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Divided We Fall Trilogy #1
Divided We Fall
From the author of the acclaimed WORDS IN THE DUST: an action-packed YA novel set in a frighteningly plausible near future, about what happens when the States are no longer United.
Danny Wright never thought he'd be the man to bring down the United States of America. In fact, he enlisted in the National Guard because he wanted to serve his country the way his father did. When the Guard is called up on the Idaho governor's orders to police a protest in Boise, it seems like a routine crowd-control mission ... but then Danny's gun misfires, spooking the other soldiers and the already fractious crowd, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.
The president wants the soldiers arrested. The governor swears to protect them. And as tensions build on both sides, the conflict slowly escalates toward the unthinkable: a second American civil war.
With political questions that are popular in American culture yet rare in YA fiction, and a provocative plot that could far too easily become real, DIVIDED WE FALL is Trent Reedy's very timely YA debut.
Danny Wright never thought he'd be the man to bring down the United States of America. In fact, he enlisted in the National Guard because he wanted to serve his country the way his father did. When the Guard is called up on the Idaho governor's orders to police a protest in Boise, it seems like a routine crowd-control mission ... but then Danny's gun misfires, spooking the other soldiers and the already fractious crowd, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.
The president wants the soldiers arrested. The governor swears to protect them. And as tensions build on both sides, the conflict slowly escalates toward the unthinkable: a second American civil war.
With political questions that are popular in American culture yet rare in YA fiction, and a provocative plot that could far too easily become real, DIVIDED WE FALL is Trent Reedy's very timely YA debut.
11 pages, Audiobook
First published January 28, 2014
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January 13, 2014
2.5 STARS
Who can say no to that come hither tagline?! Who can say no to that tagline AND that kickass cover?! Plus reading and reviewing books in denial, pretending to be something else other than stylized bodice rippers have started to become tedious and repetitive that I have started to actively look for offbeat options.
Atleast I get to complain about something new!
Honestly, I'm still conflicted on how I should rate this. I was really intrigued by the premise and I found Trent Reedy's interpretation of how Civil War can come to America chillingly plausible and timely. At times, it was like imagining what the news will be like five, six months from now. For me, it also managed to skirt around the trap of pushing biased personal politics. This was told entirely from the POV of PFC Wright, and while that could easily spell romanticizing stereotypical Republican sentiments laced with gun porn and 'Murica!, it doesn't take that easy road if you care enough to look closer. And my conflict of rating this stems from my strong… disconnect from of Dany and his Scooby Gang. Which I appreciated because on the one hand it avoided outright Democrat-bashing… but on the other hand I was really alienated from Danny as the main protagonist.
And I'm not sure if that was intentional.
In the eerily familiar future, Congress has passed The Federal Identification Card Act which replaces Social Security cards in order to "streamline and simplify access to federal services and provide easy proof of legal eligibility for employment". The State of Idaho, however protests the constitutionality of such card as it also contains, apart from personal information, a chip that allows for the tracking of the card's bearer.
I find this backdrop quite interesting but I'm going to leave the poking of the politics to the brave and focus on the story instead.
PFC Danny Wright, a high school senior trainee for the National Guard, receives a phone call one night activating him for duty to help with crowd control in a violent protest rally in Boise. Most of the Idaho Army National Guard has been deployed to fight the war in Iran, forcing the state government to tap their younger enlistees. It was supposed to be a simple enough mission that led to a night of violence leaving twelve people dead and nine injured from gunshots set off by Danny accidentally discharging his weapon on the protesters.
The POTUS demands for the names and punishment of those involved but the Governor insists that they were just doing their job and opts to protect the identities of his soldiers. The rest of the country offered opinions both and against either parties but Danny is hell bent on keeping his secrets and his senior life normal: he's caring for his mentally unstable mother, he means to propose to his high school sweetheart JoBell, his time is occupied with football and the rodeo. As the tension between the State and Federal government reaches fever pitch with Idaho barricading itself from its neighboring states, Danny's forced to make choices as a consequence of other men's own choices. Men with higher power, brandishing higher calibers of weapon from his standard issue M4. Men with the power and mandate to tear his country apart.
I find the book quite polished. The cover is gorgeous and intriguing and while some of the supposed photos in my ARC just ended up as gray boxes in my ereader, I find the incorporation of comments and uploaded pictures in public forums by random citizens and news reports refreshing. It reflected the growing tension and how mob justice in social media and reality become parasites that feed into each other's frenzy quite cleverly. The pre-dystopian America Reedy created was simultaneously exciting and horrifying. The prospect of having Benedict Cumberbatch or Tina Fey as my personal digi-assistant reading my mail? Yes please. The idea of every news agency having devolved as Fox News clones?
Though it does reflect on how sensational journalism operates. How it stokes popular sentiments and emotions to its whim. As the story progressed, it became less about the shooting and gradually became about the NRA sticker in Danny's co-worker's desk or the safety violations in the place he works in and so on.
I also enjoyed the genuine portrayal of democracy in a believable crisis presented here. It was fascinating to see how the bigger picture of the ID card argument between the State and Federal government bleeds and trickles down into the most rudimentary units of society. It stretches a lot of rules in logic but made the story somewhat entertaining.
I had real big issues with Danny. He started off okay for someone who calls his truck "Beast". He was someone with patriotic ideals with small town values shoved in a situation that became bigger than his good intentions. He just wants to serve his country, while playing football and fooling around with his liberal girlfriend JoBell. There was a vulnerability in him highlighted by his moral conflicts that unfortunately started to fade in the background as the story progressed.
He starts to evolve into a Gary Stu character where the entire State of Idaho seems to be revolving around his whims and his needs. He has the governor on speed dial, he has the sheriff at his beck and call to do his bidding, he and his friends try to escape the federal authorities in a car chase that leaves someone dead, he gets a pat on the back. He's bulletproof from the Constitution.
Danny struggles to maintain his normal routine throughout the conflict so while the President and the governor of Idaho are butting heads,he's partying, playing football, target shooting at his girlfriend's backyard while the world watches on. He wails about the media twisting his story but he isn't exactly playing his cards smart. He swings from being self-deprecating to calling his principal an asshole... Because of his poor fashion choices. He starts to distance himself from his increasingly rash behavior and its repercussions. Suddenly its EVERYONE's fault except his. Does this somehow relate to the breakdown of his values and character because of the mounting pressure from outside? It didn't really seem so, sadly. Instead, all I see is a boy with patriotic fantasies slowly unravelling as who he really is: a douchewad with phenomenal bouts of idiocy.
I liked that this had two parallel stories going on: the political conflict and the locals' struggles, unfortunately Danny's function to bridge both sides as a soldier and a high school senior wasn't seamless and ended this side of bizarre. Idaho secedes from the US government and Danny has to choose which master to serve so he calls his Scooby Gang to throw a party.
He somehow manages to get himself to these action movie situations (i.e. Car chases, open fire combat etc.) that gives him the opportunity to bust out these ultra-cheesy lines that just gives me goosebumps. And hives. In ONE car chase sequence he dished out the following sound bites:
Michael Bay would be so proud.
The POTUS and the governor's exchange of posturing dialogue didn't fare any better and just made them come across caricaturish.
I did like most of Danny's posse though I am not a big fan of them getting wedged in on the action for no reason other than comic relief and the threat of a love triangle in the next book. PLEASE DON'T GO THERE. If there's anything going for this book, it's the intriguing premise. No need to incorporate THAT trope to make it worse.
This ended on a cliffhanger, keeping in the tradition of cheesetastic one-liners. I want to be hopeful for this series. To be fair, the first half was pretty gripping and had good intentions in what it was presenting. However, it was the assholization of Danny in the second half that did this in. It may have made the book successful in keeping itself from being partisan to a particular political sentiment but it spelled much piss-offerizationism on my part as a reader.
ARC provided by Arthur A. Levine Books thru NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. Quotes may not appear on the final edition.
Also on BookLikes.
I am Private First Class Daniel Christopher Wright.
I am seventeen years old.
And I fired the shot that ended the United States of America.
Who can say no to that come hither tagline?! Who can say no to that tagline AND that kickass cover?! Plus reading and reviewing books in denial, pretending to be something else other than stylized bodice rippers have started to become tedious and repetitive that I have started to actively look for offbeat options.
