle of getting another kid out named Sherman. Sherman is one of my least favorite character, he is described as a “greasy, lazy, and annoying.” And he lives up to his reputation by potentially ruining Oscar and Nia’s relationship by telling her all about the messages. Being any regular person she reacted crazily and felt that Oscar betrayed her.
In doing so she went on a vengeful raid around town vandalizing with spray paint, which is a 1000% wrong with the rules. With this she condemned herself, because everyone knew she was rebellious. The perfect female model teen, Mandi told Oscar’s father and trying to save Nia Oscar also blamed Sherman. In the town there is thing called a listening room in which a person a blasted the music with the messages for more than 24 hours and sometimes more than a week if they disobey the law of feel like being corrected themselves. Oscar knew of this and was enraged and every night he went to see her in the room “But I can’t leave, not yet. I’ll stay with her until sunrise. If I brace my feet, I won’t slide. I can rest my cheek on the roof tile and still see her. Pacing. Pulling her hair. “I’ll fix you,” I tell her. “I promise.” By the time Nia came out of there she was a completely different person and unrecognizable to Oscar who knew her best. “It’s disgusting. They melted my girl down and poured her into their mold. And this perversion is what she cooled into. I can’t be near her. Can’t see her, smell her, hear her voice chirping like a bird. In his attempt to save her he feels that then is the correct time to expose himself by leaving along with her. But by doing so his father caught air of this and well…predictable, the protagonist gets caught while his lover escapes. The way she wrote the story was incredible, especially the intricate love story, this book definitely.
Honestly I love the story and the theme of the book but the ending is the only thing that gets me. Because we were told this incredible love story that fights through thick and thin and at the end doesn’t make it. The way the story was told made me want them to get out together and it was kind of disappointing but, it did get a reaction out of me. At the end I think that’s what the author wants. I felt that is she did make them get out together and played it right she could’ve easily had a series but it may not have been as great is this book. Which at the end of the day it makes me love this book even more. A reason for her writing this book would be to show the cruelness in humanity when they try to perfect a world that that cannot be perfected. All in all, the book was great the story was Pam Bachorz definite strength and in some area describing the moment would be her weakest but she rarely had that problem. This book was so good that a friend asked me about I would definitely recommend this book.
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Mar 13, 2013 Valerie Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teenagers

Recommended to Valerie by: My librarian

I usually get very bored with books but that changed when I picked up the book Candor by Pam Bachorz. I asked my school Liberian for a recommendation and she gave me the perfect dystopian novel. It was filled with plenty of romance too which many teenagers at this age love. The first chapter just drew me in right away. The dystopian factor of it made it much more interesting because it is something different from our ordinary world. The unknown has always been very fascinating to me. If you have...more I usually get very bored with books but that changed when I picked up the book Candor by Pam Bachorz. I asked my school Liberian for a recommendation and she gave me the perfect dystopian novel. It was filled with plenty of romance too which many teenagers at this age love. The first chapter just drew me in right away. The dystopian factor of it made it much more interesting because it is something different from our ordinary world. The unknown has always been very fascinating to me. If you have read Fahrenheit 451, you will surely enjoy this book because they are both surrounded by a dystopian life style and are full of eventful actions, making it hard to put the book down.
Candor is very enticing and has a lot of cliff hangers making you want to read more and more. Oscar Banks lives in this dystopian world. Oscar is seen as the perfect kid to everyone in the town that his father has created. His father has programmed messages to make you do the right thing and be a perfect citizen. You do not even realize you are being brain washed. However, Oscar has found a way around this. He makes messages of his own to go against his dad. This all must remain a secret unless he wants to be sent to the silent room. No one wants to be sent there.
Oscar Banks life changes the day this unusual girl comes to town. She is different then the rest and Oscar finds himself intrigued by her. She likes to break rules and wear all black; she is thrilling to him because no one else is like that. Oscar goes to extreme measures to save this girl from listening to the messages because he does not want her to change, but will she end up just like every other Candor citizen? Will she be sent to the listening room because she is so rebellious?
Oscar has always helped kids escape from his dads messages when they are knew to town. He puts his life in a great danger by doing this secret business. If he were to be caught, his father would send him to the listening room and erase his memory. Will Oscar ever be caught? Will the admired Oscar Banks ever blow his cover?
As time passes, Oscar realizes he does not want to live in a world anymore where no one thinks for them self. Where everything is perfect? However, is it really a perfect world? Oscar is fed up with his dad changing people to be a perfect Candor citizen. Oscar decided it is time for a change and he must leave his dad even though he is the only thing his dad has. Nevertheless, his dad has been selfish all this years because of there tragic past.
Oscar decides he must leave Candor but he cant leave with out the girl. Oscar has fallen in love with this girl over time but is it meant to be? Or are they star crossed lovers meant to come to an end? Everything Oscar has worked for comes to the point where he is about to leave Candor with the girl he loves. Will they make it though? You must read this book to find out the gripping story of Oscar Banks that any teenager would love.
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Feb 15, 2013 Carissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Candor is definitely one of my favorite recent reads. In the vein of Megan McCafferty's Bumped, it's one of those books that gets under your skin. Primarily, I was drawn in by the premise: a planned community where teens are brainwashed by the town founder through subliminal messaging. The founder's son, meanwhile, spends his days and nights trying to fight the brainwashing with messages of his own ... while making somewhat shady business deals on the side. I will say that I would have loved to...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Gabrielle Tsang rated it 4 of 5 stars

