First Third Trimester Blog Post

Honors English 1b has arrived- which means new blog posts. I have not yet started on a new book, so in this post I will share some information about one of my favorite books from first trimester. This was Volume 1 in the Octavian Nothing series; the Pox Party. The author, M.T. Anderson diverges from his usual science fiction writing in this book and instead turns to historical fiction. Set in the revolutionary war era Boston, Octavian Nothing is a masterpiece in terms of historical accuracy. Grammar and writing conventions seem believable but not so much so that they are unreadable. It is the story of Octavian, a 15 year old African American , boy who is the unknowing centerpiece of a massive social experiment. He grows up in a mansion with dozens of scientists and philosophers funded by an old man named Mr. Gitney. Octavian is taught latin and can play the violin. He learns classical philosophy and is treated like a king. At the same time, he does not know the reality of his position. He is a slave of Mr. Gitney, who is attempting to prove that with education, Octavian can be as intelligent as any European child. As funding runs out, Mr. Gitney has to scramble for money- but can only find it in a curious man named Dr. Sharpe. Sharpe's motives undermine Octavian's good life and force him to do brutal work and ban his education. Eventually Octavian escapes, at which point the entire narrative unfolds. You can read more about the plot here.

As I explained above, one of the best parts of this book is how real everything seems. Part of the story has been "compiled" from Octavian's own accounts, while letters from other main characters make up an entire section of the book. As Octavian finds out his true fate, he is overwhelmed with emotion and torn pages and scratched out words help create the mood. Finally, advertisements and war posters create an atmosphere that makes the story seem right in place with its setting. Some in fact were revealed to be actual posters from the 1700s. Unlike many recent books, the reader is not bored with one single plot that seems to surround a single character. There are several important characters whose own stories are explored within the longer plot, and hints about previous mysteries in the book keep the reader interested. Although not all loose ends were tied up in the end, a sequel gives readers another chance to meet new characters while remaining under the same basic premise. As M.T. Anderson explains in his note at the end of the book, in a perfect world there would be a third book where all the characters come together and live happily ever after- but we do not live in the perfect world, and some of the best characters end up in bad situations at the end of the book. The Pox Party ends on a sad note- but leaves hope for the future.

"And he finished, in a voice not of 

defiance, but suffused with realization:

I am no one. I am not a man. I am nothing."

(Anderson, 231)