stacey_thebookdragon's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
heathersbike's review
5.0
Wow. This is by far the best book I've read this year. A little pat at the end, but still amazing.
chrstnareads's review
3.0
I really liked the main character in this book. Jessup is a teen who is starting to gain awareness of the world around him and beginning to form opinions of his own that are diametrically opposed to (what he thinks are) his family's and (what are very much) his church's — which he's stopped going to, thank you very much. You see, the church, run by his step uncle, is The Blessed Church of the White America. It's about the conflict of loving your family while also hating the things they seem to stand for and believe in. It's about Jessup's desire to completely distance himself from everyone, but still being compelled by the love he has for his sweet younger sister, his mother who has worked tirelessly to raise him well, his stepfather who has been the only father he's ever known, who taught him to work hard at school, to live up to his potential, the man who would put himself before everything to save his family. It's about the struggle of reconciling this family full of love with this community of hate.
That's not to say Jessup is a saint. He messes up BIG TIME. And I was kind of annoyed that you don't really find out much about the outcome of that until the epilogue. The book was more about the fracture. Which was great. But I felt there was SO much in the epilogue that was dealt with very quickly and felt a little glossed over. Which was... almost a little anti-climactic? I don't know.
I thought the tension was built really well otherwise, though. I thought the Big Scene that IS the climax of the book was really well done. The comedown is what felt like could have used a little more... oomph. The characters were really well developed though, especially Jessup and his stepfather David John. I thought their relationship was really interesting and very realistic. Jessup's internal monologue fighting himself about his stepdad (never dad; he's not his dad, okay?!) was really well done. The relationship dynamics were really well done. Jessup is very much a teenage boy.
I think I'd give this a 3.5/5. It was a difficult read, but I liked it.
That's not to say Jessup is a saint. He messes up BIG TIME. And I was kind of annoyed that you don't really find out much about the outcome of that until the epilogue. The book was more about the fracture. Which was great. But I felt there was SO much in the epilogue that was dealt with very quickly and felt a little glossed over. Which was... almost a little anti-climactic? I don't know.
I thought the tension was built really well otherwise, though. I thought the Big Scene that IS the climax of the book was really well done. The comedown is what felt like could have used a little more... oomph. The characters were really well developed though, especially Jessup and his stepfather David John. I thought their relationship was really interesting and very realistic. Jessup's internal monologue fighting himself about his stepdad (never dad; he's not his dad, okay?!) was really well done. The relationship dynamics were really well done. Jessup is very much a teenage boy.
I think I'd give this a 3.5/5. It was a difficult read, but I liked it.
jarichan's review against another edition
2.0
Es ist kein einfaches Thema, das Alexi Zentner in seinem Buch aufgreift. Vielleicht ist es genau deshalb wichtig, dass man darüber spricht.
Leider aber konnte mich die Ausführung des Autoren nicht überzeugen. Das beginnt schon mit der Sprache. Die findet man eher in einem Jugendbuch, obwohl ich auch dort schon bessere Sprachhandhabung gefunden habe.
Die Schilderungen sind mir persönlich, bezogen auf das schwerwiegende Thema Rassismus und Gleichberechtigung, einfach zu simpel. Zwar gibt es ein paar gute Szenen, aber man hätte aus der ganzen Idee so viel mehr machen können. Eine richtige Diskussion lostreten. Aber so verpufft das Ganze irgendwie im Nirgendwo.
Es ist einfach, die Welt in Schwarz-Weiss zu betrachten. Dieses Buch widmet sich den Grautönen. Jessup löste in mir oft tiefes Mitgefühl aus, da er sich wirklich Mühe gibt und wirklich nichts dafür kann, in welche Familie er hineingeboren wurde. Dennoch störte es mich sehr, dass er sich nicht tiefer mit dem Unfall auseinandersetzt. Auch hier wieder: man hätte so viel mehr daraus machen können. Die Ansätze sind da, werden aber nicht bedient.
Es ist schade um das Buch und die Idee - von beidem hätte ich mehr erwartet.
Hinweis: Ich kritisiere tatsächlich bloss die Ausführung, nicht das Thema oder den Inhalt.
Leider aber konnte mich die Ausführung des Autoren nicht überzeugen. Das beginnt schon mit der Sprache. Die findet man eher in einem Jugendbuch, obwohl ich auch dort schon bessere Sprachhandhabung gefunden habe.
