Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Suggested Reading by Dave Connis

2 reviews

notbambi's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A student of mine lent me her copy right after Freedom to Read Week, so I was primed for the subject matter. It's a good exploration of the mixed feelings folks can have around book bannings, as a young person in the book has a negative reaction to Catcher in the Rye, but also has a lot of other stuff going on his life, and the protagonist wonders if the book is to blame for his actions. She ultimately comes down on the side of, "you can't control someone else's reactions, and a book alone is not responsible for someone's actions." It's a quick read and a well-rounded discussion of censorship in schools for teens. 
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zombiezami's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

3.0

The author's care and concern for the issue of banned books comes through clearly. He obviously has deep reverence for the specific titles referenced and quoted throughout the novel. However, the book overall lacks subtlety, and I find it hard to believe that a real high school senior would be so "wow gee whiz" over the concept of people wanting to ban books. The plot was pretty predictable, and some characters were obviously used as mouthpieces for the author's point of view. I found myself wishing that the in-world Don't Tread on Me was real and that I was reading that instead because it sounded so good. Still, for someone who is younger (I'm not the target audience), this might be really meaningful.
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