Atleast I get to complain about something new!
Honestly, I'm still conflicted on how I should rate this. I was really intrigued by the premise and I found Trent Reedy's interpretation of how Civil War can come to America chillingly plausible and timely. At times, it was like imagining what the news will be like five, six months from now. For me, it also managed to skirt around the trap of pushing biased personal politics. This was told entirely from the POV of PFC Wright, and while that could easily spell romanticizing stereotypical Republican sentiments laced with gun porn and 'Murica!, it doesn't take that easy road if you care enough to look closer. And my conflict of rating this stems from my strong… disconnect from of Dany and his Scooby Gang. Which I appreciated because on the one hand it avoided outright Democrat-bashing… but on the other hand I was really alienated from Danny as the main protagonist.
And I'm not sure if that was intentional.
I GOT SOUL BUT I'M NOT A SOLDIER
In the eerily familiar future, Congress has passed The Federal Identification Card Act which replaces Social Security cards in order to "streamline and simplify access to federal services and provide easy proof of legal eligibility for employment". The State of Idaho, however protests the constitutionality of such card as it also contains, apart from personal information, a chip that allows for the tracking of the card's bearer.
I find this backdrop quite interesting but I'm going to leave the poking of the politics to the brave and focus on the story instead.
PFC Danny Wright, a high school senior trainee for the National Guard, receives a phone call one night activating him for duty to help with crowd control in a violent protest rally in Boise. Most of the Idaho Army National Guard has been deployed to fight the war in Iran, forcing the state government to tap their younger enlistees. It was supposed to be a simple enough mission that led to a night of violence leaving twelve people dead and nine injured from gunshots set off by Danny accidentally discharging his weapon on the protesters.
The POTUS demands for the names and punishment of those involved but the Governor insists that they were just doing their job and opts to protect the identities of his soldiers. The rest of the country offered opinions both and against either parties but Danny is hell bent on keeping his secrets and his senior life normal: he's caring for his mentally unstable mother, he means to propose to his high school sweetheart JoBell, his time is occupied with football and the rodeo. As the tension between the State and Federal government reaches fever pitch with Idaho barricading itself from its neighboring states, Danny's forced to make choices as a consequence of other men's own choices. Men with higher power, brandishing higher calibers of weapon from his standard issue M4. Men with the power and mandate to tear his country apart.
"Once blood is spilled, we're stuck in the fight for the long haul. If we work out a compromise, then what was the point of all those casualties?"
WINS
I find the book quite polished. The cover is gorgeous and intriguing and while some of the supposed photos in my ARC just ended up as gray boxes in my ereader, I find the incorporation of comments and uploaded pictures in public forums by random citizens and news reports refreshing. It reflected the growing tension and how mob justice in social media and reality become parasites that feed into each other's frenzy quite cleverly. The pre-dystopian America Reedy created was simultaneously exciting and horrifying. The prospect of having Benedict Cumberbatch or Tina Fey as my personal digi-assistant reading my mail? Yes please. The idea of every news agency having devolved as Fox News clones?
Though it does reflect on how sensational journalism operates. How it stokes popular sentiments and emotions to its whim. As the story progressed, it became less about the shooting and gradually became about the NRA sticker in Danny's co-worker's desk or the safety violations in the place he works in and so on.
I also enjoyed the genuine portrayal of democracy in a believable crisis presented here. It was fascinating to see how the bigger picture of the ID card argument between the State and Federal government bleeds and trickles down into the most rudimentary units of society. It stretches a lot of rules in logic but made the story somewhat entertaining.
FAILS
I had real big issues with Danny. He started off okay for someone who calls his truck "Beast". He was someone with patriotic ideals with small town values shoved in a situation that became bigger than his good intentions. He just wants to serve his country, while playing football and fooling around with his liberal girlfriend JoBell. There was a vulnerability in him highlighted by his moral conflicts that unfortunately started to fade in the background as the story progressed.
He starts to evolve into a Gary Stu character where the entire State of Idaho seems to be revolving around his whims and his needs. He has the governor on speed dial, he has the sheriff at his beck and call to do his bidding, he and his friends try to escape the federal authorities in a car chase that leaves someone dead, he gets a pat on the back. He's bulletproof from the Constitution.
Danny struggles to maintain his normal routine throughout the conflict so while the President and the governor of Idaho are butting heads,he's partying, playing football, target shooting at his girlfriend's backyard while the world watches on. He wails about the media twisting his story but he isn't exactly playing his cards smart. He swings from being self-deprecating to calling his principal an asshole... Because of his poor fashion choices. He starts to distance himself from his increasingly rash behavior and its repercussions. Suddenly its EVERYONE's fault except his. Does this somehow relate to the breakdown of his values and character because of the mounting pressure from outside? It didn't really seem so, sadly. Instead, all I see is a boy with patriotic fantasies slowly unravelling as who he really is: a douchewad with phenomenal bouts of idiocy.
I liked that this had two parallel stories going on: the political conflict and the locals' struggles, unfortunately Danny's function to bridge both sides as a soldier and a high school senior wasn't seamless and ended this side of bizarre. Idaho secedes from the US government and Danny has to choose which master to serve so he calls his Scooby Gang to throw a party.
He somehow manages to get himself to these action movie situations (i.e. Car chases, open fire combat etc.) that gives him the opportunity to bust out these ultra-cheesy lines that just gives me goosebumps. And hives. In ONE car chase sequence he dished out the following sound bites:
"Everybody hold on. This is going to get rough!"
"Oh you did not just scratch up my truck!"
"You want war? We will give you war!"
Michael Bay would be so proud.
The POTUS and the governor's exchange of posturing dialogue didn't fare any better and just made them come across caricaturish.
I did like most of Danny's posse though I am not a big fan of them getting wedged in on the action for no reason other than comic relief and the threat of a love triangle in the next book. PLEASE DON'T GO THERE. If there's anything going for this book, it's the intriguing premise. No need to incorporate THAT trope to make it worse.
This ended on a cliffhanger, keeping in the tradition of cheesetastic one-liners. I want to be hopeful for this series. To be fair, the first half was pretty gripping and had good intentions in what it was presenting. However, it was the assholization of Danny in the second half that did this in. It may have made the book successful in keeping itself from being partisan to a particular political sentiment but it spelled much piss-offerizationism on my part as a reader.
ARC provided by Arthur A. Levine Books thru NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. Quotes may not appear on the final edition.
Also on BookLikes.
April 26, 2016
This is in many ways an excellent book...though I suppose the 5 star rating may have given you an idea I might think something like that.
This book is very character driven while also having an intense, fast moving yet very plausible plot. Now I know there are going to be people who want to go on about how the book's style is wanting and I'll admit this isn't a work that shoots for "literary depth" at least in some ways. It's also guilty of using some minor stereotyping. It's pictures of some of the players aren't really spot on.
But they are close enough for the story to be believable. Some of "us" will probably be annoyed at the way certain characters are presented or portrayed. That said they are not far enough off for me to call the writer on it. He has in most cases simply amplified what's there.
The events in this book could happen. Not only could they happen it's not that unlikely. The events here are not far fetched at all.
Of course the novel also ends in a way and in a place that will make you want to give the writer a piece of your mind about the inhumanity of cliffhangers.
I hate cliffhangers.
The next book is slated to be out next year...I'm waiting.
I like this one. I recommend this one.
This book is very character driven while also having an intense, fast moving yet very plausible plot. Now I know there are going to be people who want to go on about how the book's style is wanting and I'll admit this isn't a work that shoots for "literary depth" at least in some ways. It's also guilty of using some minor stereotyping. It's pictures of some of the players aren't really spot on.
But they are close enough for the story to be believable. Some of "us" will probably be annoyed at the way certain characters are presented or portrayed. That said they are not far enough off for me to call the writer on it. He has in most cases simply amplified what's there.
The events in this book could happen. Not only could they happen it's not that unlikely. The events here are not far fetched at all.
Of course the novel also ends in a way and in a place that will make you want to give the writer a piece of your mind about the inhumanity of cliffhangers.
I hate cliffhangers.
The next book is slated to be out next year...I'm waiting.
I like this one. I recommend this one.
