Review by Chikari -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen

[Chikari]

[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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I did not know what to expect out of A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen when I first picked it up. The synopsis seemed interesting, but only at a surface level. It ended up exceeding my expectations. This is a book about growing up in less than ideal circumstances and how that effects someone's life. It is also about what happens when an adult (in this case Mr. Foxx) tries to step in and help the kind of kids who need it most. Maxx is the main character of this story and the book is written from his point-of-view. This point-of-view gives the book a very personal touch. As a reader, I felt like Maxx was talking directly to me. This caused the events of the book to have a bigger impact on me as a reader.

Throughout the story, we learn about Maxx's life, as well as, his classmates. All of their living situations are tough and we learn the different coping mechanisms that they have developed over time to protect themselves. As a reader, this story made me think about how I would have handled any of these situations. It is an emotional read, but would be good for people who enjoy books that illicit introspection at all.

I enjoyed the pacing and syntax of the book the most. It isn't made to be perfect and we get to see how Maxx would have really written this story down. It creates an extremely authentic feeling that made me want to keep reading. There was not anything that really stood out as bad in this book. It was wonderfully edited and everything about it creates this sense of charm and intrigue. By the end of the first chapter, even, I was drawn in and truly cared about what path Maxx's life would take. That is my favorite thing a book can do; make the reader truly care about the characters.

While this book can be considered young adult fiction and a coming of age story, I would caution that there is a large amount of violence and unsavory language throughout the book. This might not be the best book for younger audiences. However, if you are the type who yearn to understand how others think and process events then this would be a great book for you! It gives insight into the lives of troubled youth that are much too often overlooked or written off in society. Chris Bowen clearly uses his experience in teaching to tell a very important story.

I would give this book a full 4 out of 4 stars because it hits all the right notes. As stated above, the pacing and syntax of the book played a big role in this rating. The quality of the story is also a driving force. There were small sections where the style of writing pulled me out of the story a bit, but I'd attribute that to my own suspension of disbelief. It just took my mind a bit to adjust to a story written from a kid's point of view. So often books are written in adult language and syntax even when children are talking. Chris Bowen does a wonderful job making the words Maxx writes come across as very genuine.

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A Bloody Book
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