Review of A Bloody Book
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- Latest Review: A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen
Review of A Bloody Book
The Bloody Book by Chris Bowen is an eye-opening book into the world of the children who struggle more than most. The book shows how many times the schools fail these children because they don't fit into the perfect mold and how teachers often don't try to think about whether any circumstances at home are causing difficult behavior or low performance. These kids get stuck in limbo until a certain teacher comes into their lives and gets them to start feeling and start identifying points in their life that they need to overcome in order to be successful.
I truly enjoyed the perspective the book brought me. It took a little bit to adjust to the style of writing and I started to assume the book hadn't been edited thoroughly. However, the more I read, the more it clicked that the book had been written that way on purpose. The book is told from Maxx’s perspective and Maxx is a child who grew up in a home that lacked the support needed for him to be anywhere other than ‘Reading Hell’ or the class for the kids with bad grades. It makes sense for him to be writing in a way that doesn't seem proper to others who had at the very least, support at home to get average learning. I like how that small detail enhanced the stories Maxx told about how he grew up. I also really appreciated how impactful the stories were. By conveying how many teachers assumed that his mom baked or that a child's parents were together, it was eye-opening since I'm going to be starting as a teacher in the next couple of weeks.
There were quite a few spelling errors that I noticed. These aren't errors that would have made sense to include like the phrasing that I mentioned in the paragraph above. I would have liked the stories to have been fleshed out a bit more, they conveyed the point well but there was only enough detail for me to form partial imagery in my mind. I also think it would have been beneficial for the story to follow Maxx through the school year until Mr. Foxx assigns the paper. I felt as though Maxx mentions the assignment at the beginning and the end of the book but it doesn't fully tie into the book throughout the middle.
I give this book two out of four stars. This is due in part to the spelling errors. There were quite a few that I noticed, some of which had been spelled correctly in several sentences beforehand. I also felt that a two-star rating was appropriate because I felt that the story has a great deal of potential that hasn't been tapped into yet. I would still recommend this book to someone, but only as a fair book with a heavy perspective, and a lot of potential.
This book was listed as a young adult book however, I feel as though it would be better suited as a book for adults, primarily adults who work with children. This would contain good motivational and discussion topics for young adults, but many of the points Maxx made about the adults he encountered are good points for childcare workers to read and ponder. I think the book would have a greater impact on that type of audience.
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A Bloody Book
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