First, Candor is a book with an extraordinary theme which is brain washed to be perfect. The story happens in a town named Candor in Florida. It is a perfect planned city, everything’s perfect inside, since the town founder had invented something called Messages to control Candor’s citizens. Everyone must obey those Messages, if they ignore those Messages, they will get into troubles. In some serious cases, they might even be sent to the listening room, which is the place that people get brainwa...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Ms.P rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult, dystopia

This book has subtle nods to 1984 in terms of mind control of subjects. However, the setting is Florida, and it's a town called Candor. It is never explained how Oscar Banks' father is able to just set up a town and brainwash everyone who lives in it without being figured out or called out on it. He's basically the ruler of this town, and the specifics of his subliminal messaging technology are never quite explained. Apparently his older son died as a result of his bad decisions. For that reason...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Jes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: ya,teen romance,dystopian readers

Recommended to Jes by: The old man who owns the charity bookshop

Shelves: dystopian, boys-1st-person-pov, favorites, thriller, mystery

Candor is a really interesting book. I started reading it last night and was about to continue reading it until dawn but ended up putting it down...I needed to hold back my excitement and waited for today.

I can't point out anything negative about this book BUT the ending. I don't wanna sound like some professional critic wannabe and all but the ending really bummed me. Yeah sure, it's really up to the reader. But my preference would be some happy ending(not sissy types) or maybe make this book t...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Amie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I loved the idea and premise of this book. I felt like it wasn't just another dystopian society, but something more....and it fulfilled that promise!

Oscar isn't the most lovable MC, however. In fact, he's what the teenage me would have called a jerk or a player. Girls are nothing more than sex objects. Peers are to be used for his benefit, to improve his status and to add to his cover story...but nothing more. His relationship with Nia goes from lust to love in a paragraph.

That being said, there...more

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May 19, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fun, threw-book-on-the-ground-cause-aaa

So some girl who works at the local library came into our school for a book-talk.

Basically this chick just made the books sound really good by memorizing half the first chapter of each and saying it out loud off the top of her head. I was impressed, yet un-impressed.

Candor was one of these books she'd presented.

I'll admit the whole idea had me hooked. It was interesting, seeing as it was dystopian, yet not quiet. (My, what paradox's we're seeing in this review...) Eventually I got to check it ou...more

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May 09, 2012 Jarred rated it 5 of 5 stars

Candor is a town where all the kids are brainwashed to become the perfect one, but Oscar Banks is an exception. The way the town brainwashes the children is to send messages to their brain, and the children would obey them no matter what. Oscar found a way to fight the messages in his brain, so he isn’t just a robot like everyone else in town. Soon a girl named Nia moved in to the town, however, she is different from the others as well. She was wild and free and Oscar was fascinated with her. I...more

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May 08, 2012 Anson rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Candor, a perfect world for those who submit to the 'cruel' conditions that Mr. Banks created. The author, Pam Bachorz has created a world where will power and freedom of speech is a facade; they are ideals that are imposed over the citizens of Candor, Florida through subliminal messages that are imbedded in music. Oscar Banks, son of the mysterious Mr. Banks fits the ideals that Mr. Banks has strived so hard to create - top class student, never late to class, and volunteers his free time. He h...more Candor, a perfect world for those who submit to the 'cruel' conditions that Mr. Banks created. The author, Pam Bachorz has created a world where will power and freedom of speech is a facade; they are ideals that are imposed over the citizens of Candor, Florida through subliminal messages that are imbedded in music. Oscar Banks, son of the mysterious Mr. Banks fits the ideals that Mr. Banks has strived so hard to create - top class student, never late to class, and volunteers his free time. He himself lives in secret, fighting these messages through his own messages.

