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

by M. T. Anderson

Paperback, 2008

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Series

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation (1)

Genres

Publication

Candlewick (2008), Edition: Reprint, 384 pages

Description

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

User reviews

LibraryThing member richardderus
I am always up for history, especially if it's presented from an unusual viewpoint or in a fresh manner. I thought this would be a fairly conventional and thus mildly tedious slave-comes-of-age, resists-tyranny thing. But there was that raver...surely someone who bothers to come to LT won't be that
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 impressed by the usual thing....

So I got it, and I am so glad I did. The author recapitulates the bizarre upbringing of Octavian in a place called "The College of Lucidity" which is located in Boston (which is how you know it's fiction, Boston being the least lucid place I've ever been) in the faintly modernized voice of the youth himself looking back on the experience.

It's troubling, to put it mildly. It's flat creepy. But it's all he knew as a childhood, though life has taught him it's not what others knew as a childhood. He even quotes his mother saying he's never been a child. (He, Octavian, our narrator...these are interchangeable references in this review.) His very...well, ummm, inputs and throughputs are weighed and measured and logged for reference. His education is that of the most privileged, enlighted prince of his age. He stresses in presenting us with these facts that he felt no strangeness or otherness to his life. He was, so far as he knew, the object of no untoward interference or unusual interest.

The object speaks. It is a very unsettling reading experience.

As the story progresses and our narrator recalls his budding awareness and emotional growth as regards self and others, it becomes evident that Octvian and his mother are gilded captives. It's a realization that doesn't gall...yet...on him, but the author's subtlety with his emotional flensing knife is such that the older narrator's awareness of his feelings presages quietly the events at the end of the book. (No spoilers...but look carefully at the disturbing jacket illustration.)

Anderson's stated aim in writing this book is that he wished it had been around when he was a young reader. I wish it had, too. It's wonderful writing, no matter it's supposed to be "for" YAs. From p96 of the hardcover edition:

"Shortly after two o'clock on June 3rd, 1769, Venus descended into the plane of the ecliptic and came between the Earth and the sun. It is with awe that I treat of the event -- so minute, so silent here upon the Earth -- but there -- one can scarce imagine the roaring of that vast orb through those frigid depths, tumbling, flung through the plane of our orbit; the glaring heat, the searing glare of Sol -- and the gargantuan prodigiality of that body, consuming its own substance ceaselessly while planets whirled like houris, veiled and ecstatic around the throne of some blast-turbaned, light-drunken king."

Our narrator...a youth, a stripling...so beautifully educated that he can create sentences like these! Such a huge bar is set for the youth reading this, but not one that's so far above and beyond comprehension that it's discouragingly impossible to meet. It's a nice sight to see the lack of condescenscion in this type of writing.

So how do the adults fare? Not too well, from the foolish and clueless Mr. Gitney to the aptly named and evil Mr. Sharpe, whose words from p338 (hardcover) I reproduce here that he may damn himself from his own lips:

"We have labored too long under a government that has sought to curtail exchange; such interference is unnatural. We shall see a brave new day, Octavian, when the rights of liberty and property are exerciseed, and when all men are free to operate in their own self-interest. And as each individual expresses his self-interested will, so does the democratical voice speak, the will of the common people, not kings and ministers; and when the self-interest of every citizen speaks together, then and only then does benevolence arise."

So sayeth the free man to the slave. The prosecution rests. Recommended, and most highly.
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LibraryThing member karieh
This book was profoundly disturbing to me on so many levels. At various points in the book, I almost had to put it down because I was so heartsick. (Before I begin my praise of this amazing work - I do have to ask...this is a work for young adults? Seriously?)

When I added this book to my LT list -
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 I tagged it as Fiction and Science Fiction. When I started the book - I was sure I was reading some sort of Gothic, maybe post-apocalyptic cautionary tale. When I found out the book was set in pre-Revolutionary Boston - I was shocked.

