Review by lexiesloan90 -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
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lexiesloan90
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- Latest Review: A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
Review by lexiesloan90 -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]
A Bloody Book published in late 2016 by Chris Bowen is the story of a thirteen-year-old boy who has truly lived a rough childhood. He has experienced and done things that most people couldn’t imagine doing or simply even living through. He’s given up on most things in life, including school. He doesn’t have much of a family left, his dad died and his mother ran out on him and his sister. He has essentially “stopped giving a crap.” He is placed in a class called “Reading Hell” which could only be described as a remedial class with other kids who don't care anymore. They are assigned a new teacher, Mr. Foxx, who gives them an assignment to write a paper about the moment when they stopped caring. Of course, being a student who doesn’t care, Maxx never turns in the paper. However he is still given an A for the paper. Years later he is telling his story and A Bloody Book is meant to be the paper that Maxx never turned in.
In my opinion the book started a little slow for my liking. The first half of the book was a lot of background knowledge to read through and a lot of information about teachers, classes, and other children at school. The second half focused more on Maxx’s life when he was younger and more about his family. He tells the stories of how his father died and how he had to step up to care for his younger sister. He tells about when they were assigned the new and a little unconventional new teacher, Mr. Foxx, who makes them see each other in completely different views. This was a book I found myself constantly thinking about when I would stop reading it. It seemed to be one of those books that you have to finish just to know how it ends even if you feel that you’re uninterested in it.
The whole book is told in Maxx’s point of view which I feel adds a layer of depth to the story. It’s told almost conversationally, as if Maxx is telling the story directly to you. The book is a very simple and interesting read because of this conversational story type. Throughout the book you take various trips to the past with him with flashbacks to the major events in his life that have led him to all of his choices. Which leads you to piecing the story together along the way.
I feel as though this story should be read by teachers, students, social workers, parents, etc. Specifically anyone who works or even spends time with children. This book opens eyes to so many things that are overlooked by people who are obligated to report. Things like abuse, neglect, drugs, domestic violence, alcoholism and so much more. Things people want to turn their heads to and sweep under the rugs. However, I would not recommend this book to someone who is squeamish or looking for a light read. This book is very heavy and could be overwhelming for some. I also wouldn’t recommend to children under 15 due to references to violence and drugs.
With all this in mind I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Despite the slow beginning it seemed to pick up nicely and it all came together in the middle. It’s got elements of humor, suspense, as well as a little thriller. The only fault I truly noticed was the editing, I found more than a few errors while reading. However, those errors were easily overlooked by the overall quality and story of the book. I would highly recommend this book.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A Bloody Book published in late 2016 by Chris Bowen is the story of a thirteen-year-old boy who has truly lived a rough childhood. He has experienced and done things that most people couldn’t imagine doing or simply even living through. He’s given up on most things in life, including school. He doesn’t have much of a family left, his dad died and his mother ran out on him and his sister. He has essentially “stopped giving a crap.” He is placed in a class called “Reading Hell” which could only be described as a remedial class with other kids who don't care anymore. They are assigned a new teacher, Mr. Foxx, who gives them an assignment to write a paper about the moment when they stopped caring. Of course, being a student who doesn’t care, Maxx never turns in the paper. However he is still given an A for the paper. Years later he is telling his story and A Bloody Book is meant to be the paper that Maxx never turned in.
In my opinion the book started a little slow for my liking. The first half of the book was a lot of background knowledge to read through and a lot of information about teachers, classes, and other children at school. The second half focused more on Maxx’s life when he was younger and more about his family. He tells the stories of how his father died and how he had to step up to care for his younger sister. He tells about when they were assigned the new and a little unconventional new teacher, Mr. Foxx, who makes them see each other in completely different views. This was a book I found myself constantly thinking about when I would stop reading it. It seemed to be one of those books that you have to finish just to know how it ends even if you feel that you’re uninterested in it.
The whole book is told in Maxx’s point of view which I feel adds a layer of depth to the story. It’s told almost conversationally, as if Maxx is telling the story directly to you. The book is a very simple and interesting read because of this conversational story type. Throughout the book you take various trips to the past with him with flashbacks to the major events in his life that have led him to all of his choices. Which leads you to piecing the story together along the way.
I feel as though this story should be read by teachers, students, social workers, parents, etc. Specifically anyone who works or even spends time with children. This book opens eyes to so many things that are overlooked by people who are obligated to report. Things like abuse, neglect, drugs, domestic violence, alcoholism and so much more. Things people want to turn their heads to and sweep under the rugs. However, I would not recommend this book to someone who is squeamish or looking for a light read. This book is very heavy and could be overwhelming for some. I also wouldn’t recommend to children under 15 due to references to violence and drugs.
With all this in mind I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Despite the slow beginning it seemed to pick up nicely and it all came together in the middle. It’s got elements of humor, suspense, as well as a little thriller. The only fault I truly noticed was the editing, I found more than a few errors while reading. However, those errors were easily overlooked by the overall quality and story of the book. I would highly recommend this book.
******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
