Review by jennstclr -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
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jennstclr
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Review by jennstclr -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]
A Bloody Book is written by Chris Bowen, a very successful high school teacher from California. Bowen, alike many educators, has obviously seen his fair share of student hardships as he beautifully portrays through the narrator and main character of the book, Maxx. The narrator Maxx tells of his and his classmates struggles during his schooling years due to outside sources such as domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, and family hardships. Beginning with his elementary school education, Maxx details the excitement of learning, only for his education experience to quickly turn for the worse as he progresses into middle school.
Upon entering middle school, Maxx is placed in a remedial reading class that he refers to as “Reading Hell” with Mr. Foxx. Maxx and his classmates refer to themselves as the “stupid class”, bragging about their failing grades and laughing at their school struggles. Through “Reading Hell” you begin to get a better understanding of why Maxx and his classmates have gotten to the point of not caring about their education and simply have become uninterested. Reading through Maxx’s schooling troubles pulls you in and creates a book that you will not want to put down.
As an educator, I found myself connecting with the struggles not only Maxx and his peers faced but also the struggles of the teachers mentioned in the novel. Often times as an educator it is easy to figure out from day one who the uninterested students in your class are, the hardest task is figuring out a way to motivate them. Through this novel I felt Maxx struggle with finding his motivation and inspiration to make something of his schooling career. This struggle is what really propelled the book into a page turner for me as I found myself hoping for Maxx’s success.
Even with a fictional character and story line this novel leaves a deep impression on the reader. I myself as an educator would whole-heartedly recommend this novel to other teachers as it offers in a glimpse as to what students may face at home. A reason as to why they may act the way the act within the walls of a classroom. I also would recommend this novel to teen, young adult and especially parent readers as this could help them to be more compassionate towards their peers either in a school or work situation. This book is very telling of the phrase “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Many times in life you may not know why people act in certain ways and this certainly rings through in Chris Bowen’s novel.
Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. A Bloody Book will draw you into a heartfelt tale of a young man’s journey through school and ultimately life. Chris Bowen creatively depicts a tale of struggle and heartache through the main character Maxx. Again, I highly recommend this book to other educators, parents, and young adults. There is a true sense of human compassion portrayed through Bowen’s novel that everyone could appreciate.
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A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A Bloody Book is written by Chris Bowen, a very successful high school teacher from California. Bowen, alike many educators, has obviously seen his fair share of student hardships as he beautifully portrays through the narrator and main character of the book, Maxx. The narrator Maxx tells of his and his classmates struggles during his schooling years due to outside sources such as domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, and family hardships. Beginning with his elementary school education, Maxx details the excitement of learning, only for his education experience to quickly turn for the worse as he progresses into middle school.
Upon entering middle school, Maxx is placed in a remedial reading class that he refers to as “Reading Hell” with Mr. Foxx. Maxx and his classmates refer to themselves as the “stupid class”, bragging about their failing grades and laughing at their school struggles. Through “Reading Hell” you begin to get a better understanding of why Maxx and his classmates have gotten to the point of not caring about their education and simply have become uninterested. Reading through Maxx’s schooling troubles pulls you in and creates a book that you will not want to put down.
As an educator, I found myself connecting with the struggles not only Maxx and his peers faced but also the struggles of the teachers mentioned in the novel. Often times as an educator it is easy to figure out from day one who the uninterested students in your class are, the hardest task is figuring out a way to motivate them. Through this novel I felt Maxx struggle with finding his motivation and inspiration to make something of his schooling career. This struggle is what really propelled the book into a page turner for me as I found myself hoping for Maxx’s success.
Even with a fictional character and story line this novel leaves a deep impression on the reader. I myself as an educator would whole-heartedly recommend this novel to other teachers as it offers in a glimpse as to what students may face at home. A reason as to why they may act the way the act within the walls of a classroom. I also would recommend this novel to teen, young adult and especially parent readers as this could help them to be more compassionate towards their peers either in a school or work situation. This book is very telling of the phrase “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Many times in life you may not know why people act in certain ways and this certainly rings through in Chris Bowen’s novel.
Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. A Bloody Book will draw you into a heartfelt tale of a young man’s journey through school and ultimately life. Chris Bowen creatively depicts a tale of struggle and heartache through the main character Maxx. Again, I highly recommend this book to other educators, parents, and young adults. There is a true sense of human compassion portrayed through Bowen’s novel that everyone could appreciate.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Stranded In The Wild by Gary Rodriguez
