"We as a people deserve whatever government we are willing to tolerate."
- James DeVita
Oh my goodness. This book was so good. It started at a slower pace and then snowballed until I found myself no longer able to set it down. "The Silenced" is the story of Marena, a teenage girl who lives in a fictional United States which is under the thumb of a tyrannical regime called "Zero Tolerance." The book is in a large part based on Sophie Scholl, a young woman who printed and distributed anti-Nazi propaganda in the early to mid 40's.
This book has the flavor of a young adult "Fahrenheit 451," though from the point of view of the revolutionary. As this is a young adult book, the theme largely centers around the philosophies that lead to apathy, victimization, and the illusion of powerlessness. If this book were written for adults it it would have been far darker, and far more brutal. Still, it is easy to see how this story or something like it can be the result of apathetic citizens.
I don't want to give too much of the plot away. The book was interesting, and fairly easy to read, though sometimes the choppy style of very short sentences got on my nerves. The twists of the plot were fairly predictable, but I felt very much for the heroine and her brave desire to risk all for what she believed was right. I think this book is great for young people by way of encouragement to exercise their minds and their voices, and for anyone else who might need a reminder that word are never just words.
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"If this book were written for adults it it would have been far darker, and far more brutal."
ReplyDeleteAnd that's why I like that it's YA. I don't like the amount of graphic brutality that so often shows up in adult books.
I haven't begun this one yet, because I want to read it closer to our club, but I'm glad you say it's good. That makes me even more anxious to read.
I would have waited, but . . . I couldn't. I wanted that YA now!
ReplyDeleteI can't read this book right now. I think I feel the same way about it as you felt about Cry the Beloved Country. It's just too overwhelming. With the constant stress of kids home 24/7, the tension is just too much. I made it through 3 chapters before putting it down. It's so well written that the tension is there on the first page! I'll have to revisit this in the future when I'm not so stressed and can handle it.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that! This book certainly isn't calming, I recommend it once you're more in the mood.
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