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 stud...
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Dec 27, 2010
Thomas
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"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 - bus
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(9 people liked it)
Feb 26, 2011
Sophie
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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 More...
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 More...
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Dec 29, 2010
Kristen "Kirby"
rated it:
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. More...
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. More...
6 comments
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Nov 17, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
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 messag More...
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 messag More...
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Apr 09, 2011
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
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(1 person liked it)
Oct 02, 2011
Stephanie
rated it: 
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.
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Oct 25, 2011
"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
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Jan 19, 2012
Homewood Public Library
rated it:
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 bus More...
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 bus More...
Nov 30, 2011
Eileen
rated it: 
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 hi More...
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 hi More...
Nov 28, 2011
Cally
rated it:
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 al More...
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 al More...
Oct 25, 2011
Carol
rated it:
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
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Sep 18, 2011
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!) t More...
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!) t More...
Jul 04, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
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 manipula
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Jul 04, 2011
Elisabeth
rated it:
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 con
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Jul 03, 2011
Violet
rated it:
Candor is a dystopian novel that reminded me of The Stepford Wives, but thankfully the author has a unique take on it. Candor is a town in Florida which is supposedly a heaven for parents. It’s a town where children don’t disobey, they don’t drink or smoke or do drugs, they do their homework and they maintain a respectable distance from girls. Only this heaven is creating by messing with the kids brains, by feeding messages to their unsuspecting minds. The founder of Candor thinks everything is
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May 10, 2011
Ben
rated it:
When I first started reading Candor by an author named Pam Bachorz, I had difficulty putting the book down. Never before have I had such an addiction to a book – especially to a book that has an uncommonly read plot. Many people who have read the book may say that the book is simply about a brainwashed town programmed to be perfect. Although that may be true, I have to say I see it in a different light. Candor is so much more than that. I believe this amazing book talks about unspoken topics suc
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May 10, 2011
Conrad
rated it:
Reading the first few chapters of Candor by Pam Bachorz instantly hooked me onto the idea of this dystopian society made from a clearly emotionally unstable and damaged father with a rebellious protagonist son Oscar Banks. Unfortunately, I became thoroughly uninterested by page 30. What started as a potentially great idea became a bland, typical, Twilight like love story about sacrifice and the power of love. Yawn. Sure, I suppose tweens and teenage girls would enjoy this story very much
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Apr 25, 2011
Katie
rated it:
Recap:
Everything is perfect in Candor, FL. From the model homes, to the model students, to the model families, everything flows according to plan. No one ever feels lonely or discontent. No one ever hopes for more. And if they do... well, they can be fixed.
Oscar Banks is the most perfect child of all. But Oscar Banks knows the truth. In Candor, you are what you hear. Every person in the town is subjected to a non-stop stream of Messages, fed into their subconscious. Messages like. More...
Everything is perfect in Candor, FL. From the model homes, to the model students, to the model families, everything flows according to plan. No one ever feels lonely or discontent. No one ever hopes for more. And if they do... well, they can be fixed.
Oscar Banks is the most perfect child of all. But Oscar Banks knows the truth. In Candor, you are what you hear. Every person in the town is subjected to a non-stop stream of Messages, fed into their subconscious. Messages like. More...
Mar 29, 2011
Yishi {sakina}
rated it:
This novel left me feeling extremely cold and freaked out, which was the impact that the book was trying to have on readers. Personal paranoia levels have been upped a notch. This is one of those sinister dystopian/utopian books that could be classed with the greats: 1984, Brave New World, and A Clockwork Orange ~ all three have heavily influenced this book, and if you have read those three greats, then it'll be straightforward for you to work out this plot.
I'm in two minds about thi More...
I'm in two minds about thi More...
Feb 21, 2011
Lissa
rated it:
While I found Pam's Drought to have a few drawbacks, I have no such compunctions about her first novel, Candor. In fact, I've already passed my three-week-old copy to the first person on my rec list, with the promise to let it make the rounds afterwards.
Oscar Banks is a model citizen, or so he would have you believe. After learning that he (and every other child of Candor) is being brainwashed into his father's idea of the perfect child, he sets out to save himself and every other ki More...
Oscar Banks is a model citizen, or so he would have you believe. After learning that he (and every other child of Candor) is being brainwashed into his father's idea of the perfect child, he sets out to save himself and every other ki More...
Feb 05, 2011
MaryBookSwarm
rated it:
ou know those stories that just stick with you? The ones that, while maybe not the absolute best book in the entire world that you want to read over and over, you can't seem to stop thinking about? (Have you had enough with the rhetorical questions?) CANDOR by Pam Bachorz is now one of those books for me.
I finished it in one sitting, curled up in my bed yesterday, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. It even invaded my dreams. Okay, I did read it right before bed but still. More...
I finished it in one sitting, curled up in my bed yesterday, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. It even invaded my dreams. Okay, I did read it right before bed but still. More...
