Review by Zoe Sauter -- Wonks by William Reese Hamilton
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Zoe Sauter
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Review by Zoe Sauter -- Wonks by William Reese Hamilton
[Following is a volunteer review of "Wonks" by William Reese Hamilton.]
Wonks by William Reese Hamilton follows Johnny, an American teen boy, through the 3 years he spends as a prisoner inside a Japanese internment camp. Set in World War II Manila, this novel paints an innocent, slightly comical picture of the horrors Americans faced in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. Johnny recounts the chain of events he and his mother endured inside the camp and readers get to experience this exciting tale of war through the eyes of a growing teenager. Wonks is a story of hardship and loss but also shows how the strongest of friendships are formed out of the most perilous of situations.
Not only is this book a good way to learn about the effects World War II had on other parts of the world, but it’s also a very exciting read! I loved every page and the way the events unfolded one after another made me want to keep reading each time I tried to put it down. The author wrote very vividly using strong diction which created a detailed image in my head. My favorite comparison the author chose to use was “She was as skinny as a wet sparrow”. The main character, Johnny, also made the book quite lovable as he is a basic teenage boy. His commentary throughout the book using words such as “old fart” to describe older people or “hanky-panky” referencing intercourse gave the story a more comical feel which was a huge highlight for me. Another thing I absolutely adored about this book was that it described gruesome events in a less detailed manner. I for one don’t like it when books go into huge detail about how a corpse looks or smells, and the author did an amazing job keeping the gross details out of the descriptions.
Although the book was near perfected, the only thing I didn't like is how it came to such a sudden end. The main characters had just come to a huge realization and the unfolding of the realization happened all too quickly. After that, it just ended. In my opinion, it felt rushed and I wanted a little more of an explanation. The story had also been leading up to a point in which the book never got to. It kept hinting that it would go in certain directions but we never got a final answer. It was a very well-written and overall amazing story, but the ending was disappointing.
Another amazing thing about this book is that it is very well edited. In all, I counted one spelling error which was a misspelled “hissed”- it was spelled “ssed” on page 172. Like I mentioned before, I adored this book excluding the ending, and for these reasons, I will be rating this book a solid 3 out of 4 stars. If it had simply given more details near the end, it would have been perfect!
As for the recommended audience, I recommend this book for a more mature audience. While I did mention before that the details concerning certain gruesome events were toned down, there are still some serious topics being brought up. These topics include death, torture, and sexual references. Besides that, this book is perfect for people who want to read about war, but who don’t want to read a sob story. It does have its serious moments, but overall it’s fairly light-hearted.
******
Wonks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Wonks by William Reese Hamilton follows Johnny, an American teen boy, through the 3 years he spends as a prisoner inside a Japanese internment camp. Set in World War II Manila, this novel paints an innocent, slightly comical picture of the horrors Americans faced in the Philippines during the Japanese occupation. Johnny recounts the chain of events he and his mother endured inside the camp and readers get to experience this exciting tale of war through the eyes of a growing teenager. Wonks is a story of hardship and loss but also shows how the strongest of friendships are formed out of the most perilous of situations.
Not only is this book a good way to learn about the effects World War II had on other parts of the world, but it’s also a very exciting read! I loved every page and the way the events unfolded one after another made me want to keep reading each time I tried to put it down. The author wrote very vividly using strong diction which created a detailed image in my head. My favorite comparison the author chose to use was “She was as skinny as a wet sparrow”. The main character, Johnny, also made the book quite lovable as he is a basic teenage boy. His commentary throughout the book using words such as “old fart” to describe older people or “hanky-panky” referencing intercourse gave the story a more comical feel which was a huge highlight for me. Another thing I absolutely adored about this book was that it described gruesome events in a less detailed manner. I for one don’t like it when books go into huge detail about how a corpse looks or smells, and the author did an amazing job keeping the gross details out of the descriptions.
Although the book was near perfected, the only thing I didn't like is how it came to such a sudden end. The main characters had just come to a huge realization and the unfolding of the realization happened all too quickly. After that, it just ended. In my opinion, it felt rushed and I wanted a little more of an explanation. The story had also been leading up to a point in which the book never got to. It kept hinting that it would go in certain directions but we never got a final answer. It was a very well-written and overall amazing story, but the ending was disappointing.
Another amazing thing about this book is that it is very well edited. In all, I counted one spelling error which was a misspelled “hissed”- it was spelled “ssed” on page 172. Like I mentioned before, I adored this book excluding the ending, and for these reasons, I will be rating this book a solid 3 out of 4 stars. If it had simply given more details near the end, it would have been perfect!
As for the recommended audience, I recommend this book for a more mature audience. While I did mention before that the details concerning certain gruesome events were toned down, there are still some serious topics being brought up. These topics include death, torture, and sexual references. Besides that, this book is perfect for people who want to read about war, but who don’t want to read a sob story. It does have its serious moments, but overall it’s fairly light-hearted.
******
Wonks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature by Chet Shupe