Die Schilderungen sind mir persönlich, bezogen auf das schwerwiegende Thema Rassismus und Gleichberechtigung, einfach zu simpel. Zwar gibt es ein paar gute Szenen, aber man hätte aus der ganzen Idee so viel mehr machen können. Eine richtige Diskussion lostreten. Aber so verpufft das Ganze irgendwie im Nirgendwo.
Es ist einfach, die Welt in Schwarz-Weiss zu betrachten. Dieses Buch widmet sich den Grautönen. Jessup löste in mir oft tiefes Mitgefühl aus, da er sich wirklich Mühe gibt und wirklich nichts dafür kann, in welche Familie er hineingeboren wurde. Dennoch störte es mich sehr, dass er sich nicht tiefer mit dem Unfall auseinandersetzt. Auch hier wieder: man hätte so viel mehr daraus machen können. Die Ansätze sind da, werden aber nicht bedient.
Es ist schade um das Buch und die Idee - von beidem hätte ich mehr erwartet.
Hinweis: Ich kritisiere tatsächlich bloss die Ausführung, nicht das Thema oder den Inhalt.
findyourgoldenhour's review
4.0
3.5 complicated stars. Any book about race in America is going to be complicated, right? I appreciated that this wasn’t a white savior/white-people-have-good-intentions-when-it-comes-to-race kind of book. I had some issues with it, especially the ending, but overall I think the author walked a tightrope here pretty well. And having lived in Ithaca, I loved that the novel was set there, in all its harsh realities.
leigh_reidelberger's review
4.0
Solid 4 stars
Copperhead wasn't really on my radar until my co-workers started talking about it.
I really really like this book. It's a strange read though- in the way that Rage (by Richard Bachmann) is a strange read. Both stories make you see what is normally perceived as evil and nefarious with more humanity and ethos.
Many things Jessup's people said about white pride and their racist remarks were, unfortunately, a little too familiar to me. A few of my own family members have shared some of the same sentiments, though not to the extremist nature of Jessup's family and church.
Regarding that type of person, what also struck me is how after stripping away the insanity of white power and such bizarre hate,there is a good person underneath it all. Those family members of mine that have similar views are good people, just ignorant. Or maybe that's the exception we make for the people we love, like Jessup and David John.
I'm also a huge fan of how Zentner writes- it flows in a way that almost feels real time, the thoughts quick and clipped, but relatable when your mind is running in so many different directions. In many ways, his writing is artful.
Copperhead wasn't really on my radar until my co-workers started talking about it.
I really really like this book. It's a strange read though- in the way that Rage (by Richard Bachmann) is a strange read. Both stories make you see what is normally perceived as evil and nefarious with more humanity and ethos.
Many things Jessup's people said about white pride and their racist remarks were, unfortunately, a little too familiar to me. A few of my own family members have shared some of the same sentiments, though not to the extremist nature of Jessup's family and church.
Regarding that type of person, what also struck me is how after stripping away the insanity of white power and such bizarre hate,there is a good person underneath it all. Those family members of mine that have similar views are good people, just ignorant. Or maybe that's the exception we make for the people we love, like Jessup and David John.
I'm also a huge fan of how Zentner writes- it flows in a way that almost feels real time, the thoughts quick and clipped, but relatable when your mind is running in so many different directions. In many ways, his writing is artful.
wildblackberrydays's review
5.0
This is an incredible book about racism in America from the perspective of a 17 year old white teenager whose family is part of a white nationalist church. This book is stunning.
paulataua's review
3.0
I really appreciate what the author was trying to do, but it just seemed overly contrived with each character designed so that we could arrive a certain conclusion. His father (or significantly his stepfather), his girlfriend, his girlfriend’s father (the coach), his friend, and even the police were all written in a way to sit snugly into the plot, and sometimes that presented ambiguities left unanswered. Despite those minor points, it was a worthy attempt at dealing with a difficult topic.
andrewrmart's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot believe that I was lucky enough to come across this book, having never heard of it before, at a Half Price Books closing sale. How it has not yet been adapted for the screen is beyond me. I don't even want to write anything about it here. Unique, brave, compelling, upsetting, frightening, hopeful, stark, bold, rapid, deliberate, all too real. The final sixty pages nearly had me in tears. I'm completely taken aback. Please read it.
grownupdyslexic's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0