September 8, 2013
Hoo boy. Editorial bias alert, but I think this could kick up quite a splash in the YA world next spring for its awesome cover, its enormously timely themes about the breakdown in political communication and conflict between state and federal governments (and in particular its approach to the latter), its portrait of our all-encompassing media and digital worlds . . . and with all that, its really great characters and action, as Danny Wright first instigates a rebellion he never intended, and then must choose his side and his friends.
It's a PRE-dystopia novel about an entirely plausible America, and very thought-provoking as such, as well as a great read. ARCs should be available later this month.
It's a PRE-dystopia novel about an entirely plausible America, and very thought-provoking as such, as well as a great read. ARCs should be available later this month.
August 6, 2016
Look at that cover! I look at the cover and I see war and destruction in a modern setting. Yay, these are things I like! Unfortunately, nothing even remotely like what you see on the cover happens in the book. I thought that this was a sort of pre-dystopian, you know, watch the empire as it crumbles. I thought it'd be full of action, destruction, moral quandaries, heartbreak, trauma, etc...all the things you want from a good war story. No, that is not this book.
You know those SAT prep novels that are supposed to be an entertaining way to learn SAT vocab words? This reads like that if they had a Civics version.
The beginning is strong. I actually connected to Danny at first, even though we couldn't be more different. He's very much a "Red State" teenage boy: into football, rodeo, his gun, his truck, his girl, and the National Guard. He has genuine and affecting relationships with his mom and his girlfriend. He seems like a pretty good kid all in all.
The chaos ensuing the misfires, and Danny's emotional reaction to the unnecessary deaths, did endear him to me. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. The book immediately gets bogged down into a whole lot of nothingness as I will detail:
* There's an action scene in the beginning, an action scene at the end, and a whole lot of tedious unraveling of civics lessons and info dumping in the middle. Really, it's super tedious and uninteresting. If Civics didn't excite you in high school than this is not the book for you.
* The final action scene is just bizarre and full of cheesy cliches. Danny goes on a dangerous mission across the enemy line. All of his friends come with him. He doesn't need them and it's very dangerous. They just come anyway (to provide drama, and some comedy, but comeeeee onnnnnn). And guess what? Super surprisingly things go very, very wrong.
* The best friend character is a male chauvinist whose humor is intended for comedic effect. No. The girls don't take any of his shit which is nice. But still, you're very obviously supposed to look on him as like "Oh that lovable rascal!" No. He's just disgusting and gross and it's not funny.
* At times, the girlfriend really seems like a caricature. She is representing the 'liberal POV' for the story, but I did tend to think that it was just a bit over the top. She was super zealous in her anti-war, anti-soldier stance in a way that just reminded me of the way FOX News represents "liberals".
* There is no Second Civil War as we see from the blurb. This entire book is just one long set up for it. I guess the actual war part will be Book 2. But I wanted war, dammit!
I imagine this is a book for people who really like the political nitty gritty and would love to take a step by step look at exactly how and why the US could fall into a second civil war. That person is not me, though.
At least this book made me very curious about Idaho and I would now like to go there someday . Thanks, book
An advance copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for this review.
You know those SAT prep novels that are supposed to be an entertaining way to learn SAT vocab words? This reads like that if they had a Civics version.
The beginning is strong. I actually connected to Danny at first, even though we couldn't be more different. He's very much a "Red State" teenage boy: into football, rodeo, his gun, his truck, his girl, and the National Guard. He has genuine and affecting relationships with his mom and his girlfriend. He seems like a pretty good kid all in all.
The chaos ensuing the misfires, and Danny's emotional reaction to the unnecessary deaths, did endear him to me. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. The book immediately gets bogged down into a whole lot of nothingness as I will detail:
* There's an action scene in the beginning, an action scene at the end, and a whole lot of tedious unraveling of civics lessons and info dumping in the middle. Really, it's super tedious and uninteresting. If Civics didn't excite you in high school than this is not the book for you.
* The final action scene is just bizarre and full of cheesy cliches. Danny goes on a dangerous mission across the enemy line. All of his friends come with him. He doesn't need them and it's very dangerous. They just come anyway (to provide drama, and some comedy, but comeeeee onnnnnn). And guess what? Super surprisingly things go very, very wrong.
* The best friend character is a male chauvinist whose humor is intended for comedic effect. No. The girls don't take any of his shit which is nice. But still, you're very obviously supposed to look on him as like "Oh that lovable rascal!" No. He's just disgusting and gross and it's not funny.
* At times, the girlfriend really seems like a caricature. She is representing the 'liberal POV' for the story, but I did tend to think that it was just a bit over the top. She was super zealous in her anti-war, anti-soldier stance in a way that just reminded me of the way FOX News represents "liberals".
* There is no Second Civil War as we see from the blurb. This entire book is just one long set up for it. I guess the actual war part will be Book 2. But I wanted war, dammit!
I imagine this is a book for people who really like the political nitty gritty and would love to take a step by step look at exactly how and why the US could fall into a second civil war. That person is not me, though.
At least this book made me very curious about Idaho and I would now like to go there someday . Thanks, book
An advance copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for this review.
April 9, 2017
WOW!!! Since I can't give the review that this book deserves right now (on cell) I would just like to say AMAZING!
KUDOS to the makers of this audiobook. I have to say this is the single most awesome audiobook that I have listened to and I have listened to at least 300 of them! I was so entertained by the reading of this novel that I believe if the story was atrocious I would have enjoyed it anyway. For those of you who love audios this one is a must!
OK so on to the story. Danny is a 17 year old boy that enlisted in the National Guard to honor his father and country. At the time, Danny didn't realize that this decision would lead to other decisions and his entire life would change. Danny lost his father to the cause and his mother didn't do well with the loss. Danny was left to pick up the pieces and help his mother over the tough spots. He just didn't know how bumpy that road was going to get.
One weekend Danny and other guard members were called out to try to stifle a protest. It was a simple routine job so it didn't seem out of hand to send the young guards to handle the task. Only it wasn't a simple job and when the bullets when flying and the smoke cleared people were dead and the solders of the guard were to blame. How did this happen? One day Danny was in high school and the next he was in the line of fire. Funny how life can change with a blink of the eye.
There were moments in this book that I was angry. Angry with the way the public were treating these kids, I mean he was 17, and the way the news would just turn everything around, which they do all the time, and how the government, mainly the president, thought they could hold a group of kids with only weekend training responsible for any of this. There were times that I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the way Danny cared for his mother. She was not at all stable and he always keep her in the forefront of his plans, thoughts and actions. There were times when I was heart broken. Heart broken because of the decision that Danny has to make and the aftermath of that decision.
Trent did a fabulous job with this book and I could go on and on about how fascinating and awesome, action packed and thought provoking this story is but I will let you read it yourself. I would recommend this to anyone be it someone looking for YA, action, dystopian what ever it may be you are looking for this is an all around terrific read.
KUDOS to the makers of this audiobook. I have to say this is the single most awesome audiobook that I have listened to and I have listened to at least 300 of them! I was so entertained by the reading of this novel that I believe if the story was atrocious I would have enjoyed it anyway. For those of you who love audios this one is a must!
OK so on to the story. Danny is a 17 year old boy that enlisted in the National Guard to honor his father and country. At the time, Danny didn't realize that this decision would lead to other decisions and his entire life would change. Danny lost his father to the cause and his mother didn't do well with the loss. Danny was left to pick up the pieces and help his mother over the tough spots. He just didn't know how bumpy that road was going to get.
One weekend Danny and other guard members were called out to try to stifle a protest. It was a simple routine job so it didn't seem out of hand to send the young guards to handle the task. Only it wasn't a simple job and when the bullets when flying and the smoke cleared people were dead and the solders of the guard were to blame. How did this happen? One day Danny was in high school and the next he was in the line of fire. Funny how life can change with a blink of the eye.
There were moments in this book that I was angry. Angry with the way the public were treating these kids, I mean he was 17, and the way the news would just turn everything around, which they do all the time, and how the government, mainly the president, thought they could hold a group of kids with only weekend training responsible for any of this. There were times that I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the way Danny cared for his mother. She was not at all stable and he always keep her in the forefront of his plans, thoughts and actions. There were times when I was heart broken. Heart broken because of the decision that Danny has to make and the aftermath of that decision.
