Review by Marybthking -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
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Marybthking
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Review by Marybthking -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]
4 out of 4 stars
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“A Bloody Book” by Chris Bowen is a young adult, realistic fiction novel that tells the story of a teen, Maxx, and his struggles. In the foreword, the author throws you a few hints that prove valuable as you read this book. First of all, you are warned that this book will require patience, and it does. It also reminds you that your patience will be rewarded, and it is. This is a classic story of good and evil, of hope and redemption and the characters are as complex as you hope them to be. You are asked to “care for the characters” which indicates that that may be difficult but it really isn’t. The characters are endearing and you really root for them as the story develops.
Maxx is one of those kids that tends to fall through to cracks in our system, and the story is his. He brings you into his world and introduces you to the stark reality of his home life (and I’m being quite generous when I call it a home life), and the disturbing reality of what school means to a kid whose life is filled with abuse, neglect, drug and alcohol abuse, and a great deal of physical and emotional abuse. In a class the kids call “Reading Hell”, the students are asked to write about the moment they stopped giving crap. The assignment is designed to get the students in this remedial reading class to acknowledge that moment and own that it shaped their perspective and how they approach life. He never turned in the assignment. This story is told a few years later, when Maxx finally emails his teacher, Mr. Foxx, a 150 page manuscript outlining what led up to his “moment”. I will not spoil the ending, as the twist is spectacular and you won’t see it coming. But suffice it to say, he loses hope at a grotesquely young age and you won’t really blame him.
Maxx never really stood a chance, and the school system, though well-meaning, did him no favors. The best thing he can say about school is that it’s better than home. I know we like to think that the systems we have in place to protect children from abuse and neglect function well, but in reality they are only as good as the adults who inhabit their offices. If teachers, counselors, administrators and anyone else who may be in a position to work with kids turn a blind-eye to the physical and emotional bruises and scars then there is no system.
I’ll be honest. If the kids in eighth grade reading call their class “Reading Hell” I’m sure the teachers have an equally colorful name. These kids don’t make your life or job easy. They go out of their way to make it difficult and aren’t easy to like. Maxx certainly describes what a hard time teachers get, and why. The inmates of Reading Hell make a joke of everything: rules, assignments, basis respect. The conclusion is pretty obvious, right? They are just delinquents who enjoy razzing teachers and harassing their fellow students. Not really, and the truth is a heart-wrenching indictment of modern society. Enter Mr. Foxx, the new teacher in Reading Hell and he gets their attention right away. He isn’t a brand new teacher who for some reason the public school system thinks graduated school with the life-skills to handle a group of kids that no one has managed to help, or an elderly burnt out teacher. They are pretty sure he’s crazy, and they have grounds because your first impression as a reader is just that. In any case, you can’t question his results because they are actually speechless for the first time. And, most brilliant of all, he gets them to really think. No, you don’t get one of those Hollywood moments where the kids stand on their desks in reverence. Instead, you get a good dose of reality. Mr. Foxx is a jerk most of the time (at least according to Maxx) but he gives them the time, energy and patience they deserve and he’s probably the first teacher they’ve had that has given them that. So when he asks them to take a look at the moment they stopped caring and gave up on the system, it actually works. In Maxx’s case it took him some time to have the courage to face his story, but you are left with feeling like he was a force of good.
I gave this story 4 out of 4 stars. Yes, it required patience and in the beginning I wasn’t sure I would finish it but I’m very glad I did. The truth is, I read it start to finish in one sitting and I had tears rolling down my face for most of it. Maxx and his friends deserve your time and patience, and it’s completely worth it.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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“A Bloody Book” by Chris Bowen is a young adult, realistic fiction novel that tells the story of a teen, Maxx, and his struggles. In the foreword, the author throws you a few hints that prove valuable as you read this book. First of all, you are warned that this book will require patience, and it does. It also reminds you that your patience will be rewarded, and it is. This is a classic story of good and evil, of hope and redemption and the characters are as complex as you hope them to be. You are asked to “care for the characters” which indicates that that may be difficult but it really isn’t. The characters are endearing and you really root for them as the story develops.
Maxx is one of those kids that tends to fall through to cracks in our system, and the story is his. He brings you into his world and introduces you to the stark reality of his home life (and I’m being quite generous when I call it a home life), and the disturbing reality of what school means to a kid whose life is filled with abuse, neglect, drug and alcohol abuse, and a great deal of physical and emotional abuse. In a class the kids call “Reading Hell”, the students are asked to write about the moment they stopped giving crap. The assignment is designed to get the students in this remedial reading class to acknowledge that moment and own that it shaped their perspective and how they approach life. He never turned in the assignment. This story is told a few years later, when Maxx finally emails his teacher, Mr. Foxx, a 150 page manuscript outlining what led up to his “moment”. I will not spoil the ending, as the twist is spectacular and you won’t see it coming. But suffice it to say, he loses hope at a grotesquely young age and you won’t really blame him.
Maxx never really stood a chance, and the school system, though well-meaning, did him no favors. The best thing he can say about school is that it’s better than home. I know we like to think that the systems we have in place to protect children from abuse and neglect function well, but in reality they are only as good as the adults who inhabit their offices. If teachers, counselors, administrators and anyone else who may be in a position to work with kids turn a blind-eye to the physical and emotional bruises and scars then there is no system.
I’ll be honest. If the kids in eighth grade reading call their class “Reading Hell” I’m sure the teachers have an equally colorful name. These kids don’t make your life or job easy. They go out of their way to make it difficult and aren’t easy to like. Maxx certainly describes what a hard time teachers get, and why. The inmates of Reading Hell make a joke of everything: rules, assignments, basis respect. The conclusion is pretty obvious, right? They are just delinquents who enjoy razzing teachers and harassing their fellow students. Not really, and the truth is a heart-wrenching indictment of modern society. Enter Mr. Foxx, the new teacher in Reading Hell and he gets their attention right away. He isn’t a brand new teacher who for some reason the public school system thinks graduated school with the life-skills to handle a group of kids that no one has managed to help, or an elderly burnt out teacher. They are pretty sure he’s crazy, and they have grounds because your first impression as a reader is just that. In any case, you can’t question his results because they are actually speechless for the first time. And, most brilliant of all, he gets them to really think. No, you don’t get one of those Hollywood moments where the kids stand on their desks in reverence. Instead, you get a good dose of reality. Mr. Foxx is a jerk most of the time (at least according to Maxx) but he gives them the time, energy and patience they deserve and he’s probably the first teacher they’ve had that has given them that. So when he asks them to take a look at the moment they stopped caring and gave up on the system, it actually works. In Maxx’s case it took him some time to have the courage to face his story, but you are left with feeling like he was a force of good.
I gave this story 4 out of 4 stars. Yes, it required patience and in the beginning I wasn’t sure I would finish it but I’m very glad I did. The truth is, I read it start to finish in one sitting and I had tears rolling down my face for most of it. Maxx and his friends deserve your time and patience, and it’s completely worth it.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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