Author:
Anderson, M.T.
Title:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation
Publisher & Date:
Candlewick Press, 2006
Recommended Age Range:
16 and up
Plot Summary:
Octavian is a young African-American boy born into and living in the lap of luxury in Boston in the late 1700s. According to his own understanding, his mother is an African queen and he a prince. They are treated by everyone in their compound as such. He does not discover until much, much later that he and his mother are living experiments, owned by aristocracy and tested every moment to see if dark-skinned persons are biologically and psychologically the same as light-skinned people.
The initial coordinators of the project are kinder to he and his mother in the sense that they generally do not mean Octavian and his mother any harm to even if the experimenters ultimately believe themselves superior to them. The same cannot be said, however, after their main benefactor dies. The new set of funders and the overseer they hire are intent on crushing the spirits of Octavian and his mother and proving their inferiority. Before, Octavian and his mother are mostly tested and observed. The new overseer, however, takes it upon himself to torture them both, assign them backbreaking housework, and attempt to sell Octavian’s mother’s hand in marriage. When she refuses and Octavian tries to protect her, he beats them both.
Reader Appeal:
This book would appeal to those interested in American history, slavery, the American revolution, politics of race and identity, and social justice. This book would not appeal to those looking for a light read, romance, fantasy or humor.
Artistic Merit:
This dark and exquisitely written book nearly took my breath away with his heart-breaking detail and psychological revelations. Since it is written in first person, the reader quickly empathizes with Octavian. The reader realizes the horrors and true inhumanity of Octavian’s life seemingly at the same time that Octavian does, truly immersing the reader in his world.