Once I got over that...I was then shocked to find out that Octavian and his mother were slaves. I kept having to change my mindset as I went through the book...one of the reasons I think I was so affected by it. I was just starting to wrap my mind around the "knowledge for knowledge's sake - consequences be damned" philosophy of the "college" when the sickening reality of Octavian and his mother's imprisonment set in. The frills and finery were torn away to reveal the true inhumanity of their situation.

Again - this book was disturbing on so many levels. Was I more bothered by Octavian's defense mechanisms when confronted by despicable acts" "...after I saw the philosophers of this college acquire a docile child deprived of reason and speech...beat her to the point of gagging and swooning; after such experiments as these, I became most wondrous observant, and often stared unmoving at a wall for some hours together." (Reading that passage again turns my stomach.)

Or was I more disturbed by the complete lack of hope that permeates the book: "Do you feel it child?" he asked. "The wall is gone. Space is gone from behind us." I could feel nothing. "He said, "All that is there now is the eye of God." He shivered. "The pupil is black, and as large as a world." And later, "At long last, you may no longer distinguish what binds you from what is you."

Or was I most saddened by the hideous irony that the men who gave Octavian freedom of the mind were the ones that denied him the freedom of his body. "They gave me a tongue; and the stopped it up, so they would not have to hear it crying." And "...they told me of color, that it was an illusion of the eye, an event in the perceiver's mind, not in the object, they told me that color had no reality...And then they imprisoned me in darkness; and though there was no color there, I still was black, and they still were white; and for that, they bound and gagged me."

And I don't even have the words to address the powerful juxtaposition of the colonists struggle and cries for "Freedom from tyranny!" against the silent reality of slavery.

The way that Anderson phrases the most hideous of realities in the most matter of fact ways is by turns, startling and beautiful. It makes me think that there are no other ways these words could be put together - that the way they are set upon the page is the only way they can exist together.

"What have you observed?"

"The solidity of shackles. They increase the solidity of the body. When I walk free, I am not conscious of my solidity."

"Yes. Shackles, like all matter, are defined by resistance."

"Do not tell me," I said to them, "what is defined by resistance."

As I start into the above paragraph, I am observing as Octavian does. Then I am considering the truth of what he observes - that one does not FEEL freedom until one loses it. That it is difficult to experience a positive without knowing the negative. And then - with a killing blow - my eyes absorb that final sentence...and I feel ridiculous for not mourning Octavian's shackles with him...and then I feel a fierce admiration of his spirit and his refusal to accept shackles of the mind along with shackles of the body. All this - in under 50 words.

I am in awe.

This book made me feel like I do when watching movies like "Schindler's List" or "Saving Private Ryan". Every molecule in my body and soul rebels against the horror I am a witness to. All I can think about is turning my eyes away, making it stop, which is the one thing I am not allowed to do. These atrocities existed, they were real. Humans were and are capable of such evil, such cruelty, such viciousness. It is important to me that every once in a while, I remind myself of this. I am so incredibly lucky to have been born in the circumstances I was, and to have been given the privileges I have, and to have lived in the time an place I do. The least I can do is to acknowledge the pain of those who are not as lucky as I.

This book, like those movies, is one where the reader cannot put aside after finishing and think, "It was just a movie/book." These times and events were real. These things happened, even if details have been changed.

Octavian, and those real people he is representative of, experienced horrors I hope I never do. Horrors that most of our world would say happened in the past..and yet we all know are happening every day - somewhere, to someone. My soul aches for those who are robbed of their humanity by beings inhuman themselves.

Because I am who I am, I must end this review with a beautiful and tragic set of passages - mirror images of the same truth:

"I lifted up the first, blank, page, and surveyed those beneath, to see, as Bono quoth, what the man on the street was wearing. It was a catalogue of horrors. Page after page of Negroes in bridles, strapped to walls,...masks of iron with metal mouth bits...razored necklaces...collars of spikes that supported the head..."

"...Mr. Gitney burned Bono's fashion catallogue an hour later."

"Let us rid ourselves," he said, "of this noisome object."

"But I could not rid myself of it. It was the common property of us all."

