Glory O'Brien's History of the Future
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3.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last--a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more.
Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities--but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she's never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way...until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person's infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions--and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying: A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women's rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she'll do anything to make sure this one doesn't come to pass.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
High school graduation has already prompted Glory O'Brien to confront the chronic malaise she's felt since her mother's suicide 13 years earlier. Then she and Ellie, a friend who lives in a hippie commune across the street, swirl the ashes of a mummified bat (you read that right) into their beers, and both girls begin receiving "transmissions" from everyone they encounter: "We could see the future. We could see the past. We could see everything." From these visions, Glory learns of a second Civil War, set in motion by misogynistic legislation aimed at preventing women from receiving equal pay for equal work. Writing an account of the events she's learning about from the transmissions helps Glory see a future for yourself and understand the ways in which her mother's legacy and her father's love have shaped her into the thoughtful, mature young woman she is. The bizarre bat-swilling episode recedes, revealing a novel full of provocative ideas and sharply observed thoughts about the pressures society places on teenagers, especially girls. Ages 15 up.
Customer Reviews
AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall 2.5 Rounded Narration 3 Stars 2
AudioBook Review:
Stars: Overall 2.5 Rounded Narration 3 Stars 2
I don’t quite know what I was expecting when I picked this title: I was hoping for something unusual with a solid character that was able to overcome the massive losses and see a point in her future. I don’t believe that I expected the often very strange twists, nor the wonderful depictions of the magical realism that appeared in Glory’s visions. I did find that there were often “sketches” of a dystopian vision without a clear connection to the ‘how’, and while the injections were lovely in description and intent, that lack kept them a bit flat.
I enjoyed, although I don’t feel particularly connected to Glory in any way: there is a remove in her character that keeps everyone at arm’s length, and just at the point you hope to cross over, the proselytizing prose regarding feminism and women’s issues bounces in carrying a banner, beating a drum and completely removing the tentative connection. And we can talk about the self-described feminist bent that both she and her father claim to have: but neither seemed particularly connected to the ideology, beyond mouthing the words.
Now, being a woman I should be all for the focus on women’s issues and the clearly defined feminist sentiments: but the writing and the frequent insertions did just the opposite. I dislike the ‘preachy’ tone that such an overlay into every issue presents, give readers some credit for seeing a potential problem in the ‘world as she is envisioning it in the future” and allow them to see the pitfalls and inequalities. The book quickly became ‘one note, one issue” for me, and the potential to see Glory realize her value and potential became a trail of breadcrumbs after the birds came through: difficult to pull together in a cohesive unit.
What I had hoped would bring some new perspective in an engaging way became difficult to enjoy, with many moments of “oh again” as the story went off into yet another discussion about the impact of a decision / situation on women. There is a current ‘lack’ of women who will identify themselves as “feminists”, particularly in the YA and coming of age teens: or they ‘qualify’ it by discounting the stronger and more rabid voices of the movement. I can’t see this book making any inroads to changing the connotation of the word feminist, nor accounting for any reader’s ability to see, recognize and make conclusions about inequities in situations.
Narration as provided by Christine Lakin was solidly well-paced and a pleasant listen. Most importantly, she did not over-reach in pitch, tone or emotion while still presenting Glory’s moments of visions with the appropriate mix of awe and questions that must have been in Glory’s own heart and head.
While I’ve heard good things about this author’s work, this AudioBook, and find that pacing, prose and even moments of relationships remembered and developing are wonderful, the story really did nothing for me.
I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.