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gilroy0's review against another edition
4.0
Flawed but effective
Stories of broken America abound but this one stands out. The world building is not entirely successful and the history a bit, well, facile. But the characters are exceptionally well drawn, especially the protagonist. The human cost of war is rendered with brutal clarity.
All of this is undermined, however, by a bizarre blindspots. Despite being set in a resurgent South and despite having a main character who is the child of a Latino man and a Blacj woman, virtually no attention is given to the complicated and raw history that that involves. That oversight fatally sabotages any verisimilitude and continually forced me out of the story.
Stories of broken America abound but this one stands out. The world building is not entirely successful and the history a bit, well, facile. But the characters are exceptionally well drawn, especially the protagonist. The human cost of war is rendered with brutal clarity.
All of this is undermined, however, by a bizarre blindspots. Despite being set in a resurgent South and despite having a main character who is the child of a Latino man and a Blacj woman, virtually no attention is given to the complicated and raw history that that involves. That oversight fatally sabotages any verisimilitude and continually forced me out of the story.
eyebrightt's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
i really liked parts one and two - i blasted through them super quickly - but part three fell flat for me. part four was better, but benjamin just doesn't get enough development for me to feel much invested in him as a character.
el akkad also fumbles gender and sexuality in this pretty hard. sarat in parts two and three is described in a pretty lascivious tone of voice, which becomes really disconcerting when you consider how old she is in these sections. that shower scene is a remarkably good lesson on how to be as weird as possible about your 12 y/o protagonist being naked. it's harder to get absorbed in a story like this when your author is noticeably weak at writing teenage girls.
there were some other strange worldbuilding choices as well, to add to this. the usamerican south seems to have achieved postracial harmony by the 2070s, given that nobody gives sarat any grief for being either biracial or visibly black; they take more issue with her height and "masculine"/androgynous build, the latter of which wouldn't be unexpected for a young girl pre-puberty. but i digress. sarat's family being catholic is somehow the most controversial thing about them to the other southerners. for some reason.
el akkad also fumbles gender and sexuality in this pretty hard. sarat in parts two and three is described in a pretty lascivious tone of voice, which becomes really disconcerting when you consider how old she is in these sections. that shower scene is a remarkably good lesson on how to be as weird as possible about your 12 y/o protagonist being naked. it's harder to get absorbed in a story like this when your author is noticeably weak at writing teenage girls.
there were some other strange worldbuilding choices as well, to add to this. the usamerican south seems to have achieved postracial harmony by the 2070s, given that nobody gives sarat any grief for being either biracial or visibly black; they take more issue with her height and "masculine"/androgynous build, the latter of which wouldn't be unexpected for a young girl pre-puberty. but i digress. sarat's family being catholic is somehow the most controversial thing about them to the other southerners. for some reason.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
The decline of America divided into factions fighting against one another. It's happened once before, centuries ago, and the realities and aftermath of a second civil war in America is depicted within the haunting pages of Omar El Akkad's American War.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
The Second American Civil War is a decades long fight between the northerners and southerners, displacing many families into various camps. Following the war through the experiences of Sarat Chestnut, starting when she's six years old into her thirties, when the war is finally reaching its end, the brutal realities of a country fighting itself come to light. As Sarat's family slowly loses members, first her father, then her mother, her twin sister, and finally her brother, Sarat's reasons to fight in the war shift until she's offered an opportunity to change everything, once and for all.
Set in a near-future where part of the East Coast has been consumed by a rising sea level and fighting and mistrust runs rampant through the people of America, the reality presented in these pages was eerily plausible in light of America's history and its current political climate/position in the world. Sarat is a strong and well-developed character, who serves the role of central figure well as her nephew recalls her story after discovering the diaries she left for him. The narrative of this future America is well thought out with a developed world to call upon, but there were portions of the story that moved slowly where attention could wane; however, the novel provokes further thought and introspection, with a power to stick with you long after you finish reading its pages.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
The Second American Civil War is a decades long fight between the northerners and southerners, displacing many families into various camps. Following the war through the experiences of Sarat Chestnut, starting when she's six years old into her thirties, when the war is finally reaching its end, the brutal realities of a country fighting itself come to light. As Sarat's family slowly loses members, first her father, then her mother, her twin sister, and finally her brother, Sarat's reasons to fight in the war shift until she's offered an opportunity to change everything, once and for all.
Set in a near-future where part of the East Coast has been consumed by a rising sea level and fighting and mistrust runs rampant through the people of America, the reality presented in these pages was eerily plausible in light of America's history and its current political climate/position in the world. Sarat is a strong and well-developed character, who serves the role of central figure well as her nephew recalls her story after discovering the diaries she left for him. The narrative of this future America is well thought out with a developed world to call upon, but there were portions of the story that moved slowly where attention could wane; however, the novel provokes further thought and introspection, with a power to stick with you long after you finish reading its pages.
kessler21's review against another edition
2.0
An interesting, horrific tale of America after another Civil War. Mexico has annexed the southwest, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi have seceded, and South Carolina is quarantined due to biological warfare.