Previous to this - there was one of the few glimmers of hope in the book:

"Music hath its land of origin; and yet it is also its own country, its own sovereign power, and all make take refuge there, and all, once settled, may claim it as their own, and all may meet there in amity; and these instruments, as surely as instruments of torture, belong to all of us."

Octavian and his story belongs to all of us. Though not as fully to those who experience such events in their lifetime...it belongs to those of us who must make sure that the realities contained within the fiction become less and less prevalent. We need these "noisome objects" today more than ever.

Any time I find myself feeling complacent about our world? I need only look at the cover of this book.
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LibraryThing member msbaba
“The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I, The Pox Party” by M. T. Anderson is extraordinary—certainly one of the most unique, creative, and ultimately take-your-breath-away astonishing works of fiction that I’ve ever read. I was so impressed—no,
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 mesmerized—by the depth and scope of this work that I read it through twice in three days. The second reading took longer than the first because I found myself pausing repeatedly either to savor the beauty of the language or to ponder universal questions of philosophy, psychology, science, and history that pop up everywhere throughout the telling.

“Octavian Nothing” is a coming-of-age saga like no other you may ever encounter. The story concerns the life of the young slave, Octavian, from his earliest memories, until the age of 16. For the first half of his life, the child does not realize that he is the object of a scientific experiment to determine “whether homo africanus is a separate species from homo europaeus.” The child is dressed in fine silks and given a comprehensive and exhaustive classical literary and musical education. He is told that he is an African prince and his mother an African princess. He is raised in virtual isolation by a household of scientists, philosophers, artists, and merchant investors calling themselves The Novanglian College of Lucidity. These men make sure that the child is kept at great emotional distance from his mother, the Princess Cassiopeia. Octavian is given every luxury, except the luxury to behave like a normal human child.

Despite the fact that Octavian is raised as a zoological experiment by inhumanly rational, and monstrously nonempathetic scientists, we see him mature into a virtuous, empathetic, whole human being. The transformation is slow and gut-wrenching. Three men unknowingly play significant roles as mentors: Dr. Trefusis, the slave Bono, and the soldier Evidence Goring. But there is one very significant additional source providing him with the raw building blocks necessary to reinvent himself as a fully realized emotional human being, namely the wealth of pseudo life experience provided to him by his extraordinary classical literature and music education. In great part, this is the story of a child saved by his exposure to Ovid, Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Shakespeare, Pope, Mozart, Handel, Corelli, and the like.

The book takes place in Boston between 1760 and 1775. Well-known events in the American Revolution form the historical framework and provide the story with many of its most thought-provoking themes. The story is revealed primarily from the manuscript testimony of the boy, Octavian.This manuscript is written sometime after the close of Volume I when Octavian presumably becomes a “Traitor to the Nation.” Toward the end, it is suggested how Octavian might become a traitor, but Volume I ends before that event occurs. The book contains no direct narration; rather, it is told entirely through fictional primary resources—Octavian’s own manuscript testimony, newspaper clippings, letters, scientific papers, and the like. Because the story is told completely from period documents, the language is, throughout, lovingly realistic 18th-century prose. As a reader, I was positively dazzled by the authenticity of the period language. How Anderson was able to accomplish this feat, and maintain it though countless different narrative voices is astounding—in my opinion, an unparalleled modern literary tour de force.

Anderson immersed himself in extensive historical research in order to develop the story accurately within an authentic American Revolutionary historical framework. This book is all the more horrifying because it could have been possible. Similar experimentation did, in fact, occur during this period. This is no “Dracula.” This is no mere gothic fantasy; this is more. The terror at the core of this tale is real, and the implications of this terror resonate through many social, governmental, and political issues past and present.

The book deals with an amazing complexity of controversial issues: racism; the ethics of scientific inquiry funded by commercial interests; the importance of virtue; the nature of altruism; the meaning of freedom; the meaning of being human; the ethics of human and animal experimentation; the ethics of ends justifying means; whether civilization is predicated upon commerce; the importance of forgiveness—to name but a few.