The characters of the book were quite interesting because of the twists the author took to create them. Oscar Banks' facade that he created would normally fit the mold of the perfect teenager. However, he is slowly revealed to be an archetypal teen - someone that wants to be lazy inside and someone that wants to indulge in what the world has to offer - but can't, because of the dangers of his world. His problems are relate-able or at least, understandable, as they fall under the general criteria of 'teenager problems'. His desire to simply relax and let go of reality and the conflicts that come with are something I can connect with. "I'll figure it out. How she'll stay. How she won't change. How I'll keep her safe. It all needs to be planned. But not tonight. Tonight, I'll just float." (pg 88). His decisions, although relate able, make me shake my head sometimes, disappointed at his lack of foresight. This pushes me to reflect on how my parents or peers take too my life choices, so the book does call for some self-reflection.

The premise of the story is absolutely fascinating. A dystopian world dressed as a utopian world. However, I feel that the plot fails to capture the real strengths of such a setting. Pam Bachorz decided to make Candor a love story instead of book of survival in the 'wild'. The storyline was predictable, and although the characters showed tremendous growth, was not something that wasn't expected. *Spoiler* Self-indulgent, secretive, selfish boy meets reckless girl and his whole life is changed. The question of sacrifice becomes real and he allows for his secrets to be exposed in order to be with his love interest. When he says, “but if that’s the price to pay for keeping her, I’ll live with it,” he has finally had a reversal in attitude (pg. 124). Oscar’s change in character is appreciable... but who couldn’t have guessed? There was never a moment that made me turn my head in surprise or absolutely engross me in the novel. It satisfies the basic love-story appetite, but the subtle thought-provoking deception or spontaneous drama is lacking and overall, the story drags on a little too much at parts.

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May 01, 2012 Brendan Zhang rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Pam Cachorz's novel, Candor, is about Ocar, Nia and their struggle to keep their identity and themselves. Set in a dystopian world, in Candor, Florida, you are what you hear as the messages in the music slowly mold each person to be the perfect Candor citizen. Messages such as "Always be truthful" and "The great are never late" are played over and over until they are engraved in your mind and become who you are.

The plot is slow to begin but when it starts it's captivating. For the first half of...more Pam Cachorz's novel, Candor, is about Ocar, Nia and their struggle to keep their identity and themselves. Set in a dystopian world, in Candor, Florida, you are what you hear as the messages in the music slowly mold each person to be the perfect Candor citizen. Messages such as "Always be truthful" and "The great are never late" are played over and over until they are engraved in your mind and become who you are.

The plot is slow to begin but when it starts it's captivating. For the first half of the book, the only that that happens is the development of the relationship between Oscar and Nia. It seemed like the story would be a Twilight lovestory, something that I would hate to read. But as the conflicts started the book took a turn onto a whole new path.

We could see the true character of Nia and Oscar and the elements that lead to their downfall. Nia, shocked and furious from being decived y the only person she trusted, and her wreckless care-free attitude causes her to spray grafitti everythwere that screams "I know the secret". The book ends up as a love tragedy, where the can't be together. The characters were authentic and easy to connect to, regardless of the reader's gender or age. I especially liked Sherman, his annoying chubby and talkative nature was so easy to hate and was a good character that Bachorz used to set up the plot.

In addition to the characters, the strongest part of the book was the setting. The setting, a real town in Floride, in the present made the book that much eerier. It made you question: Do we have the technology to do this? Is this feasible? The setting was well created and developed so that it seemed real and fiction.