Trent did a fabulous job with this book and I could go on and on about how fascinating and awesome, action packed and thought provoking this story is but I will let you read it yourself. I would recommend this to anyone be it someone looking for YA, action, dystopian what ever it may be you are looking for this is an all around terrific read.
August 11, 2020
Action packed
November 11, 2013
Wright, the protagonist of this action-packed speculative novel, is a decent guy trying to fulfill his duty as a National Guardsman when his gun goes off accidentally into a crowd of protesters. The governor of Idaho is already at odds with the President of the US over a national ID card, and this incident is the spark that accelerates the civil war.
Rarely does YA fiction tackle real political questions such as states rights versus federal laws. Trent does an amazing job of presenting both sides of the arguments--in a way that is thoughtful and totally engaging--and one that allows lots of opportunity for debate.
Although there is lots of military action and detail to lure in reluctant readers, Trent doesn't glorify war. His protagonist struggles with the emotional impact of shooting a fellow citizen.
Perfect for reluctant readers, fathers and sons, US government classes.
Rarely does YA fiction tackle real political questions such as states rights versus federal laws. Trent does an amazing job of presenting both sides of the arguments--in a way that is thoughtful and totally engaging--and one that allows lots of opportunity for debate.
Although there is lots of military action and detail to lure in reluctant readers, Trent doesn't glorify war. His protagonist struggles with the emotional impact of shooting a fellow citizen.
Perfect for reluctant readers, fathers and sons, US government classes.
September 8, 2016
Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy is a brilliant and also incredibly timely pre-dystopian novel. I listened to the audiobook available for free last week through YA Sync.
In the not too distant future, Danny Wright joins the National Guard to serve his country in the way his father did. Then, the Idaho governor sends the Guard to a seemingly routine crowd control mission at a protest in Boise. However, Danny's gun misfires, spooking the highly divided crowd and soldiers, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.
The President wants the soldiers to face justice for the "Battle of Boise," while the governor of Idaho swears to protect Danny and the rest of the Guard. As tensions build on both sides of the political divide, conflict begins to escalate potentially leading to another civil war.
The political questions and themes explored in Divided We Fall, such as states rights vs. federal rights, are popular in contemporary American culture, I mean, just turn on the news, Glenn Beck (which I try not to), or any political commentator/ sensational journalist for that matter. That being said you don't see a whole lot of it in YA fiction, or not quite like this. I would call this sort of a pre-dystopia; although, this is set a few years in the future, it feels frighteningly plausible in a right around the corner way.
Trent Reedy does an excellent job of presenting both sides of the arguments (states rights vs. federal rights and conservative America vs. liberal America, among others) in captivating and engaging ways. Primarily, this is done through the fantastic cast of characters, but Danny does the most heavy lifting when he's placed right smack dab in the middle of everything.
Divided We Fall is an exciting, action-packed, thrill ride that also packs a pretty heavy emotional punch. War is not glorified as Danny physically and emotionally struggles through the decisions he will inevitably be forced to make.
I also really enjoyed the production of the audiobook. Primarily, we have Andrew Eiden narrating, but we also have an ensemble of voice actors providing the media presence in the story. It's a refreshing audio production which makes the most of its format.
Finally, I highly, highly, highly recommend this fantastic novel by Trent Reedy and I can't wait for book two, Burning Nation!
In the not too distant future, Danny Wright joins the National Guard to serve his country in the way his father did. Then, the Idaho governor sends the Guard to a seemingly routine crowd control mission at a protest in Boise. However, Danny's gun misfires, spooking the highly divided crowd and soldiers, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.
The President wants the soldiers to face justice for the "Battle of Boise," while the governor of Idaho swears to protect Danny and the rest of the Guard. As tensions build on both sides of the political divide, conflict begins to escalate potentially leading to another civil war.
The political questions and themes explored in Divided We Fall, such as states rights vs. federal rights, are popular in contemporary American culture, I mean, just turn on the news, Glenn Beck (which I try not to), or any political commentator/ sensational journalist for that matter. That being said you don't see a whole lot of it in YA fiction, or not quite like this. I would call this sort of a pre-dystopia; although, this is set a few years in the future, it feels frighteningly plausible in a right around the corner way.
Trent Reedy does an excellent job of presenting both sides of the arguments (states rights vs. federal rights and conservative America vs. liberal America, among others) in captivating and engaging ways. Primarily, this is done through the fantastic cast of characters, but Danny does the most heavy lifting when he's placed right smack dab in the middle of everything.
Divided We Fall is an exciting, action-packed, thrill ride that also packs a pretty heavy emotional punch. War is not glorified as Danny physically and emotionally struggles through the decisions he will inevitably be forced to make.
I also really enjoyed the production of the audiobook. Primarily, we have Andrew Eiden narrating, but we also have an ensemble of voice actors providing the media presence in the story. It's a refreshing audio production which makes the most of its format.
Finally, I highly, highly, highly recommend this fantastic novel by Trent Reedy and I can't wait for book two, Burning Nation!
March 25, 2017
This ordinarily wouldn't have been a title that interested me except for the fact that its plot hits a little too close to what I imagine the U.S. is going to turn into if we continue regressing in this abhorrent political climate. Because of this, I am excited now to recommend this book to teens as a daunting "what if" scenario. I liked it enough to consider listening to the sequel and third books, which is saying a lot these days, though I probably won't jump into them right away. The audio version is fantastic because all of the news/NPR interludes sound like actual broadcasts with a variety of narrators.
August 9, 2014
As with the other book of Reedy's I recently finished, I enjoyed this more than I expected to. It's a near-future action and adventure about the fall of the USA. It has problems (hence no fifth star) but it is also compelling and suspenseful (hence the four that already are present). I enjoyed the characters, and while the conflict between friends could have been pronounced more, I rarely if ever felt that things were too easy. The plot was superb, and very realistic. With all the forces acting on both the characters and the circumstances, the plot fell together very naturally and easily, creating extreme suspense. The setting wasn't much, but it didn't have to be— it's only set a couple years in the future, and the author did a good job making things seem futuristic but not flying-cars-futuristic. There weren't many cons to the book as a whole.
That said, content warning for language and gore. There was also an unhealthy amount of underage drinking and sexism, which I let pass because everything else was done so well. Perhaps I'm wrong to do that, but I felt the writing more than made up for its faults. For that which the writing didn't make up for, it was necessary. I don't claim to enjoy it, but it was necessary, so I'll let it be.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. I'll be looking into the author's other works.
Also, this is how anti-war novels ought to be. (I'm looking at you, Collins.) This put the message across perfectly, placing it in a world identifiable with ours to the point that it's scarily accurate, but keeping it fictional enough that you actually think about it, instead of being desensitized by all the violence. It was well done.
That said, content warning for language and gore. There was also an unhealthy amount of underage drinking and sexism, which I let pass because everything else was done so well. Perhaps I'm wrong to do that, but I felt the writing more than made up for its faults. For that which the writing didn't make up for, it was necessary. I don't claim to enjoy it, but it was necessary, so I'll let it be.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. I'll be looking into the author's other works.
Also, this is how anti-war novels ought to be. (I'm looking at you, Collins.) This put the message across perfectly, placing it in a world identifiable with ours to the point that it's scarily accurate, but keeping it fictional enough that you actually think about it, instead of being desensitized by all the violence. It was well done.
April 15, 2015
"If they're [America] so committed to peace , but have failed so miserably the last 50 years, the last century, what makes you think they're going to figure a way out of this mess without fighting?"
WOW! This one is a complete surprise. This is NOT my typical genre nor something I would typically like. So imagine my surprise when I found myself hitting "play" again and again to the audio book, finding reasons to listen to it.
This is a reality completely unimaginable to me. A president pushing these identification cards on us. And one state, One state of Idaho going against it strongly enough to fight. One lone bullet, one misfiring gun, and it's all out war. What a horrific reality.
The audio book was great, adding commercials and songs and a complete atmosphere to the story. I will definitely read book 2. I have to know how this ends.
WOW! This one is a complete surprise. This is NOT my typical genre nor something I would typically like. So imagine my surprise when I found myself hitting "play" again and again to the audio book, finding reasons to listen to it.
