A review by bookbelle5_17
Good Kings, Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-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

4.75

Review of Good Kings, Bad Kings
By Susan Nussbaum
            In Good Kings, Bad Kings, Susan Nussbaum tells the story of a facility in Illinois for teens with disabilities, but not as well run as it seems to be implied. The story is told through multiple perspectives including both the teens living at the facility, those working there, and people who run the place.
            This story has both a sense of sadness, but also there is a feeling of hope.  Many of teens with these physical disabilities such having to use a wheel chair refuse to let being in wheel chair break their spirit.  A lot of them are still angry and frustrated but they still fight back and have humor.  A particular character, Yessenia Lopez, is quite sassy and acts tough, and just wants fair treatment.  She commits reckless behavior, but she maintains her bravery even when her recklessness gets her in trouble.  Teddy and Pierre are such sympathetic characters and the way they are treated is disgusting and horrible. This is a young adult book and I think that is seen through the writing.  Also, Nussbaum puts the reader in the head of the characters by often using bad language and a more slang way of speaking.  I like how we get both sides of this conflict through the character Michelle, who is a recruiter for the facility.  Her ignorance and belief in this system, refusing to see its flaws, is believable. We also see how someone might not understand or able to handle kids with disabilities, and how not all those people are those that don’t care, just that they don’t know what the right and respectful way to handle this.  They can make mistakes that could have dire consequences.  I still wished we had other disabilities covered like autism and ADHD, but I understand the author was focusing on characters having to use wheel chairs is what the author relates to the most.  This is a good book that deals with issues of disabilities that went under the radar.
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