This book resonates After reading the last page and putting the book down, I shuddered. I felt real pain for the characters in the end, and I didn't think I liked the book. But throughout the following week, I found myself thinking about the book over and over again. I couldn't stop thinking about it.
I did not like it in the way that I am used to liking books. I generally like a book for a happy ending--a "feel-good" read--and After the First Death was not one of those. It is marketed as Young Adult Fiction, yet it could be quite disturbing to some teens. But I like this book because of the masterful way in which it was written, the somber way it deals with tragic circumstances, and especially for the way that Cormier creates characters that seem more real than my next-door neighbors.
Cormier's writing style is compelling without becoming overbearing. He gives just enough detail to satisfy us as readers without interfering with the storyline. And he addresses a topic that most of us are afraid of. After the First Death is about a small group of terrorists from another country (we never learn which country) that have successfully pulled off a number of other terrorist acts and who hijack a bus full of kindergarten children and hold them and their 16-year-old substitute driver hostage on a bridge while the military tries to rescue the hostages. For every one of the terrorists the military kills, the terrorists promise to kill one child in return. But their drugged candy kills a young boy unintentionally, and the first death sets everything into motion.
The story is unique and thought-provoking, but what really left me thinking about this book after I finished it were the incredibly powerful characters that Cormier has created. The teenage hijacker wants to prove himself a member of the group by successfully killing the bus driver; he is frightened, brainwashed, and struggling with doubts about their motives and his morals; and he loves Elvis Presley, and sings Elvis songs when he gets nervous. The sixteen-year-old bus driver doesn't know much about children and yet must become their protector and comforter, she thinks she can find a soft spot in the teenage hijacker and provide their escape, and she has a weak bladder. It is in these and other fascinating details about the characters that I was drawn into the story. After the First Death has resonated with me as I have questioned the motives of the terrorists, as well as the human pain and also bravery that are shown in this book.
Scary, but realistic page turner "After the First Death" is a novel written by Robert Cormier in 1979. It is a psychological thriller full of suspense and plot twist and turns. Robert Cormier faces head on issues of terrorism, sexuality, child and parent relationships, and trying to find oneself in situations that lay outside even our worst nightmares.
I enjoyed reading "After the First Death." It is a quick read, but also an interesting one. It is extremely well written and keeps the reader intrigued and wanting to know more. I believe the author wants the audience to gain an appreciation for family. In this book many families are threatened on having their worlds torn apart by horrible people. It is important to cherish those who are closest to us and to love and cherish our families and loved ones. I also think the author wants the reader or audience, to gain a sense of bravery; that no matter who you are, big or small, you can be brave and find in yourself something to keep pushing on and to fight back.
WARNING: This book is depressing and presents certain situations not suitable for children or young adults under the age of 17. It is intended for a mature audience. This book contains explicit language, drugs, brief nudity and sexuality, adult situations, terrorism, and suicide.
An Unexpected Thought-provoking Novel After the First Death is a stunning young adult novel that has such qualities that make it appealing to young people and adults alike. The book is narrated by three teenagers who have all been involved in a terrorist hijacking of a school bus full of children in a small town near a top-secret Military project. In a post 9-11 U.S.A. this book explores some real emotions that have rippled through the country in the past seven years.
The first of the young narrators is Ben. The son of a military general, begins the story as he is remembering the events. Although the part he plays in the unfolding of the events on the day of the hijacking is crucial, it is not until near the end of the book that this part is revealed. The second narrator is a young terrorist, Miro. This mission is Miro's chance to prove himself as a man to his commander, Artkin. Miro is all at once a terrifying figure and an innocent boy that doesn't seem to comprehend the horror that his life creates in the world. The last narrator is Kate, a sixteen-year-old girl who took over the bus route on the fateful day for her sick uncle. She is kept alive by the terrorists in order to help them keep the young children calm. She is the first woman that Miro has had such close contact with and tries to use that to her advantage in attempts to keep herself and the children safe.
As I began this book, I had no presumptions of what to expect. The style of writing reminded me of J. D. Salinger's narrator in The Catcher in the Rye, although the action of this story is very different. I found the unfolding plot to be extremely interesting and compelling. I would recommend this book to my fourteen-year-old nephew as well as my friends from college. There is a bit of violence that some may find unnerving but is definitely crucial to the storyline. The ending is what sealed the book as a favorite, I did not see it coming yet felt that it was the only way for it to truly end.
Another waste of a novel..... As I've stated about The Chocolate War, (and I am biased since I don't care for Robert Cormier) I hated this book. I read it freshman year of high school, and again the author talked too much about male sexual repression and went to great depths to describe a young woman urinating in her dress. I felt no sense of danger for the characters and wanted them all to die so the story would end. If you can't get your readers to identify with any of the characters in some small way, why would they want to read your book? This is just another example of deplorable writing. While some people may consider this kind of garbage good literature, I consider it to be nothing more than the author's way of working out pent up sexual aggression. While I do respect those authors who can examine the darker side of life and human nature, one must create characters that are at least somewhat like-able, and while not all stories have to have a happy ending, there has to be some form of redeeming quality to the tale, and it may be as simple as in the way in which it is told by the author. This title is well worth skipping, and I am venturing out to say that I would gladly skip any of his other work while I'm at it.
Happily Surprised!! My son had to read this book for his summer reading assigment. I also read this book so I could quiz him on it later. I actually enjoyed reading it. It was in the young adult section of the library and I thought that I would get bored with it. I was surprised. Mr. Cormier knows how to pull his readers in his story, young and not so young. This book was very thought provoking and my 15 year old enjoyed it too. He actually liked dicussing it with me afterwards, which was very surprising.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
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