The most controversial thing, that definitely set this book apart from other books is the ending. The book does end in a happily-ever-after and some readers truly hate the ending. After developing Oscar to be likable and easy to connect to, it seemed like a tragedy to end with him brainwashed. However, to me, the ending was great and much more realistic to fit with the setting. Not everything in the world ends in a Cinderella happily-ever-after. All in all, I give a book a solid 4 stars.(less)

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Mar 21, 2012 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've got to say, this was a pretty good book. The characters were interesting (I mean, for nearly brainwashed citizens, they have fairly interesting personalities), the plot was good, and ideas worked together. There were some points that were a little slow, but for the most part, a really good book. The ENDING though...
{spoilers}

it was almost exactly like 1984 by George Orwell. I literally started raging around when I read it. However, as much as it annoyed me (because you're always rooting f...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Book Angel Emma rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review by Madison Year 9

The town of Candor is absolutely perfect, there is no vandalism, no trouble, everyone behaves impeccably. Yet Candor is not what it seems to be; there are encrypted messages hidden in the music, used to control people. Oscar Banks is the owners son, he know how to stop the messages but something is holding him back. When, a new girl Nia Silva, arrives in town, Oscars life changes, he needs to finally make that decision: does he let her become another perfect citizen contr...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Timothy Shea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Think Truman Show and Pleasantville, the citizen of the all-too-perfect community described in Candor are controlled by carefully scripted and edited tapes. Pam Bachorz takes the reader into the life of Oscar Banks, whose father has developed this all too perfect community where everyone is happy and all the teens are bound for the Ivies as they study their SATs fervently and live model lives. Oscar has been fooling his father for a long time by developing his own tapes and then selling them to...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Homewood Public Library rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Candor is the perfect town. All the homes have the latest amenities. Kids study hard. Everyone is happy. Even problem kids turn perfect within weeks due to the soothing environment that pipes music all over town. What they don't tell you is what is actually in that music - subliminal Messages that brainwash anyone who listens long enough.

Oscar knows better. His dad is the creator of Candor, and he knows the secrets of the Messages - including how to fight them. He even makes a tidy business on t...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Eileen rated it 3 of 5 stars

He’s class president. He’s model student. He’s all his father could ever have, and he has a secret.

Oscar Banks, son of the founder of the town of Candor, has managed to fight the brainwashing Messages playing through the speakers all over town. The Messages take over your brain and your entire body, In Candor, Oscar has an inner conflict between himself and the Messages to fight for his love, Nia’s, freedom. He can’t stand the thought of her becoming another Candor clone. He makes his own Messag...more He’s class president. He’s model student. He’s all his father could ever have, and he has a secret.

Oscar Banks, son of the founder of the town of Candor, has managed to fight the brainwashing Messages playing through the speakers all over town. The Messages take over your brain and your entire body, In Candor, Oscar has an inner conflict between himself and the Messages to fight for his love, Nia’s, freedom. He can’t stand the thought of her becoming another Candor clone. He makes his own Messages to back-fire the ones his father makes in preparation for the escape plan he’s made for both him and Nia.

Candor is about teenage rebellion versus parent authority and individuality. Oscar, the protagonist, is a round character that wasn’t too perfect, which was what I liked about him. He learned to profit from his mistakes, though he risked everything for Nia. “But if that’s the price to pay for keeping her, I’ll live with it.” (page 124 par 6) As a reader, what really captured my attention was how Oscar expressed his feelings for Nia. The entire story revolves around Oscar Banks, whose life is completely revolved around Nia Silva. I thought the way he put everything first for the girl was really sweet. Even though he jeopardized his own chances of running away from Candor and rebelled against his own father, I loved how in the end he put Nia first save her and surrendered himself to the Listening Room knowing he would never remember her again. It really brought out the heroic side of him that we didn’t see a lot of throughout the book. “As long as she remembers us, I’ll still exist.” (page 245 par 16) Even when there was a turn of events, his love for Nia was everlasting. He never gave up on her, as long as he had the chance.

The ending completely engrossed me into the last few chapters of the book. The amount of excitement was incomparable to the rest of the book. How Pam Bachorz manages to come up with these ideas, I do not know. I do hope to read another book by Bachorz. I would recommend this book to romance readers who like their turning points in their story to be unforgettable.
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Nov 28, 2011 Cally Yeung rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book “Candor” by Pam Bachorz captured my attention as soon as I saw it. The cover had a nice design and down at the bottom of the book it also said, “In this town, you are what you hear.” It got me reading the book just to see what the whole story was about.