Jan 18, 2011
Heather
rated it: 
This one was hard for me to rate. It was alright, I suppose. It told a tight story with an interesting enough cast and genuine-sounding first-person narration. For me, however, I think this one suffered from the dreaded comparison disease. I found "Candor" while searching for dystopian fiction on Amazon.com, and the reason that I was on the hunt for dystopian work in particular was my love for Suzanne Collins's "The Hunger Games" series. "Candor" is no "Hunger
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Dec 20, 2010
David
rated it:
The Floridian model town of Candor is a picture of wholesomeness, its children impeccably behaved. It’s all thanks to Candor’s founder and mayor, Campbell Banks, and the subliminal Messages that he pumps out underneath the town’s ever-present music. Families pay a hefty fee to move to Candor, but the deal they make if life-long; once you start hearing the Messages, even a single night away from them is fatal, and anyone showing signs of deviance may be subjected to a programme of complete mental
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Dec 20, 2010
Wisteriouswoman
rated it:
This book kept my interest the whole time. It is an unusual story—not your standard teen novel. I would classify it in the ‘futuristic’ category. Teenage boys might like it as well as girls since it deals with technology, father/son relationships and has a romance/sexual relationship from a more male perspective. Many teens might not like the fact that it doesn’t tie up neatly with a happy ending.
The book is a great candidate for a young adult book group. The focus of the book is More...
The book is a great candidate for a young adult book group. The focus of the book is More...
Dec 01, 2010
Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids
rated it:
CANDOR is a brilliantly written book about mind control and living in what appears to be a "perfect" town, where no one does anything wrong and everyone wants to live there. There's no such thing as a bad child, marriages are perfect, homes are perfect, and everything about the town is perfect. People come to CANDOR to have their bad, wild children fixed into khaki wearing, polo shirts tucked into your khakis, no make up, home work loving children.
For Campbell Banks, control More...
For Campbell Banks, control More...
Aug 09, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
Candor
by Pam Bachorz
Think your parents are controlling? Oscar Banks’s father is a genius. He was sick of Oscar always getting in trouble, so he bought a huge chunk of land in Florida, created a subdivision, called it Candor, and invited other families with “troubled teens” to move in...for a price. Oh yeah, and he developed a way to use music to make teens do what they’re told to.
“It happens fast. One day kids are blasting their music, ignoring their parents, More...
by Pam Bachorz
Think your parents are controlling? Oscar Banks’s father is a genius. He was sick of Oscar always getting in trouble, so he bought a huge chunk of land in Florida, created a subdivision, called it Candor, and invited other families with “troubled teens” to move in...for a price. Oh yeah, and he developed a way to use music to make teens do what they’re told to.
“It happens fast. One day kids are blasting their music, ignoring their parents, More...
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Aug 05, 2010
Sarah
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On the outside, Oscar Banks has the perfect life. He's smart. He's popular. He's got a girlfriend. His dad runs the community of Candor. He's the model child.
Beneath that exterior, Oscar is fighting. Music is everywhere in Candor and with are the Messages. These are meant to keep the kids healthy, safe, and controllable. "Studying is your top priority." "Always make your parents proud." "Respectable space in every place."
Oscar's offi More...
Beneath that exterior, Oscar is fighting. Music is everywhere in Candor and with are the Messages. These are meant to keep the kids healthy, safe, and controllable. "Studying is your top priority." "Always make your parents proud." "Respectable space in every place."
Oscar's offi More...
Jul 03, 2010
Samantha
rated it:
Candor, Pam Bachorz's debut novel, certainly offers food for thought. It also offers a highly suspenseful, enjoyable read that will leave you guessing till the end. Candor is about the perfect town of Candor, Florida. The teens here are studious, respectful, and always do as they're told. The lawns are perfectly manicured and there is no graffiti to be found. But the seemingly idylic Candor is holding a dark secret. The people behave the way they do because of the subliminal messages traveling t
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Jun 25, 2010
Stephanie
rated it:
Given the burgeoning business of McMansion-filled housing estates throughout the West, Candor sounds like the sort of idyllic place in which the aspirational middle-class would desire more than anything to live: all manicured lawns, matched mail boxes, and twin-sets, and not a pink lawn flamingo in sight, the very notion of it is sure to result in a dreamy sigh or a wistful gaze. These sorts of manufactured estates, after all, are a threat-free, safe place. Any worries can be left back at the wr
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Jun 24, 2010
Wayne
rated it:
This book follows a standard and trite formula. While entertaining at some points, it reiterates the dystopian plot of "The Stepford Wives" without the mystery or suspense. I had hopes that this book would offer some deep and inspiring question about the nature of good and bad, right and wrong and the extent to which we uphold these values (see M.T. Anderson's "FEED"). Instead, the book comes from the viewpoint of a former (wealthy) model owner griping about what is wrong wit
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