The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation Volume I- The Pox Party---What His Story Teaches Us About History

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation Volume I- The Pox Party is a hard book to review because its plot rests on a secret plan. As a novel, it is a little difficult for a reader to become engrossed in, in my opinion. It is a little dense (particularly for a YA novel). The language used is a little jarring because it attempts to reflect the time period the novel is set in (over 200 years ago) and the characters are trying to be secretive, so they are hard to connect with. I was also not a fan of all the letters in the middle of the book to forward the narrative (clever, but I was not into it). However, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing is an important book for the YA literary canon in its expansiveness and ambition, and it can also be particularly important for a female audience in terms of displaying history from a minority’s perspective.

There are two main things to know about the plot of The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing (possibly minor spoilers). One is that the protagonist Octavian is involved in an experiment. The other is that the time period setting of the novel pre-dates the American Revolutionary War (meaning for Octavian, the revolution is sort of an experiment in itself; no one knows whether or not it will work). Both experiments start off with good intentions, but things can go wrong in both instances.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing allows the reader to examine several important questions. What does it mean to be free? When is it important to rebel? Should you experiment on human beings? How does a person define themselves (race, creed, nationality, family background, the way other people view them)? And how much does the way you are treated by the outside world affect how you view yourself/ affect who you are?

Parent/Teacher Advisory: The language of this book is challenging, so it can be difficult for younger readers (and even older readers like me). ***Some Spoilers***There is also a dramatic death, a few questionable experiments, and some pretty intense physical and emotional abuse depicted. These things are not overly graphic, but they are there and are things to be aware of before reading.

Overall recommendation: So, how can a story about a young African American boy pre-revolutionary war with one distinct female character (his mother) be relevant for girls? Well, what this story does is make the reader question historical facts and become involved with the personal side of history. History, in a way, is literature; it is a story told by the most successful, the most powerful about their past. What girls need to realize is that a lot of their gender’s history is not told on a regular basis. History books often focus extensively on male accomplishments, but there were always women around making an impact on the world. Historical fiction allows us as readers to re-examine history in a different way and books like The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing can help girls realize and want to explore their gender’s role in historical events. So for that, and for the questions this novel grapples with, it is worth a try. It is far from my favorite current YA novel, but it’s well-written, and takes a unique perspective, which is something I would definitely encourage and I think is important for all literature (YA in particular).