In my estimation, a five-star rating is not enough. No wonder it was the 2006 National Book Award Winner in Young People’s Literature.

But I have two very serious bones to pick with the author, editors, and publisher. First, this extraordinary work is no more a young-adult book than “Billy Budd” or “Daisy Miller!” Naturally, it can be read and appreciated by high school students, but there is a much larger market of adults thirsting for new, outstanding fiction that might overlook this title because is being marketed too narrowly. Second, a decision (probably motivated by commerce) was made to market this book in parts. “Volume I, The Pox Party” is not a complete work. Yes, it is a very satisfying book as it stands, but it is still only half a story. I hope the wait for Volume II will not be long, but if it is, I trust it will be worth the wait. Please, let’s all be patient! The author should not be pressed to hurry and complete Volume II by any artificial or commercial deadline. Anderson should be allowed to take whatever time is necessary to complete this magnus opus at its existing extremely high standards. After all, this book could become a classic.
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LibraryThing member cuttoothom
This is the second of M.T. Anderson's novels for Young Adults to make my classroom list, and for good reason. Octavian Nothing is a young boy who leads what he accepts as a priveleged life. He does not realize he is a slave, because he has been pampered by his owners for the benefit or their
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 diabolical experiments - to prove that a black child, even granted a full education and the same upbringing as a white child, is naturally in less intelligent than a white child. Octavian's masters wish to prove that the "african race" is factually lesser than the Caucasian one. The novel is brilliant because the experiment is a definite failure - Octavian proves himself to be, time and time again, as adept as any other person of any other race, and more so.

This novel, set before the Civil War, raises vital questions about the negative effects of slavery and, more specifically, the negative influences of racism and bigotry.
Although students may find the elevated prose of Octavian's first-person narrative daunting, they will also find his history to be astounding and captivating, and occasionally gruesome - but always important and revelatory.
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LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes
Sometimes I like to dive into a book without any foreknowledge of plot or context. Unfortunately, I began this book the same way and was lost and disinterested for the first 150 pages. I eventually figured out the writing is meant to emulate the speech and style of 18th century colonial America.
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 This was a relief because I didn't understand why I was having so much trouble comprehending the language at first.

The story of Octavian is gutsy in it's style and delivery though perhaps too gutsy. It's difficult to really feel Octavian's struggles because he acts so distantly un-human too often. We learn the secret of his plight almost as he learns it, which causes us both to be confused. I literally thought Octavian's caretakers at the beginning were robots and I was reading some sort of steampunk novel.

The novel finds a better voice near the middle through to the end, but then the ending is vague. Perhaps this story is the setup for the next? Still, I don't have the interest or energy to find out.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Octavian is a young slave living in Boston immediately prior to the American revolution, although he's a slave unlike any other. His owners are members of the Novanglian College of Lucidity, and he is dressed in fine clothing, not required to work, and is given an education in art,
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 science, and the classics to equal that of any prince. However, under the prompting of his mother, and the house slave Bono, he comes to deduce the truth - that he is the subject of an experiment to determine whether the intellectual capacities of Africans can equal those of Europeans... an experiment that the investors of the College wish to fail. As Octavian growing increasingly disenchanted with his captivity - for his chains, though invisible, bind him just as strongly as metal - a parallel (if hypocritical) desire for freedom is fomenting amongst the colonists, and Octavian must reconcile the realities and attitudes of pre-Revolution America with the person he knows he is.

Review: While this book is absolutely everything all of the glowing reviews say it is in terms of being thought-provoking, conceptually rich, meticulously researched, and wonderfully written in authentic 18th-century style, I'm sorry to say that I just didn't connect with it. I think this was in large part because I didn't empathize with Octavian as a narrator. I mean, he's undoubtedly a sympathetic character, but the prose (which is mostly drawn from his "manuscript testimony") felt so intellectualized and so removed from the events that it never really drew me in or engaged my emotions. I found the section that was told in letters from a young rebel soldier much more engaging than Octavian's parts, just because I found the voice more immediate and relatable.

