Review of Wild World

[thoon phyo yati]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Wild World" by Peter S. Rush.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Wild World, written by Peter S. Rush, is historical fiction with a splash of romance. The novel begins with the alarming news of unarmed college students being shot on campus during protests against the Vietnam War. The main character Steve, a Brown University student, and his friends heard this news and participated in protests and demonstrations. During the protest, Steve and his girlfriend, Roxy, listened to the lecture from the police officer who believes that "to change the system, one must understand it and become part of it". Inspired by his lecture, Steve decided to put a hold on his plans to study law and become a police officer to change the system from the inside. But the real life is a lot more brutal and harsh than his college life. Especially since he was an Ivy League student in the police force, he had to deal with discrimination and harassment including the corrupted system; yet he persistently remain in his job to reach his goal.

I found that the irony of the story is that even though Steve becomes a cop to change the system, the one thing changing was his character. His courage and perseverance are admirable as he faced many obstacles throughout the story. Wild World is rich in plot and has several plot twists and great character developments. Peter is clever in describing the emotions and foreshadowing the outcome. The author is great at putting words to the feelings of the characters and the situation they were in without outright telling them. Although the early parts of the novel are a bit frustrating to read, the ending and the character developments are satisfying.

The novel discusses the topics such as police brutality, corruption, substance abuse, women’s rights, and capitalism. It also calls out the power imbalance between those with authority and civilians and how tempting it was for Steve to misuse the power his uniform offers. This further highlights how commendable Steve’s courage to go out and make the change against the odds. It was also saddening to read that corrupted officers are accepted more in the police force than those who value justice. Moreover, the fact that the characters make mistakes and wrong decisions add more relatability to the novel.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars for the reasons mentioned above and the story seems like it is edited professionally with less than 10 errors. In my opinion, there is no negative aspect that I do not like in this novel. I like how the novel compares the apathetic and uncaring real life to the fun and colourful life of college students.

There were several profanities and graphic descriptions of sexual scenes in the story so I wouldn’t recommend this book to those who don't like reading strong language and children. I recommend Wild World to fans of historical fiction and those curious about the social situation of the times during the Vietnam war.

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Wild World
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