This is a reality completely unimaginable to me. A president pushing these identification cards on us. And one state, One state of Idaho going against it strongly enough to fight. One lone bullet, one misfiring gun, and it's all out war. What a horrific reality.
The audio book was great, adding commercials and songs and a complete atmosphere to the story. I will definitely read book 2. I have to know how this ends.
December 14, 2014
As a middle school media specialist, I was really hoping this would be my next "go to" book for boys. Unfortunately, I think the boys in my school may need to get it from the public library or wait until they get to high school. Just too much language, drinking, violence and hanky-panky. Maybe for 8th grade, but I can't risk a 6th grader picking it up.
Read
June 16, 2017In this must-read trilogy opener, seventeen-year-old Danny Wright is a typical all-American high school senior. He plays on his school’s football team, loves his girlfriend JoBell, and parties with his friends. Atypical is his devotion to his anxiety-plagued mother and the Idaho National Guard. When Danny’s unit is called up to quell a riot in downtown Boise over the legality of the mandated Federal ID Card Act, he inadvertently discharges his rifle, sparking a mass shooting. While the Governor of Idaho and the President of the United States argue over who is to blame and legal action turns into military force, Danny is forced into battle against fellow U.S. soldiers. Tension between federal and state government has never been so rampant.
There is a reason that Divided We Fall is on the 2018 Abraham Lincoln Award list. This stunning story is set in a not-too-distant future and is horrific simply because of how realistic it is. The author, Trent Reedy, is a United States veteran whose personal musings and insight come through as Danny’s own and highlight the real-life contradictions between the Constitution of the State of Idaho and the Constitution of the United States. For a soldier like PFC Daniel Wright, it begs the question, where does his loyalty lie?-KS
Click here to place a hold on Divided We Fall .
Another realistic dystopia featuring a nation divided is Legend by Marie Lu.
There is a reason that Divided We Fall is on the 2018 Abraham Lincoln Award list. This stunning story is set in a not-too-distant future and is horrific simply because of how realistic it is. The author, Trent Reedy, is a United States veteran whose personal musings and insight come through as Danny’s own and highlight the real-life contradictions between the Constitution of the State of Idaho and the Constitution of the United States. For a soldier like PFC Daniel Wright, it begs the question, where does his loyalty lie?-KS
Click here to place a hold on Divided We Fall .
Another realistic dystopia featuring a nation divided is Legend by Marie Lu.
April 26, 2019
Personal Response: I thought that this book was one of the better books I have read because it was full of action and adventure. There was lots of kissing, but for some odd reason, it made the book a little bit more interesting. A part I liked about the book is that it made me feel like I was in Danny's shoes the whole time.
Plot: Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy is about Daniel Wright, a high schooler and Idaho National Guard member, who fires a shot that changes the United States of America. Life was going really normal, until the day Danny was ordered by Governor Montaine to go to Boise to block the capitol building from protestors. Governor Montaine is the governor of Idaho. Danny and the National Guard had everything under control until the National Guard used to tear gas. Protestors started to back off, but one of the protestors threw a rock, which ended up hitting Danny's gas mask. Danny accidentally pulled the trigger on his gun, which started a ruckus and left eight people dead. This event changes Danny's life because people want Danny and the other National Guard member in jail. President Rodriguez, the POTUS, gets into a heated argument with Governor Montaine. President Rodriguez "accidentally" releases all of the names of the National Guards, which gets Danny surrounded by reporters whenever he is outside. Blockades are set up on the border of Idaho by the Army and the Idaho National Guard. No one can enter Idaho, but people can leave. Danny's mother happens to be in Washington, so Danny and his friends set up a plan to bring her back into Idaho. The plan works at first, but Danny's mother gets killed from getting shot. Danny gets really depressed for a while, but Danny's friends throw a party for him. During the party, Danny finds out that the president has been murdered. Everyone at the party is shocked. The party ends and a couple days later, the new president states that the state of Idaho is a rebellion and will be forcefully stopped. The book ends with Danny saying that "They're coming."
Characterization: Danny went from an Idaho National Guard member, who loved Idaho and the United States, to an Idaho National Guard member, who loved Idaho and hated the Feds of the United States.
Recommendation: I recommend this book to any high schooler because the book just seems perfect for people in high school. The reason I say that is because the main character happens to be a high schooler. The book would also make the person kind of know how it would feel to get involved in national news.
Plot: Divided We Fall by Trent Reedy is about Daniel Wright, a high schooler and Idaho National Guard member, who fires a shot that changes the United States of America. Life was going really normal, until the day Danny was ordered by Governor Montaine to go to Boise to block the capitol building from protestors. Governor Montaine is the governor of Idaho. Danny and the National Guard had everything under control until the National Guard used to tear gas. Protestors started to back off, but one of the protestors threw a rock, which ended up hitting Danny's gas mask. Danny accidentally pulled the trigger on his gun, which started a ruckus and left eight people dead. This event changes Danny's life because people want Danny and the other National Guard member in jail. President Rodriguez, the POTUS, gets into a heated argument with Governor Montaine. President Rodriguez "accidentally" releases all of the names of the National Guards, which gets Danny surrounded by reporters whenever he is outside. Blockades are set up on the border of Idaho by the Army and the Idaho National Guard. No one can enter Idaho, but people can leave. Danny's mother happens to be in Washington, so Danny and his friends set up a plan to bring her back into Idaho. The plan works at first, but Danny's mother gets killed from getting shot. Danny gets really depressed for a while, but Danny's friends throw a party for him. During the party, Danny finds out that the president has been murdered. Everyone at the party is shocked. The party ends and a couple days later, the new president states that the state of Idaho is a rebellion and will be forcefully stopped. The book ends with Danny saying that "They're coming."
Characterization: Danny went from an Idaho National Guard member, who loved Idaho and the United States, to an Idaho National Guard member, who loved Idaho and hated the Feds of the United States.
Recommendation: I recommend this book to any high schooler because the book just seems perfect for people in high school. The reason I say that is because the main character happens to be a high schooler. The book would also make the person kind of know how it would feel to get involved in national news.
November 21, 2015
Reedy's third novel heads in a completely different direction from his first two. Set in the not too distant future, Divided We Fall plunges us into the middle of a constitutional battle between the U. S. government and the Idaho state legislature. Danny, a high school senior enrolled in the Idaho National Guard, is called up to quell a riot in Boise. When things go wrong and people die, the Idaho governor and the U.S. president go to the brink of war over what should happen to the soldiers involved. Reedy puts us just enough in the future that we can bear it, but ultimately he tells a story here that is terrifying in how possible it seems. It's the first in a trilogy, so be prepared for the cliffhanger ending. This is an exciting and compelling read, no matter what your politics.
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August 21, 2014
This is very probably the boy-est book I've ever read. Listened to. (Thanks SYNC free audio book summer program!)
Football? Check. Military? Check. Guns? Check. Girls? Check. Car chases? Check. Fist-fights? Check. A boy who loves his mother? Check and mate.
That said, The characters were more three-dimensional than they could have been. The setting was realistic, whether the reader imagined it to be an alternate current reality or a near-future possibility. The plot was spritely and timely.
And the themes were, if a little heavy-handed, at least interesting and right out of the current events textbook. Oh wait, we don't have a current events text. Maybe this novel could serve as a great senior year civics project introduction.
Football? Check. Military? Check. Guns? Check. Girls? Check. Car chases? Check. Fist-fights? Check. A boy who loves his mother? Check and mate.
That said, The characters were more three-dimensional than they could have been. The setting was realistic, whether the reader imagined it to be an alternate current reality or a near-future possibility. The plot was spritely and timely.
And the themes were, if a little heavy-handed, at least interesting and right out of the current events textbook. Oh wait, we don't have a current events text. Maybe this novel could serve as a great senior year civics project introduction.
November 11, 2014
Amazing! And the audio was outstanding. The addition of the news feeds was haunting. Unfortunately, they sounded real and the stances of the various media outlets sounded way too much like actual media today. This makes this fictional story scary to me. The country is divided and the polarization of the media, the influence media has on shaping opinion, is enough to put me on guard and ask, "What if....."