It's an interesting story, and horrible in the fact that the Gothic grotesqueries that it portrays could legitimately have happened. It's ostensibly a YA novel, but it's not to be confused with the more fluffy teen books that also fall under the YA heading - this is dark, and dense, and is going to require some work - it is certainly not going to appeal to every teen, but for those that stick with it, there's a lot here to be mined. I do appreciate that it doesn't talk down to its audience, but at the same time, by the end I did find myself going "yes, freedom fighters owning slaves, how hypocritical, I get it." Perhaps if I'd been more engaged with the main character, his journey would have had a bigger impact on me. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: I'm not sorry I read it, and I will be reading the second volume (this one cuts off pretty well in the middle of the story), but I wasn't as blown away by it as many others were. I'd recommend it for teens who are looking for something a little more serious than the standard Twilight fare, historical fiction fans who want a unique perspective on the Revolutionary War, and for adults who need convincing that YA novels can be literary too.
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LibraryThing member SunnySD
Raised in a house full of eccentric scholars, for Octavian the fact that only he and his mother Cassiopeia have names and the rest of the family are known by numbers seems normal. That his food is weighed before he eats, and his bodily wastes are also weighed is also routine. As a child, learning
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 Latin, Greek, astronomy and anatomy and seeing various mammals, fish and reptiles skinned, dissected, filleted and minutely studied is a matter of interest, but not for concern. As Octavian grows however, he begins to realize that his is not a normal life; that in fact, nothing about his experience is at all commonplace -- except perhaps his place within the small world he inhabits.

Octavian's story, told mainly via his diary entries interspersed with various letters and scientific reports from the Novlingian College of Lucidity, is more than a coming of age story, and much more than a simple history. With the American Revolution, plague, and political intrigue as a backdrop, science and its role in the attempt to determine the nature of man unfolds along with Octavian's understanding. Basic humanity and man's capacity for cruelty play out on the page, as along with Octavian the reader is alternately astounded by marvels and sickened by atrocity and baseness. This is an incredibly powerful book, but it is not a comfortable one.
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LibraryThing member mysteena
As if I needed any more convincing of MT Anderson's amazing writing abilities! This book is both beautiful and thought-provoking on many levels. It takes place at the cusp of the Revolutionary War in Boston. Octavian and his mother are outcast royalty who live in the home of a group of scientists.
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 He's given the best education of the day, constantly exposed to Latin, science, art and music. However, there is one room in the house that he's forbidden to enter and the warning sign on the door is his own face, frozen as if screaming. Once he enters, his whole life changes as he begins to understand the true nature of his situation. The book is written as if it is a collection of historical documents. Most of the chapters are memoirs, written by Octavian himself. Some are newspaper clippings, some are letters of various characters or published articles. The insight into the instability of the time period, with the Revolutionary War starting to brew is very interesting. The language is also quite reminiscent of the time period, with some Characters using Capitalization very Frequently in their Writing.This is book one of a trilogy.
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LibraryThing member MeriJenBen
Octavian and his mother are the only two people in his house allowed a name. The all others respond to a number. Octavian is given a classical education, as befitting a prince in exile, which is what he believes himself to be. It is only later that he discovers that he is part of a Zoological
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 experiment, first to prove the fitness of, then the inferiority of the African race. After Octavian's mother dies as part of a "Pox Party" as in smallpox, he becomes aware of his circumstances and the reality of slavery.

