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The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume One: The Pox Party
by M. T. Anderson

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

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I'll say right out that The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing is disturbing on a number of levels: it makes historical America seem shockingly contemporary (or, perhaps, futuristic); it explores theories of scientific experimentation and whether the end (a chance at a supposedly "better" world) always justifies the means; and it portrays the frightening isolation of individuals in a so-called free society. But it is also like no other young adult novel I've ever read, written with such wit and precision that I still think about some of the images and characters.
Recommended by Alexis, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

A gothic tale becomes all too shockingly real in this mesmerizing magnum opus by the acclaimed author of Feed.

It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother — a princess in exile from a faraway land — are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments — and his own chilling role in them.

Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, M. T. Anderson's extraordinary novel takes place at a time when American Patriots rioted and battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for a freedom they would never claim. The first of two parts, this deeply provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that has startling resonance for readers today.

Review:

"Anderson (Whales on Stilts) once again shows the breadth of his talents with this stunningly well-researched novel (the first of two planned) centering on 16-year-old Octavian. The author does not reveal the boy's identity right away, so by the time readers learn that he is the son of an African princess, living a life of relative privilege and intense scrutiny among a group of rational philosophers in pre — Revolutionary War Boston, they can accept his achievements — extraordinary for any teen, but especially for an African-American living at that time. These men teach him the violin, Latin and Greek. Anderson also reveals their strange quirks: the men go by numbers rather than names, and they weigh the food Octavian ingests, as well as his excrement. 'It is ever the lot of children to accept their circumstances as universal, and their particularities as general,' Octavian states by way of explanation. One day, at age eight, when he ventures into an off-limits room, Octavian learns he is the subject of his teachers' 'zoological' study of Africans. Shortly thereafter, the philosophers' key benefactor drops out and new sponsors, led by Mr. Sharpe, follow a different agenda: they want to use Octavian to prove the inferiority of the African race. Mr. Sharpe also instigates the 'Pox Party' of the title, during which the guests are inoculated with the smallpox virus, with disastrous results. Here the story, which had been told largely through Octavian's first-person narrative, advances through the letters of a Patriot volunteer, sending news to his sister of battle preparations against the British and about the talented African musician who's joined their company. As in Feed, Anderson pays careful attention to language, but teens may not find this work, written in 18th-century prose, quite as accessible. The construction of Octavian's story is also complex, but the message is straightforward, as Anderson clearly delineates the hypocrisy of the Patriots, who chafe at their own subjugation by British overlords but overlook the enslavement of people like Octavian. Ages 14-up." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"The story's scope is immense, in both its technical challenges and underlying intellectual and moral questions....Readers will marvel at Anderson's ability to maintain this high-wire act of elegant, archaic language and shifting voices." Booklist (Starred Review)

Review:

"A brilliantly complex interrogation of our basic American assumptions. Anderson has created an alternative narrative of our national mythology, one that fascinates, appalls, condemns — and enthralls." The Horn Book

Synopsis:

Various diaries, letters, and other manuscripts chronicle the experiences of Octavian, a young African American, from birth to age 16, as he is brought up as part of a science experiment in the years leading up to and during the Revolutionary War.

Synopsis:

Presented in eighteenth century-style prose, this unique historical novel opens in a dreamlike setting and then moves progressively to stark realism.
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About the Author

M. T. Anderson is the author of several books for children and young adults, including Feed, which was a National Book Award Finalist and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. M. T. Anderson lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
ipsofecteau, September 23, 2006 (view all comments by ipsofecteau)
Reading this book is like seeing a flickering image made of light at a distance and approaching it to find that is in fact made of iron. The flowry language and academic tone seem to distance the reader from Octavian at the beginning of the book. But as it continues, he becomes more and more real until the end when you realize that he is as alive to you as anyone you have ever met.

The other characters and voices in the book are distinct and fascinating. Octavian's mother and Mr Sharp in particular tell truths that make the reader (at least this reader) lay down the book and stare into space.

This is a brilliant combination of history, scientific inquiry, twisted family dynamics and gripping storytelling.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780763624026
Subtitle:
Volume 1, the Pox Party
Author:
Anderson, M. T.
Author:
Anderson, M. T.
Publisher:
Candlewick Press (MA)
Subject:
Science
Subject:
History
Subject:
Historical - Other
Subject:
Children's 12-Up - Fiction - History
Subject:
Liberty
Subject:
Social Issues - General
Subject:
People & Places - United States - African-American
Subject:
Historical - United States - Colonial
Copyright:
2006
Series:
Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation
Series Volume:
01
Publication Date:
September 12, 2006
Binding:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
351
Dimensions:
914x682x130 156
Age Level:
14-17
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