March 6, 2020
Summary:
First, let me say that none of what I’ll say in this section couldn’t be found on the back copy of the novel. Heck, I cribbed this summary from the back, and then I added my own twist! And not even much of one, since most of the books I read have kick butt descriptions (aka blurbs). If the blurb doesn’t catch my eye, then I tend to skip the book unless a friend recommends it. Generally speaking, my goal is to provide a spoiler-free review, so here goes nothing!
Danny Wright never thought he’d be the man to bring down the United States of America. In fact, he enlisted in the Idaho National Guard because he wanted to serve his country the way his father did. When the Guard is called upon the governor’s orders to police a protest in Boise, it seems like a routine crowd-control mission … but then Danny’s gun misfires, spooking the other soldiers and the already fractious crowd, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.
The president wants the soldiers arrested. The governor swears to protect them. And as tensions build on both sides, the conflict slowly escalates toward the unthinkable: a second American civil war.
With political questions that are popular in American culture yet rare in YA fiction, and a provocative plot that asks what happens when the states are no longer united, Divided We Fall is Trent Reedy’s very timely YA debut.
Cons:
I had a few major complaints about this novel. The constant use of the word “assault rifle” by military personnel who were supposedly highly trained was annoying. That’s not a term I’ve ever heard used by anyone with training in firearms. Mostly, that term is used in political circles and has little to no actual meaning other than to tell you the person isn’t literate in firearms. Secondly, I didn’t like the amount of time spent addressing sexual issues by the main character. I don’t mind that in my books, but not when the protagonist isn’t a legal adult. This really bugs me, but not enough to stop reading. While I didn’t stop reading, this really bugged me because the book is supposedly for children, and that is the section where you find it in Barnes & Nobel. This is most certainly not a children’s book; the amount of swearing and graphic violence is certainly for mature audiences only. Another one of my complaints about this book was the premise for the flashpoint of the civil war in question. The whole nation is up in arms about a government ID card that could track your movement; however, everyone in this novel has a “comm,” which already does that.
Further, the government has already been shown to repeatedly violate civil liberties. How can any character in this book believe that this isn’t already happening? Finally, I didn’t like the way the audiobook was done as a stage play. I prefer the standard read, without all of the sound effects. I find those to be annoying, but not enough to turn off the audiobook. I know that my audio complaint is mostly an issue of my own personal taste, but I figured I’d throw it in there!
Pros:
The author was strongest in his creation of a narrative that was both compelling and believable. The scenario in this book was so convincing that it was scary. Seriously, it was one of those stories that won’t let you stop thinking about it. Sure, there were flaws with the flashpoint, but the author covered some of those with the bland “tensions were high about a lot of things.” The world-building was also top-notch, but that’s easy to do when writing in near-future America. We all already have our own cultural images of home that we bring in the story, making the author’s job a little easier. The use of news updates as a way to push the narrative was also a fun touch and one that Trent Reedy didn’t overuse. While there are parts of the story that wasn’t flush out as well as I would’ve liked, it fits within the scope of young adult literature. Finally, the biggest pro for this book is its emotional resonance. As the main character, Danny Wright learned to hate his country, we did as well. It was hard to remember sometimes of this restriction, and not my America.
Overall:
I’m really torn on my overall thoughts. I wanted to like it, the themes in question were “what if” scenarios that anyone who studied the Civil War or water uniform has thought about. However, there were parts that I hated because the characters make stupid decisions, the angst felt overdone or the military culture seemed off. And yet… I couldn’t put it down. And now I’m reading book two. The author made you care too much, which is a mixed bag for me. I certainly empathized with the main character, Danny Wright. I learned to hate as he hated, which is my biggest ick factor because the bad guy is an overbearing Federal Government. I hated that he made America the bad guy because that’s what we get too much of on TV already. And just because I’m being nitpicky, there was a typo on the Amazon blurb. But in the end, the author’s ability to make me keep reading was the deciding factor. When that was combined with a premise that I’ve spent too much time thinking about throughout the course of my academic studies, you have a recipe for a gripping novel. Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 grenades and your assurances that I will read the next book in the trilogy.
This review, and others, can be found on my website: https://jrhandley.com/
Divided We Fall Review: https://jrhandley.com/2020/03/03/book...
First, let me say that none of what I’ll say in this section couldn’t be found on the back copy of the novel. Heck, I cribbed this summary from the back, and then I added my own twist! And not even much of one, since most of the books I read have kick butt descriptions (aka blurbs). If the blurb doesn’t catch my eye, then I tend to skip the book unless a friend recommends it. Generally speaking, my goal is to provide a spoiler-free review, so here goes nothing!
Danny Wright never thought he’d be the man to bring down the United States of America. In fact, he enlisted in the Idaho National Guard because he wanted to serve his country the way his father did. When the Guard is called upon the governor’s orders to police a protest in Boise, it seems like a routine crowd-control mission … but then Danny’s gun misfires, spooking the other soldiers and the already fractious crowd, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.
The president wants the soldiers arrested. The governor swears to protect them. And as tensions build on both sides, the conflict slowly escalates toward the unthinkable: a second American civil war.
With political questions that are popular in American culture yet rare in YA fiction, and a provocative plot that asks what happens when the states are no longer united, Divided We Fall is Trent Reedy’s very timely YA debut.
Cons:
I had a few major complaints about this novel. The constant use of the word “assault rifle” by military personnel who were supposedly highly trained was annoying. That’s not a term I’ve ever heard used by anyone with training in firearms. Mostly, that term is used in political circles and has little to no actual meaning other than to tell you the person isn’t literate in firearms. Secondly, I didn’t like the amount of time spent addressing sexual issues by the main character. I don’t mind that in my books, but not when the protagonist isn’t a legal adult. This really bugs me, but not enough to stop reading. While I didn’t stop reading, this really bugged me because the book is supposedly for children, and that is the section where you find it in Barnes & Nobel. This is most certainly not a children’s book; the amount of swearing and graphic violence is certainly for mature audiences only. Another one of my complaints about this book was the premise for the flashpoint of the civil war in question. The whole nation is up in arms about a government ID card that could track your movement; however, everyone in this novel has a “comm,” which already does that.
Further, the government has already been shown to repeatedly violate civil liberties. How can any character in this book believe that this isn’t already happening? Finally, I didn’t like the way the audiobook was done as a stage play. I prefer the standard read, without all of the sound effects. I find those to be annoying, but not enough to turn off the audiobook. I know that my audio complaint is mostly an issue of my own personal taste, but I figured I’d throw it in there!
Pros:
The author was strongest in his creation of a narrative that was both compelling and believable. The scenario in this book was so convincing that it was scary. Seriously, it was one of those stories that won’t let you stop thinking about it. Sure, there were flaws with the flashpoint, but the author covered some of those with the bland “tensions were high about a lot of things.” The world-building was also top-notch, but that’s easy to do when writing in near-future America. We all already have our own cultural images of home that we bring in the story, making the author’s job a little easier. The use of news updates as a way to push the narrative was also a fun touch and one that Trent Reedy didn’t overuse. While there are parts of the story that wasn’t flush out as well as I would’ve liked, it fits within the scope of young adult literature. Finally, the biggest pro for this book is its emotional resonance. As the main character, Danny Wright learned to hate his country, we did as well. It was hard to remember sometimes of this restriction, and not my America.
Overall:
I’m really torn on my overall thoughts. I wanted to like it, the themes in question were “what if” scenarios that anyone who studied the Civil War or water uniform has thought about. However, there were parts that I hated because the characters make stupid decisions, the angst felt overdone or the military culture seemed off. And yet… I couldn’t put it down. And now I’m reading book two. The author made you care too much, which is a mixed bag for me. I certainly empathized with the main character, Danny Wright. I learned to hate as he hated, which is my biggest ick factor because the bad guy is an overbearing Federal Government. I hated that he made America the bad guy because that’s what we get too much of on TV already. And just because I’m being nitpicky, there was a typo on the Amazon blurb. But in the end, the author’s ability to make me keep reading was the deciding factor. When that was combined with a premise that I’ve spent too much time thinking about throughout the course of my academic studies, you have a recipe for a gripping novel. Overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 grenades and your assurances that I will read the next book in the trilogy.
This review, and others, can be found on my website: https://jrhandley.com/
Divided We Fall Review: https://jrhandley.com/2020/03/03/book...