This is a book that librarians and critics will love, and few teens will read unless forced. Anderson's propensity to beat his readers around the head with his message -- in this case "The Founding Fathers were hypocrites" -- is in full effect here. Also, the stilted and formal writing style, while historically accurate, makes this a difficult read. Octavian is a cipher of a character, who seems to have no emotions at all. While what is done to him is horrific, it is difficult to care, because Octavian himself seems not to. Anderson is so busy showing off his vocabulary and the (admittedly impressive) research he did, that he forgot to create an empathetic or relate able lead character. After 100 pages of set-up and setting, I gave up.
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LibraryThing member Librarygirl66
Various diaries, letters, and other manuscripts chronicle the experiences of Octavian, a young African American, from birth to age sixteen, as he is brought up as part of a science experiment in the years leading up to and during the Revolutionary War.
LibraryThing member adge73
Talk about astonishing -- Anderson never fails to surprise me with his mastery of first-person narration. This very much deserves the National Book Award it won. The language isn't easy, but it's also right and has the ring of truth, and the fascinating story will keep serious readers turning
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 pages. A thoughtful, powerful novel.
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LibraryThing member clpteens
This gets 5 stars for quality and yet probably 3 stars for popularity. It's incredibly deep: it explores the chaos surrounding the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the hypocracy of fighting for freedom while holding others in slavery. Octavian is given a classical education and his mother
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 treated like a princess by a group of philosopers. They are really experimenting on Octavian to prove what sort of intelligence Africans have. As the group's fortunes decline they're taken over by Mr, Sharpe, a cold and crueler man, detemined to see Octavian fail. Octavian's mother dies from small pox during a party arranged to contrast how white and blacks react to the disease and Octavian is devastated by the way she is treated in death. The book is written in a 18th century prose and Octavia, who's both a musical virtuoso and a genius,writes formally. It's a book to recommend to thoughtful teens who love to read or who are interested in the book's topics.
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LibraryThing member yarmando
This is a beautiful, exciting, fascinating book, well-deserving of its National Book Award. Octavian is the son of a captured west African girl (princess?). Classically trained, Octavian is the subject of a freakish experiment to prove the equality or inferiority of black people.
LibraryThing member escondidolibrary
15-year-old Octavian seems privileged. He dresses in the finest silks and is educated by great scholars and artists. But as he grows older, he begins to question things like: Why do only he and his mother have names while everyone else is referred to by numbers? Why do the scholars study so much
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 about Octavian, including his bodily functions? And what lies behind the locked door which Octavian has been forbidden to enter?

This book is set in Boston around the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The author uses 18th century language, which makes this a difficult read. But the historical information and Octavian's struggles to solve the mysteries of his life make it an enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member eduscapes
When you combine the unique storyline, engaging literary approach, and interesting perspectives on issues like slavery and the American Revolution, I can understand why this book has been getting awards. If you'd asked me to describe the book after reading the first section, I would have used words
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 like strange, bizarre, and just plain weird. However once the book got rolling, I really wondered what would happen to Octavian and his mother. By the end, I was looking for the author's website to see if a sequel was in the works. If you enjoy historical fiction and seek out unique perspectives on this well-known time period, it's well-worth the experience.
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LibraryThing member paakre
M.T. Anderson's subject is the moral issue of personal freedom vs. public responsibility, and in this book, set in 18th century New England, the context is the impending war of the American rebels versus the English patriots. Who has a better cause: those who would cast off their British tyrants
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 and keep slavery to fuel the economy or those enlightened despots who are ready to free slaves?
The convoluted style of the period does not always seem authentic, but the point of view of the main narrator is affecting and thoughtful and provocative.
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LibraryThing member cinf0master
16-year-old Octavian, a former prince studying under Mr. 03-01 at the College of Lucidity, finds his situation dramatically reversed as funding sources dwindle. Living as a slave and subject in 18th century America leads Octavian to question the principles that the Revolutionaries claim to uphold.
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 Flowery prose, attempts at period writing styles, and uninteresting characters doom this historically based novel. As with any reality show, Octavian exhibits unflattering behaviors while living his life under a microscope. A consistent point of view and less reliance on historical devices would improve the story.
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LibraryThing member DaveFragments
I couldn't finish the book. It was just not my cup of tea, so to speak. Too slow and too mysterious. No action.
LibraryThing member mattsya
M.T. Anderson creates an entirely believable, fascinating, and disturbing fantasy history of the Revolutionary War. Octavian is the slave/specimen/pupil of a secret society. The period details are used to great effect, and the language, while slightly stilted, is easy to comprehend. Reluctant
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 readers may be put off by the length and un-natural language, but most teens should appreciate this.
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LibraryThing member rneitzel15
Octavian Nothing is a beautifully written example of the slave's side of slavery. Although fictional, it has the rare quality of portraying fact under that fictional premise. The most intelligently written YA book I have read in a very long time. With this book, only the strong and persistent
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 readers, or listeners (if you are like me and enjoy audio productions), will push on through the begining and will be more than aptly rewarded for their task. The stoicism that Octavian has in the begining will endear him to even the coldest reader. I could not help but want to cling to him and comfort him, to cheer him on though his triumphs, and stare in awe at his deep intelligence. I am eagerly awaiting the second part and hope to be just as pleased with it's outcome as I am with Part One.
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LibraryThing member stephxsu
I tried to finish the whole thing; I really did. I mean, it won a Printz Honor Award and is extraordinarily unique in its use of old-style language (think classics). But I just couldn’t do it.