The main character in this book was a teenage boy named Oscar Banks who lived in a town called Candor. The word “perfect” would pretty much sum up the whole town. That’s only because people were brainwashed by music that was always being...more The book “Candor” by Pam Bachorz captured my attention as soon as I saw it. The cover had a nice design and down at the bottom of the book it also said, “In this town, you are what you hear.” It got me reading the book just to see what the whole story was about.

The main character in this book was a teenage boy named Oscar Banks who lived in a town called Candor. The word “perfect” would pretty much sum up the whole town. That’s only because people were brainwashed by music that was always being played. Oscar knew about the Messages and what they did. He countered them with his own music and he even started a business to get kids out of Candor. He was doing fine until one day, a new girl named Nia came to town. She was the complete opposite of Candor, something new to Oscar. He was then faced some hard decisions that could turn his world upside down.

This book was a very great and light read for me. It wasn’t a very long book plus it had easy writing. The concept of the book – which was basically brainwashing – was explained well and it was very intriguing, which was what kept me reading. This book was very appropriate for teens because it included subjects like relationships, family and school in the story. Oscar was very likable and relatable. I also liked how Nia was different from everyone in Candor which was very refreshing. When Oscar first met her, he had thought, “She’s the opposite of nice. But I like hearing someone say what she really thinks.” (Page 4).

The one thing that I didn’t really like about this book was the ending. It left me with a feeling of the book not being complete and almost unsatisfied. I also felt that some of the ideas in the book could have been more thought out. An example would be how in the book, Oscar would get kids out of Candor, but what would happen to them after? Where would they live? What kind of future did they have after?

Overall, Candor was a very interesting book and I would recommend this book to any teens looking for a fun and light read.
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Oct 25, 2011 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars

Oscar Banks is the ultimate role model in the idyllic town of Candor, Florida. At least that is what his father thinks. Mr. Banks has created Candor as his own unique way to deal with rebellious teens. Parents can also receive special help with various problem including weight loss, addiction, marital problems and so forth. You see, Mr. Banks gives his wealthy residents a new addiction, his subliminal message-filled music. From the moment a person moves to Candor he is constantly exposed to musi...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Dana JH added it

to see my full review and others like it go to www.danadoesread.com

We'll I can tell you one thing, Candors a place I'd never want to be. Other then the fact that every one doing everything 'right' is super creepy, and I'd loose all originality, I just really wouldn't like that southern Florida heat, lol. But reading it was enough for me, Pam Bachorz did an excellent job with this "Stepford Wives" -like story. There was pain and sorrow, along with the pressure (literally!) to be perfect, and the...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: star-reader-2011-2012, tayshas-2011-2012

Think Stepford Wives with a teen protagonist and you get a sense of Candor by Pam Bachorz. Everything is perfect in the town of Candor, Florida. There's a waiting list for the pricey homes in the toney town and parents with troubled or problem children clamor to buy a piece of paradise. The name belies its truth. Oscar Banks is the model son of the town's visionary founder, a deception he tries very hard to maintain. But Oscar knows that appearances can be deceiving and he's learned to manipulat...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Elisabeth Brunner rated it 3 of 5 stars

Oscar Banks lives in Candor, Florida. Oscar's father, Campbell Banks has created the town of Candor- the most perfect town ever, where everyone is healthy, smart, the children are perfect, obedient and focused solely on academics. Oscar is the "king" of perfect children in Candor, and he should be with his father the most important man living in Candor. Or so Oscar seems... Little to his father's knowledge, Oscar knows something no one else living in Candor knows. Campbell Banks is controlling e...more

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About Pam Bachorz

Pam Bachorz grew up in a small town in the Adirondack foothills, where she participated in every possible performance group and assiduously avoided any threat of athletic activity, unless it involved wearing sequined headpieces and treading water. With a little persuasion she will belt out tunes from "The Music Man" and "The Fantasticks", but she knows better than to play cello in public anymore....more

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Quotes from Candor

“But I can’t leave, not yet. I’ll stay with her until sunrise. If I brace my feet, I won’t slide. I can rest my cheek on the roof tile and still see her. Pacing. Pulling her hair.

“I’ll fix you,” I tell her. “I promise.”

Even though I don’t know how.
It’s better than good-bye.” — 19 people liked it

“It’s disgusting. They melted my girl down and poured her into their mold. And this perversion is what she cooled into. I can’t be near her. Can’t see her, smell her, hear her voice chirping like a bird.

I tell her the same thing I’ve been whispering every night on the roof. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.” — 15 people liked it

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