While most of the individual story was quite compelling, the motivations and cause of the civil war seem absurd and too simplistic. The issue is gasoline. It's not nuanced or the last straw, or even about economics. The United States bans anything gas powered, and the south secedes.
Then the ending. The whole story leads up to a big, heaping, pile of nothing. Like something is trying to be said but really missing its mark.
I did love a quote in the book. Someone dealing with a horrible past is told, "I don't have to live with what happened to you. I have to live with you are now." It made me think hard about how we can feel sorry and love someone who have had horrific things happen to them, but still set boundaries and not allow destructive behavior.
While most of the individual story was quite compelling, the motivations and cause of the civil war seem absurd and too simplistic. The issue is gasoline. It's not nuanced or the last straw, or even about economics. The United States bans anything gas powered, and the south secedes.
Then the ending. The whole story leads up to a big, heaping, pile of nothing. Like something is trying to be said but really missing its mark.
I did love a quote in the book. Someone dealing with a horrible past is told, "I don't have to live with what happened to you. I have to live with you are now." It made me think hard about how we can feel sorry and love someone who have had horrific things happen to them, but still set boundaries and not allow destructive behavior.
arifairy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mauraneandbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Je ne sais pas vraiment à quoi je m'attendais mais je suis quand même déçue. J'ai mis énormément de temps pour finir ce livre pourtant pas très long, il m'a même enclenché une mini panne de lecture. C'est sûrement du au fait que le début est assez flou, on nous donne énormément d'informations et j'étais clairement perdue. C'est peut être le défaut principal du livre, l'auteur a voulu traiter trop de choses et n'a pas pu les développer. C'est dommage puisque certaines idées étaient très bonnes, comme les réflexions sur le réchauffement climatique et ce que cela pourrait entraîner dans les prochaines décennies.
Autres défauts, les personnages ? Je ne me suis attachée à presque aucun, sauf la famille formée par Karina, Simon et Benjamin. Sarat est assez insupportable et je n'ai pas ressenti beaucoup de compassion pour elle, sauf lors des passages à Sugarloaf. J'en avais clairement rien à faire de ce qui pouvait leur arriver.
C'est donc un premier roman pour moi raté que je déconseille.
Autres défauts, les personnages ? Je ne me suis attachée à presque aucun, sauf la famille formée par Karina, Simon et Benjamin. Sarat est assez insupportable et je n'ai pas ressenti beaucoup de compassion pour elle, sauf lors des passages à Sugarloaf. J'en avais clairement rien à faire de ce qui pouvait leur arriver.
C'est donc un premier roman pour moi raté que je déconseille.
jrbott03's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
matt_headland's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
katiescho741's review against another edition
5.0
American War felt like an alternate history novel, except it's set in an imagined future. It seems to come under the topics of dystopia and science fiction but it's also something else entirely....it's a very modern novel about war on a grand scale. It's politically charged, with a theme of global warming, but it never feels like a lecture.
The big story is that America is at war with itself for the second time; the Northern states have a ban on petrol and fossil fuels, while the South wants to cling onto the old ways and keep their muscle cars. The little story is about the Chestnut family, centring on the youngest daughter Sarat. We are taken through Sarat's life and the timeline of events that lead up to the end of the war and the start of a plague. Sarat starts the book as a curious young girl living with her family in a shipping container in Louisiana and we watch her grow as a child of war and we know that what she becomes is inevitable.
American War flips everything on it's head and places the horrors of the wars in the Middle East in our time into the powerful and wealthy domain of North America instead. Families trying to live their lives are dragged into the fighting because it's happening in their backyards. Or they're sent to refugee camps until something better comes along. Suspects are sent to Detainment facilities where they are tortured and broken. Drones fly around attempting to target rebel fighters but they seem to hit civilians more often than not. It's eerie and terrifying because it feels so familiar.
The big story is that America is at war with itself for the second time; the Northern states have a ban on petrol and fossil fuels, while the South wants to cling onto the old ways and keep their muscle cars. The little story is about the Chestnut family, centring on the youngest daughter Sarat. We are taken through Sarat's life and the timeline of events that lead up to the end of the war and the start of a plague. Sarat starts the book as a curious young girl living with her family in a shipping container in Louisiana and we watch her grow as a child of war and we know that what she becomes is inevitable.
American War flips everything on it's head and places the horrors of the wars in the Middle East in our time into the powerful and wealthy domain of North America instead. Families trying to live their lives are dragged into the fighting because it's happening in their backyards. Or they're sent to refugee camps until something better comes along. Suspects are sent to Detainment facilities where they are tortured and broken. Drones fly around attempting to target rebel fighters but they seem to hit civilians more often than not. It's eerie and terrifying because it feels so familiar.
tlamsy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5