February 8, 2018
"Divided We Fall" tells the very engaging and tense story of when the state of Idaho rebels against a national i.d. law, calling it unconstitutional, and of the potential new civil war that gradually develops as a result.
We see the story through the eyes of 17-year-old Danny, who joins the National Guard out of patriotism (his father died fighting overseas) and also to get some money to help him develop the family business. Danny accidentally becomes a major figurehead in the growing conflict and, despite his efforts to extricate himself from it, finds himself more and more deeply drawn into it until he has to make drastic and life-altering decisions.
My only real criticism of the book is that it is not self-contained. I continue to find annoying the "every young adult book has to be part of a trilogy" mentality in publishing that seems to have prevailed since "Twilight" and "Hunger Games".
While it's true that there are a few parts in this book that feel a little draggy or that feel built in to draw the book out for another two sequels, these parts are limited, and I do appreciate that the author lets his characters' stories develop at a natural pace (it never feels forced or rushed, all events -- even the most shocking-- feel well prepared for), so he is not as guilty of "trilogy-itis" as some other series I've encountered. Unlike most of those, I might actually read the second book.
In short, an exciting and original storyline that feels like it could actually happen one of these days! I'm sure it would make a great movie too -- lots of fights, fast cars, and rebellious teens.
We see the story through the eyes of 17-year-old Danny, who joins the National Guard out of patriotism (his father died fighting overseas) and also to get some money to help him develop the family business. Danny accidentally becomes a major figurehead in the growing conflict and, despite his efforts to extricate himself from it, finds himself more and more deeply drawn into it until he has to make drastic and life-altering decisions.
My only real criticism of the book is that it is not self-contained. I continue to find annoying the "every young adult book has to be part of a trilogy" mentality in publishing that seems to have prevailed since "Twilight" and "Hunger Games".
While it's true that there are a few parts in this book that feel a little draggy or that feel built in to draw the book out for another two sequels, these parts are limited, and I do appreciate that the author lets his characters' stories develop at a natural pace (it never feels forced or rushed, all events -- even the most shocking-- feel well prepared for), so he is not as guilty of "trilogy-itis" as some other series I've encountered. Unlike most of those, I might actually read the second book.
In short, an exciting and original storyline that feels like it could actually happen one of these days! I'm sure it would make a great movie too -- lots of fights, fast cars, and rebellious teens.
March 18, 2018
I had no idea what this book was about, saw it on my library's site and I could get the whole trilogy right away in audio, so I grabbed them. The covers looked interesting, so why not. I sort of thought they might end up in my dnf pile. Instead I found myself reading a book that while written 4-5 years ago is relevant today. With the politics and the gun issues, so much seemed like it was written with this political and current event situation in mind and I could totally see something like this happening now.
I felt for these kids, especially Danny, who should not have been put in the situation he was. I wanted him to be able to explain to the world what really happened in Boise, to get people to understand it was a mistake and mistakes happened on both sides. However had it even tried to explain the media would have twisted it like they did everything else his friends and townspeople were saying.
I was glad that Danny had a great support system in his friends and even the Governor. I liked how the Governor tried to protect those involved in the Boise debacle, it was just too bad the president didn't have the same idea. At that point it seems like things devolved to pride on both sides and once you had your stand you really couldn't back down.
I hated how this one ended, hated the price paid by so many and the choice that people are going to be forced to make.
I felt for these kids, especially Danny, who should not have been put in the situation he was. I wanted him to be able to explain to the world what really happened in Boise, to get people to understand it was a mistake and mistakes happened on both sides. However had it even tried to explain the media would have twisted it like they did everything else his friends and townspeople were saying.
I was glad that Danny had a great support system in his friends and even the Governor. I liked how the Governor tried to protect those involved in the Boise debacle, it was just too bad the president didn't have the same idea. At that point it seems like things devolved to pride on both sides and once you had your stand you really couldn't back down.
I hated how this one ended, hated the price paid by so many and the choice that people are going to be forced to make.
Read
December 2, 2019Now a days I don't even like many of the books I read. This book had my curiosity and right know it has my attention. I may not be done with the book but I am going to read it all the way to the last page. Usually I get a little confused on what is happening in books but somehow I was able to tell everything that was happening, even in the boring parts. The #1 thing I liked about this book is that it has a mix between action and well a few other genres I don't feel like mentioning. The #2 thing is that many stories are in just this one book. It started off with the main character doing basic training to him at a football to a war, It's a mix of stuff. There is no #3 but the fact that it's just a good book in general. I don't say this at all but this is the one exception I RECOMMEND THIS BOOk.
January 4, 2018
17 year old Daniel Wright serves the Idaho National Guard. His life becomes completely messed up after firing a bullet that put the United States of America at war with itself. He once swore an oath to obey all orders coming from the president and the governor. But what is he suppose to do when they both order him the fight each other? Divided We Fall has showed me how brutal an experience in an army can be and has successfully convinced me to never join the army. Even though the timeline of the story is in the future, the plot still seems really realistic and possible in our world today.
March 4, 2015
Goodreads book review: Divided we Fall
By: Christian Farricker
I read the book “Divided we Fall” by Trent Reedy. Divided we Fall is about a private first class Danny Wright is the Idaho national guard. This book circles around how Danny Wright destroyed the United States. Danny enlisted in the National Guard the day he turned seventeen so he could serve his state and his country like his father had. When the Governor of Idaho called up the Guard to go to Boise, it seemed like a simple crowd control mission, stop the violence and return home. But when the Guard gets to the riot, other platoons shot tear gas into the crowd making it impossible to see. Staying in formation with his platoon, a rioter grabs the barrel of Danny’s gun, cracking the glass on his gas mask and frightening Danny for his life, until his finger tightened on the trigger and a shot was fired. After this, rioters shoot, the other Guardsmen shoot, and chaos strikes downtown Boise. When the dust clears, twelve people are dead and Danny’s finger is still on the trigger. From that moment on, The state of Idaho and the United States knew nothing would be the same ever again…
The title of the book “Divided we Fall” is a good title for the premise and plot in the book. After the events at Boise, this title describes the situation between the state of Idaho and the federal government. Idaho is divided from the rest of the country because the Guard put a steel fence around the entire state so the federal agencies cannot send in troops to arrest the governor. As you read the book, you figure out how the title explains the current national situation because of the events that happen throughout the book.
The setting in this book is very important to the storyline of the book. This is because later in the book, when the federals do not allow anyone to enter the state, only to leave, the supplies become limited in Idaho because there are only potato farms and cattle to preserve for last resort. This ends up affecting the choices that Danny and his friends Sweeney, Jobell, and TJ make to leave the state with the most wanted person in America (Danny) and get Danny’s mom from a friends house near a nurse conference. When they sneak out everything goes wrong, when Jobell and Dana go out to buy outside food from a gas station, patrol soldiers recognize them, but eventually escape and battle their way back into Idaho over the flat wild terrain. In the end of this scene, I noticed that the setting where this took place saved their lives, being close to home the guard was able to recognize them and cover them with heavy suppressed fire towards the federal soldiers from hiding spots in the thick forest.
The point of view used in this book is first person view from the main character Danny. This point of view affects the story by giving first hand details about the secrets being kept from the rest of Idaho and the secrets being kept from the rest of the country. I think that it would have been nice to include the third person point of view for the other characters and how they felt when they started to have Danny’s back in the whole fighting situation when they were against the feds. This point of view would have contributed to a better understanding of why Danny’s friends did what they did by risking their lives and freedom to support Danny and eventually doing services for the Idaho National Guard. I had a few questions about their emotions and the people around them but it did not lessen my understanding my a great amount.
The mood that I noticed that was always hinted was that Danny was scared and in a terrible dilemma throughout the book whether to do what he enlisted to do, or turn himself in and subjected to life in federal prison once he turns eighteen. I think that because Danny was always looking over his shoulder and being unaware of what would happen next or what he would do next kept me and other readers on edge causing difficulty to stop reading. Unfortunately throughout the book, Danny faced nothing but hardship and loss with friends, family, and occasional disappointment with his relationship with Jobell. This affected my understanding of the scenes in the book because I would not be able to tell the emotions being bestowed in the scene.
