Review of A Bloody Book
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Sabahat Kamran
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Review of A Bloody Book
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]
A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen is written from the point of view of our main character Max. At thirteen years old Max has stopped caring about school and his life in general. Being raised by his abusive, drug-addicted and alcoholic parents, and having to look after his two-year-old sister leads Max to believe he doesn’t have the right kind of background to succeed in life. Because Max has stopped trying at school, he is put into a class he calls “Reading Hell” with other students in similar situations. After a new teacher is assigned to the class and forms a connection with them, the students begin to question their stance on giving up on their education and when it is they decided to give up in the first place.
This book is exceptionally well written. It jumps around from present-day to flashbacks and anecdotes fairly often, yet the flow is never disrupted. The writing truly does feel like it was written by a thirteen-year-old with its unrefined style and the thought process that only a child could have. Because of this, Max feels like a real person and your heart breaks for this young boy who was failed by everyone in so many ways.
My favourite aspect of this book is how it explores some uncomfortable truths about the world, especially about how the education system often fails the most vulnerable children. The current system only benefits the students who can score well on academic tests, and views these students as more valuable than those who don’t. Understandably, the students who don’t score well get frustrated with the system and lash out or give up on their education. As someone who did well in school, reading this from Max’s point of view gave me a better understanding of why some of my old classmates behaved the way they did.
I appreciate that this book didn’t just tell us the story of Max, but the other students in class and their situations were also explored. This book made you care for these children who were never given a real chance because of circumstances completely out of their control. For example, there is a character named Ricky who struggles with being able to spell and is humiliated by his third-grade teacher because of it. This traumatises Ricky and is a big reason why he gives up on school. Reading this section made my blood boil.
The only thing I disliked about this book was that it was too short and I didn’t want to leave these characters.
Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was exceptionally well edited and I can’t think of anything negative to say about it.
I would recommend this book to people aged 13 and older as it does contain violence, domestic violence and drug abuse. I would also recommend it to teachers to give them some insight into the lives of some of their students.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen is written from the point of view of our main character Max. At thirteen years old Max has stopped caring about school and his life in general. Being raised by his abusive, drug-addicted and alcoholic parents, and having to look after his two-year-old sister leads Max to believe he doesn’t have the right kind of background to succeed in life. Because Max has stopped trying at school, he is put into a class he calls “Reading Hell” with other students in similar situations. After a new teacher is assigned to the class and forms a connection with them, the students begin to question their stance on giving up on their education and when it is they decided to give up in the first place.
This book is exceptionally well written. It jumps around from present-day to flashbacks and anecdotes fairly often, yet the flow is never disrupted. The writing truly does feel like it was written by a thirteen-year-old with its unrefined style and the thought process that only a child could have. Because of this, Max feels like a real person and your heart breaks for this young boy who was failed by everyone in so many ways.
My favourite aspect of this book is how it explores some uncomfortable truths about the world, especially about how the education system often fails the most vulnerable children. The current system only benefits the students who can score well on academic tests, and views these students as more valuable than those who don’t. Understandably, the students who don’t score well get frustrated with the system and lash out or give up on their education. As someone who did well in school, reading this from Max’s point of view gave me a better understanding of why some of my old classmates behaved the way they did.
I appreciate that this book didn’t just tell us the story of Max, but the other students in class and their situations were also explored. This book made you care for these children who were never given a real chance because of circumstances completely out of their control. For example, there is a character named Ricky who struggles with being able to spell and is humiliated by his third-grade teacher because of it. This traumatises Ricky and is a big reason why he gives up on school. Reading this section made my blood boil.
The only thing I disliked about this book was that it was too short and I didn’t want to leave these characters.
Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It was exceptionally well edited and I can’t think of anything negative to say about it.
I would recommend this book to people aged 13 and older as it does contain violence, domestic violence and drug abuse. I would also recommend it to teachers to give them some insight into the lives of some of their students.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Bluewater Walkabout by Tina Dreffin
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PeterRabitt20
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At frist glance, I wasn't sure about this book. But now you gave some hope. Thanks for the review.
Latest Review: The Power Of Our Inner Gremlins by Suzanne Daplyn
