Traitor to the Nation - Volume I - The Pox Party
M.T. Anderson
While I like a book that has an immediate hook, there is something inherently satisfying about settling into one as well. Asimov's Foundation Series is such a settling series. You just have to have faith that it will become impossible to put down at some point. In this case, I didn't have that faith and so meandered through this book. In the end, I was hooked. Our hero is a young black slave named Octavian. He is owned by Boston colonists who are interested in finding out about the different capacities of the races. So Octavian is actually a specimen to be studied. He is given a classical education and over time observed to compare his acquisition and use of education in comparison to white persons. What strikes me now is that the "scientists" are extremely concerned about not giving Octavian unintentional advantages to skew the results of the experiment, but in fact they do not have a control. They do not have a white child who is going through the same experimental education regiment for which to compare. They also do not seem to care about individual differences in intellect or ability. This one boy will answer the question for the entire race. Perhaps the most fascinating part of this book for me is seeing the historical events happening (the American revolution unfolding) in a scenario where the revolution is not "The Story", but is only "The Setting". Very interesting, very insightful commentary on the development of our capitalist society, and very disturbing all at the same time.
Rating: Read
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