Foreshadowing plays a big role in the book because if you think about some of the hidden hints made by the author in every chapter, you can determine the next event in the next chapter. This helped my understanding of the book by allowing me to go back and understand why the author did some of the foreshadowing he did and how much of a hint he gave. Whenever I did not understand something in the book, I could always go back to the previous pages or chapter look at what the hint was given to foreshadow. Overall, the foreshadowing impacted my understanding of the book by giving me an extra detail to the current event and one previous before it.
I would recommend this book to anyone ages 12 and up. I believe this is a good age to read this book at because the language is easy enough for a sixth grader to comprehend and write about , but the story line and the plot involves sexual innuendos, scenes of very descriptive gore, and confusing ideas presented by the author. But this is a fantastic action and adventure book with surprising plot twists and action packed with suspense, as well and being extremely well written and fluent.
By: Christian Farricker
I read the book “Divided we Fall” by Trent Reedy. Divided we Fall is about a private first class Danny Wright is the Idaho national guard. This book circles around how Danny Wright destroyed the United States. Danny enlisted in the National Guard the day he turned seventeen so he could serve his state and his country like his father had. When the Governor of Idaho called up the Guard to go to Boise, it seemed like a simple crowd control mission, stop the violence and return home. But when the Guard gets to the riot, other platoons shot tear gas into the crowd making it impossible to see. Staying in formation with his platoon, a rioter grabs the barrel of Danny’s gun, cracking the glass on his gas mask and frightening Danny for his life, until his finger tightened on the trigger and a shot was fired. After this, rioters shoot, the other Guardsmen shoot, and chaos strikes downtown Boise. When the dust clears, twelve people are dead and Danny’s finger is still on the trigger. From that moment on, The state of Idaho and the United States knew nothing would be the same ever again…
The title of the book “Divided we Fall” is a good title for the premise and plot in the book. After the events at Boise, this title describes the situation between the state of Idaho and the federal government. Idaho is divided from the rest of the country because the Guard put a steel fence around the entire state so the federal agencies cannot send in troops to arrest the governor. As you read the book, you figure out how the title explains the current national situation because of the events that happen throughout the book.
The setting in this book is very important to the storyline of the book. This is because later in the book, when the federals do not allow anyone to enter the state, only to leave, the supplies become limited in Idaho because there are only potato farms and cattle to preserve for last resort. This ends up affecting the choices that Danny and his friends Sweeney, Jobell, and TJ make to leave the state with the most wanted person in America (Danny) and get Danny’s mom from a friends house near a nurse conference. When they sneak out everything goes wrong, when Jobell and Dana go out to buy outside food from a gas station, patrol soldiers recognize them, but eventually escape and battle their way back into Idaho over the flat wild terrain. In the end of this scene, I noticed that the setting where this took place saved their lives, being close to home the guard was able to recognize them and cover them with heavy suppressed fire towards the federal soldiers from hiding spots in the thick forest.
The point of view used in this book is first person view from the main character Danny. This point of view affects the story by giving first hand details about the secrets being kept from the rest of Idaho and the secrets being kept from the rest of the country. I think that it would have been nice to include the third person point of view for the other characters and how they felt when they started to have Danny’s back in the whole fighting situation when they were against the feds. This point of view would have contributed to a better understanding of why Danny’s friends did what they did by risking their lives and freedom to support Danny and eventually doing services for the Idaho National Guard. I had a few questions about their emotions and the people around them but it did not lessen my understanding my a great amount.
The mood that I noticed that was always hinted was that Danny was scared and in a terrible dilemma throughout the book whether to do what he enlisted to do, or turn himself in and subjected to life in federal prison once he turns eighteen. I think that because Danny was always looking over his shoulder and being unaware of what would happen next or what he would do next kept me and other readers on edge causing difficulty to stop reading. Unfortunately throughout the book, Danny faced nothing but hardship and loss with friends, family, and occasional disappointment with his relationship with Jobell. This affected my understanding of the scenes in the book because I would not be able to tell the emotions being bestowed in the scene.
Foreshadowing plays a big role in the book because if you think about some of the hidden hints made by the author in every chapter, you can determine the next event in the next chapter. This helped my understanding of the book by allowing me to go back and understand why the author did some of the foreshadowing he did and how much of a hint he gave. Whenever I did not understand something in the book, I could always go back to the previous pages or chapter look at what the hint was given to foreshadow. Overall, the foreshadowing impacted my understanding of the book by giving me an extra detail to the current event and one previous before it.
I would recommend this book to anyone ages 12 and up. I believe this is a good age to read this book at because the language is easy enough for a sixth grader to comprehend and write about , but the story line and the plot involves sexual innuendos, scenes of very descriptive gore, and confusing ideas presented by the author. But this is a fantastic action and adventure book with surprising plot twists and action packed with suspense, as well and being extremely well written and fluent.
October 31, 2018
Politics seem to often rule the news these days. Sometimes it's just silly things like an irrelevant law about I.D. cards. That's why I love this book. It feels as though this truely could happen any day now, and over something like several deaths during a protest. Not to make innocent deaths sound inferior or anything, but they just lead to more death in this case, when they really didn't have to.
In the book, the president demands the identity of the soldiers that fired shots during the riots. He also claims that them, along with the governer of Idaho must be arrested. I find that this should not happen, as those soldiers were acting upon what they thought was right and what they were told. Now this is strictly my opinion, and many others probably think that they should be arrested, as they were responsible for lives of innocent citizens.
The story plops us down into the life of the soldier that shot the first shot, Private First Class Danny Wright. It gives a more humane taste to what many in the story refer to as monsters or animals. I really appreciated how the story gives solid arguments for and against the president. It helped me with an unbiased opinion.
Over all, loved the book and it really made me think. Would recommend to anyone looking for a good read!
In the book, the president demands the identity of the soldiers that fired shots during the riots. He also claims that them, along with the governer of Idaho must be arrested. I find that this should not happen, as those soldiers were acting upon what they thought was right and what they were told. Now this is strictly my opinion, and many others probably think that they should be arrested, as they were responsible for lives of innocent citizens.
The story plops us down into the life of the soldier that shot the first shot, Private First Class Danny Wright. It gives a more humane taste to what many in the story refer to as monsters or animals. I really appreciated how the story gives solid arguments for and against the president. It helped me with an unbiased opinion.
Over all, loved the book and it really made me think. Would recommend to anyone looking for a good read!
Read
February 28, 2020The main characters name is Daniel. Daniel was play football with his friends. Daniels mom gets panic attacks when her schedule is interrupted. Daniel has a cherry-red 1991 Chevy Blazer that he calls The Beast. One of Daniel's friends is adopted from Korea. Daniel dropped off his girlfriend at her house. Daniel works at Schmidt & Wright Auto. The radio was talking about the government and some surveillance cards. Daniel is with the National Guard. Daniel joined the National Guard at seventeen.
March 6, 2024
There were a few parts I didn't like, but I stayed for the plot and was NOT disappointed with that ending!
Imagine barely being a high school senior, and suddenly, one mistake you made starts to rip the nation apart.
The author did an excellent job of showing just how difficult it can be to divide right from wrong, the good guys and the bad guys, in a time of conflict. There never seems to be a right answer. Just do whatever you need to survive.
Imagine barely being a high school senior, and suddenly, one mistake you made starts to rip the nation apart.
The author did an excellent job of showing just how difficult it can be to divide right from wrong, the good guys and the bad guys, in a time of conflict. There never seems to be a right answer. Just do whatever you need to survive.
February 3, 2020
This was a great book! I’m not really in to war books but I loved this one. Contains a great mix of love, family, high school life, sports, and war. I highly recommend this book, it is my new favorite of all time.
February 25, 2020
I pledge alegience
To the Flag
Of the United States of America
And to the Republic
For which it stands
One nation, under God
With liberty and justice for all.
These words mean something to me. Something very important, because they say in no uncertain terms that The United States of America will never falter, never fail, and this book is awesome, and those ID cards (per mentioned in the book) are a true invasion of privacy. God bless America.
To the Flag
Of the United States of America
And to the Republic
For which it stands
One nation, under God
With liberty and justice for all.
These words mean something to me. Something very important, because they say in no uncertain terms that The United States of America will never falter, never fail, and this book is awesome, and those ID cards (per mentioned in the book) are a true invasion of privacy. God bless America.
March 26, 2017
I stayed up all night reading this book.
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