The Pox Party: Taken from Accounts by his [Octavius Nothing’s] Own Hand and Other Sundry Sources by M.T. Anderson
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on Mar.02, 2008, under Adult Read, Grief, Historical Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Printz Award, Sam's Reviews, Teen Top 10, War
Who would like this book? Teens and adults interested in the events leading up to and during the Revolutionary War, especially as it relates to slavery in the North. Readers need to be prepared for writing that is in the tradition of eighteenth century, educated writing and a disturbing experiment that takes the “Age of Reason” to extremes. If you want a challenging, worthwhile book, this is it!
Why? The Pox Party is Volume 1 in the series The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation. (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves comes out on October 14, 2008.) The book is an ambitious undertaking. Most of it is narrated by Octavian Nothing, a young African American slave who does not realize that he is a slave at the beginning of the book. He narrates his story in the elegant, arch style of the eighteenth century because he is being educated by the philosopher/scientists at the The Novanglian College of Lucidity in Boston. The nature of his education slowly unfolds, and it is deeply disturbing, as are the events that overtake Octavian when the finances of the College dissolve and the Revolutionary War overtakes the nation. During times when Octavian is silenced by duress, the story is told through letters, newspaper clippings, and scientific papers. The extent of M.T. Anderson’s research and his mastery of style and mood are noteworthy. It also deals with significant ideas – slavery, human rights, war, racism. It’s not surprising that this book has won a number of prestigious awards.
The deatils: 351 p. 2006
