Review by Graciegirl23 -- A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen

[Graciegirl23]

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

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Let me start by saying, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Chris Bowen tells a story of Maxx, a young thirteen-year-old boy who has had every disadvantage going for him. His teachers have all but given up on him. He father is dead, and his mother has run out on him and his sister. The book is told from Maxx’s point of view. We first meet Maxx in his “Reading Hell” class. We learn about his upbringing and why he is in this particular class.

I think what I liked so much about this book, is that Chris Bowen really makes you think. It makes you think how the system is in a lot of ways broken. Maxx is lumped into this class with other kids who have had the same disadvantages as he did, and then were sort of forgotten about. This in turn makes these children no longer care about reading and school. They think if no one cares about them and how they are doing in school, why should they.

Then we are introduced to Mr. Foxx. He is the new teacher for the “Reading Hell” class. Mr. Foxx makes the kids think and realize that there was a time that they cared about reading and learning. So, what stopped it. For every one of those kids there was a moment where they decided to not care anymore. For each kid it’s different. He makes them see that they need reading and math to survive past high school. His methods are not typical for a teacher, but in this instance, I think it works. He gives the gives a reality check of where their lives are headed if they continue on the way they are.

As we get more into the book, we focus on Maxx in particular. We learn that his father is an addict and abusive and that Maxx is the one who primarily takes care of his two-year-old sister, Rosie. We learned what happened that shaped Maxx into the teenager that didn’t care about anything or anyone. The kid who fought because that was the only way to push down the hurt and the pain.

This book was extremely well written. We see the world through Maxx’s eyes and I think that just makes the book that much more powerful. I loved this book. I was engaged in in from the first sentence and am so glad I read it. The twists at the end I was not expecting and it gives another layer to this extraordinary book. Very rarely do I read a book, and am still thinking about it days later. This is one of those books. I rate this a 4 out of 4 stars. I will be on the lookout for anything else Chris Bowen writes because he has an exceptional way of storytelling.

******
A Bloody Book
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

Like Graciegirl23's review? Post a comment saying so!