Review by vannza -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
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Review by vannza -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
Growing up, Maxx had to learn how to be self-reliant to take care of his little sister, Rosie, and himself. His childhood was full of disadvantages. Poverty, scraping by, an abusive home, and uncertainty was all he knew. Staying together and taking care of his sister, Rosie, take priority for him and he slacks in school. Due to his failing grades and lack of discipline for his education, he is put into a class for disadvantaged students which he calls Reading Hell. In eighth grade, Reading Hell class gets a new teacher whose name is Mr. Foxx. Mr. Foxx has an untraditional way of teaching his class that borders madness and genius. Mr. Foxx gives the assignment to dig deep within and write about what happened to lead them to stop caring about life. Years later, A Bloody Book is Maxx’s answer.
Chris Bowen masterfully wrote in a way where it does feel like A Bloody Book is coming from a child's perspective. He was able to show the negative and positive impact adults can have on children. No matter the upbringing or lack thereof, an adult who is genuine, patient, empathetic, and honest, can make a world of difference. For example, in Maxx's case, he never forgot the school assignment that Mr. Foxx gave to him in eighth grade.
There are a lot of sentences that seem abrupt and incomplete that were a bit distracting at times. However, it is a consistent style of writing throughout the book that works in its favor. I am not sure if this was a conscientious decision by the author to write this way but I think it goes along with the book. It gives the feeling that Maxx is bleeding and spilling out all his anger, hopelessness, and guilt in a messy way. Due to the fact that Maxx was not a strong student and did not push himself to do well in class, the choppiness and flow of the sentences help reflect that.
I rate A Bloody Book 4 out of 4 stars. Chris Bowen was able to write in a way where it was easy to get immersed in Maxx’s life. The mantra, in the beginning, is so true and I did just what it said. It goes: Start for the story. Care for the characters. Stay for the twist.
There is mild swearing throughout the book. This book also covers subjects like domestic abuse, neglect, poverty, and death. If a reader is triggered by any of these topics then I would not recommend reading this book. However, for the most part, I think this is a suitable book for its target demographic of young adult readers.
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A Bloody Book
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