3 out of 4 stars
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A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen is a short piece of young adult fiction that takes us into familiar judgmental middle school territory where the haves and the have-nots are physically separated. Maxx, our incredibly honest protagonist, is self aware and hints that there probably isn’t light at the end of the tunnel for him and his struggling classmates. Failing at school has become brag-worthy until a new animated teacher enters the scene with a book of tricks.
Maxx has not been dealt an easy hand in life nor has the rest of his delinquent reading class that's been appropriately dubbed “Reading Hell.” Welcome to middle school. Feelings are seldom talked about, and Maxx makes it clear early on that he has bottled up his feelings with a tight cork. Feelings are not his thing. The students don’t know of each other’s underlying personal issues, and because junior high is a battleground, most of them just want to avoid the spotlight altogether. Maxx has no intentions of being on the bottom of the food chain, but this doesn’t stop him from sticking up for certain students being tormented. He just unleashes the vengeance in a clever way.
This makes Maxx appear more heroic than the rest of the class. However, these students have been grouped into this jail-like classroom for a reason. They’ve been labeled stupid. It isn’t until Mr. Foxx walks through the door that the students begin to question their actions and where their futures might be headed. The juicy stuff unfolds when Mr. Foxx asks Maxx to recall the day he stopped giving a crap.
The book was a very easy read. At only 162 pages, I finished it within a few days and honestly wished it had been just a bit longer. I would have liked to spend more time with Maxx during the second half of the book when he recalls his childhood memories. His childhood was polar opposite of mine. It was an entirely different realm, and it’s a sad truth. A large chunk of the human population, including children, is struggling. It hit a nerve because children don’t deserve hardship. They haven’t done anything wrong.
The large blocks of text in this book are distracting though. Paragraphs needed to be diced into smaller segments to help with the flow. The long drawn out paragraphs came off as narrator rambling. This especially would have been helpful when bits of dialogue were thrown in. I got confused a few times on who was speaking, and this could easily be solved by cutting up the paragraphs. There is also a fair amount of missing commas throughout the story.
While my childhood days were nothing like Maxx’s, I did enjoy being brought back to middle school. Maxx’s descriptions of the preteen protocol was spot on. I was anxious at that age and did not want the spotlight on me. Many of my peers were bullied either because of the clothes they had on or because their social skills were awkward. I still enjoy this nostalgia because it was still a simpler time, and most of us suburban tater tots had yet to face the perils of adulthood. In adulthood, a lot of perils are faced alone, and if bills don’t get paid, life gets much more difficult than a hefty pile of homework assignments.
As I stated earlier, the second half of the book does not take place in the classroom. Maxx takes us back to his family life at nine years old. It wasn’t pleasant, and I can’t even fathom being that age and having to make some of the decisions he did. Again, I cringe because I know outside of this book there are young children in situations like this.
The book gets me thinking if hope is possible for people who endure these hardships. Even with a supportive teacher, some children cross a line and don’t turn back.
I think this book would appeal to those looking for a quick, easy read and want to reminisce about their childhood. Those who have had a relatively easy life might enjoy this book because it will push them to appreciate the things they have and not take small blessings for granted.
On the other hand, those who have had a difficult life can relate with Maxx and his hardships, and maybe it can urge them to communicate their problems with others and form a support system.
In conclusion, I rate A Bloody Book 3 out of 4 stars. The chunky paragraphs and grammatical errors are not distracting enough to deter me from the story as a whole. The first half of the book reels you in, and the second half keeps your butt planted in front of the screen. Check it out!
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A Bloody Book
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