Octavian and his mother Cassiopeia are the only inhabitants at a scientific college who have real first
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 names; everyone else is numbered by rank. Great philosophers document his every bowel movement, his thoughts, his education, and his successes on the violin. Reading a bit further, we find out that Octavian and Cassiopeia are black, and that Cassiopeia was an African princess sold into slavery. Still, Octavian’s mother holds herself like a queen, and entertains all the scholars with her dazzling beauty and wit.

The young Octavian discovers one day that he is part of an experiment to prove that Africans could, with the proper education, be every bit as superior as the typical white prince. Octavian goes about his studies and life without question…until, some years after the college started, they run into financial troubles. Their new financial benefactor is Mr. Sharpe, a man from a group of Southern investors who is determined to prove that Africans are, in fact, incapable of being on par with whites.

Octavian’s lifestyle changes drastically as he is demoted from the privileged “prince” of the house to a common servant, only with the additional burdens of having to read dull passages that make him lose his former interests in his studies and love of music. They want Octavian to fail, and so far he seems to be doing just that.

The novel’s concept is very interesting, but many readers will undoubtedly find it hard to slog through Anderson’s difficult vocabulary, a vocabulary that even many college students will have trouble understanding. However, it does give this book its own characteristic. I can only say that for those who are able to make it through this book, they should not be disappointed.
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LibraryThing member 4sarad
Octavian was born into slavery and has been raised as the property of Mr. Gitney, a scientist and philosopher attempting to discern whether an African has the same mental capacity as Europeans. Octavian is treated coldly and has to undergo countless embarrassing experiments. He finds solace with
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 his mother and another slave, Bono, but when Bono is sold and his mother dies, Octavian breaks free from his owners and enters the Revolutionary War to fight for his freedom.

The Pox Party is a difficult book to review because it was exceptionally well-written and a truly moving read, yet I feel as though it was not written with its target audience in mind. Teens may often find themselves bored with the slowness of the plot and the long sections about Octavian’s education. If they manage to stick with it, however, I believe they will come to respect Octavian and be aghast by the horrors of his life.
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LibraryThing member pru_mitchell
Intensely moving read about slavery in Revolutionary Boston. There is a review in Fiction Focus
LibraryThing member Clurb
This book starts out as a fabulous slightly gothic, slightly fantastic, slightly strange account of a young boy's life, growing up in a scientific institution, but rapidly becomes a rather forced treatise on equality and civil liberties in 18th century America. For all that, there are some
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 wonderful characters here, as well as a few very intruiging scenes and the whole book is beautifully written.
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LibraryThing member kpickett
Octavian was born the son of an Africa princess. Before the American Revolution, he was part of the Novangilian College expiriment to prove whether Africans were a intellegent as whites. As the revolution wages in the background, Octavian excapes the college and begins life on his own, unsure of
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 his place in lfie. Not written for every reader, this is a difficult one to get through. The writing style and subject appeal to an elite few.
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Subjects

Awards

Language

English

Original language

English

Original publication date

2006

Physical description

384 p.; 5.77 inches

ISBN

0763636797 / 9780763636791

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