Anderson, M.T. (2006). The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol 1: The Pox Party. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. 351 pages.
Octavian Nothing grows up in luxury, educated and pampered, the son of an exiled princess. Only later does he learn that he is actually a slave, and the subject of an experiment to determine if those of African decent can mentally equal those of European decent. And that winning a war for freedom may not guarantee freedom for everyone.
This novel is definitely not a comfortable read. Whenever the beauty and fluidity of the author’s prosed had lulled me, some shocking – and vividly rendered – horrible event (torture, bodily functions, or death, usually) would occur. It’s just that kind of book.
That being said, the voice of the novel is excellent and realistically captures the tone of the rational philosophers of the American Revolution, and unlike some other historical fiction about this period, this book also digs really deeply into the complexity of the social and political beliefs of the time.
Booktalk Hook: What if your whole life was one big experiment? And what if it was rigged against you?
And if you like this book: Maybe you’d like Illusion by Paula Volsky. Both books are about a character who falls from a life of luxury into a time of war and strife, and both have a lot of gritty detail.
