Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party

Peach’s Picks Rating


Title:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party

Author:
M. T. Anderson

Illustrator:
None

ISBN:
978-0-7636-2402-6

Publisher:
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press

Copyright:
2006

Length:
351 pages

Plot Summary:
The book is told in first person by Octavian, whom the reader meets as a young boy living in the lap of luxury in pre-Revolutionary Boston. His beautiful young mother is considered an African princess. She is treated as royalty in the household and admired by all male visitors, many of whom would like to make her their own. Slowly it is revealed that Octavian and his mother are slaves owned by Mr. Gitney. They are kept as an experiment by the Novanglian College of Lucidity which is attempting to determine the intellectual capacity of Africans. Octavian receives a classical education and knows nothing of the outside world. His world crumbles as the fortunes of the College of Lucidity are affected by the American Revolution, smallpox, and his mother’s death. By now Octavian is a teenager and runs away to join the Patriot’s cause, but he is captured and returned to his owners. His punishment is to wear an iron mask with a metal bit placed between his lips to keep him from speaking. Once again he escapes thanks to help from a former teacher. The second book continues the story from this point.

Critical Evaluation:
This book is an interesting mix of first-person narrative, fictional letters, and entries by the protagonist, Octavian. Octavian is well-educated and fluid in his speech and writing ability. The author uses an interesting literary device showing Octavian’s frustration and lack of words to describe his condition by creating pages that seem to be written in his hand. The words he has written are violently scribble through seemingly in anger and frustration. The writing is very formal as though it is attempting to mimic prose of the time period. The story is filled with information about history that may not be presented in history books, such as the holding of social events known as Pox Parties where guests were exposed to smallpox. The ideas presented are disturbing and make the characters seem hopeless. The story is intriguing, takes surprising twists, and has a sympathetic character in Octavian, but it is much too long and only the most ardent readers and lovers of historical fiction will make their way through it. They will question if attempting volume 2 is worth the effort.

Reader’s Annotation:
Octavian’s life in pre-Revolutionary Boston transforms from pampered and beloved little boy to runaway teenage slave trying to save his life and gain freedom. He discovers that his life is nothing but an experiment fueled by the money of wealthy white male philosophers who seek to prove that Africans are of lesser intellect.

Author Information:
Born in 1968
Lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Attended Harvard University and Cambridge University, received and MFA in Creative Writing from Syracuse University
Board member of National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance (NCBLA)
Held various jobs before becoming a full-time writer including; department store cashier and radio D.J.

Genre:
Historical fiction

Curriculum Ties:
Use this book in conjunction with American history, especially pre-Revolutionary studies and studies of slavery. The book can also be used in literature classes. A complimentary book is Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Booktalking Ideas:
A view of slavery and pre-Revolutionary America that is not shown in textbooks.

Underlying the story is the moral question of experimenting with humans without their knowledge or consent and the harm that can be done when this happens.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
High school

Additional Books by Author:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves
Feed
Burger Wuss
Thirsty
Many more books

Challenge Issues:
None apparent, but if challenged; deal with challenge by having a challenge policy in place, selection policy in place (ALA policies). Meet with library administration if necessary. Provide positive review(s) from professional publications.

Why this work is included in Peach’s Picks:
This book is included because it received a starred review in Booklist, received the National Book Award (2006), and was a Printz Honor book (2007). It only received four peaches because although it is an award-winning book and a fascinating look into history, it is too long, making one wonder if it was worth the time.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Astonishing-Octavian-Nothing-Traitor-Nation/dp/B0013L2E04/ref=sr_1_1_oe_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271562038&sr=1-1

References:
(2010). “M. T. Anderson: biography.” Scholastic. Retrieved April 17, 2010, from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=2882