Violence 101

September 27, 2010
Hamish Graham is 14 years old and in his fourth juvenile detention home for
violent behavior—including what would have been manslaughter if he'd been old enough for jail. Hamish is confident, intelligent, and hardly sympathetic, but as the book progresses, readers see there is a method to what is not exactly madness. Shifting mainly between Hamish's journal entries and heated conversations among staffers about him, debut novelist Wright reveals that the genesis of Hamish's actions lies with society. Where is the moral distinction between Hamish's experiments on animals and those done by medical researchers? And how, Hamish asks, would his hero Alexander the Great, "probably responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths," be thought of today? Set in New Zealand, where it was published in 2007, Wright's novel is clever and biting, a tragedy of society's failure to deal with kids like Hamish and a satire of society's winking condemnations of violence. Hamish's actions can be revolting, despite his justifications, but he still draws empathy as a product of the environment at large. Hardly a comfortable book to read, but a gripping one. Ages 14–up.

October 1, 2010
Military geniuses Alexander the Great, Charles Upham and Te Rauparaha are 14-year-old New Zealand inmate Hamish Graham's idols. Like them, he's tough and smart, and he doesn't shy away from danger, terror or death--really, he's more than a little sociopathic. His journey to juvie unfolds in a meandering patchwork of alternating third-person chapters mixed with Hamish's journal entries, in which he establishes himself as the leader among the inmates. The book's arresting cover, fast-paced action and provocative theme will score big with reluctant readers, but the disjointed narrative may throw them on occasion. Wright has trouble connecting ideas to action, and the plotting contains several weak moments. Hamish's many overwritten histories of his idols awkwardly stop and restart the action. The death-defying climax is a case in point: It's full of excitement but feels tacked on and disconnected from both the plot and the emotional journey of the characters. Still, the author obviously knows his material and audience, and he's built in lots of potential to thrill even if readers have to flip pages to get to the better parts. (Fiction. 12 & up)

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November 1, 2010

Gr 8 Up-New Zealander Hamish Graham is in his third institution-this time for violent offenders. Not only has he attacked other youth, but he also has attacked staff and a therapist. From a "good" family, Hamish could be labeled a genius and/or a sociopath; he has no qualms about his violent behavior, and, in fact, he elaborately and convincingly justifies it. The book alternates chapters between staff meetings to discuss Hamish and his lengthy journal entries. The journal provides insight into the 14-year-old's take on staff, group homes, his past, and international history. Obsessed with the normalcy of violence, Hamish studies and writes about leaders such as Alexander the Great and Maori chief Te Rauparaha, and wishes he had been born into a warrior society. What he doesn't expect is to start to care about a staff member. When he escapes the facility on an extreme mission of his own design that will either kill him or provide him with what he's always wanted, the book picks up speed. A lengthy glossary of New Zealand English and Maori terms and information about the country's history and culture are included. This first novel is for those "special readers"-the smart and antisocial ones-like Hamish himself.-Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Oakland, CA

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2010
Grades 8-11 Fourteen-year-old Hamishs reputation is as fearsome as his rap sheet: he has tortured animals, gouged out eyes, committed arson, and, at age 10, killed a man by pushing him off a pier. Counselors at New Zealands New Horizons Boys Home, Hamishs latest landing spot, put the boy to work writing a journal to express himself. The results, though, are shocking: Hamish has little remorse for his actions, jeers the adult staff, and demonstrates a canny self-awareness of his uniqueness: This next stuff is going to sound really bad. By aligning Hamish with such historical figures as Alexander the Great, Wright makes a strong, unexpected case for the kind of problem child who might have been celebrated had he been born in a time that prized brilliant savages. Hamishs diary entries are masterfulsharp, funny, playful, and tonally consistent. The adult points of view that alternate these passages feel flimsy and forced by comparison, and the action-movie final act feels similarly hasty. None of this, however, diminishes the forceful portrait of a highly memorable antihero.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)