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Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Boy I Am in Books

Dec 22, 2020  
The Boy I Am
The Boy I Am
K L Kettle | 2021 | Dystopia, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
9
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Imagine a world where women are safe from men. Imagine a world where women are in charge. Imagine a world where men no longer reduce women to something to flirt with or dismiss as beneath them. This is the way of life in K. L. Kettle's dystopian novel The Boy I Am. War has left the Earth in ruins, and it is no longer safe to go outside, yet humanity is surviving in tall, secure tower blocks overseen by the Chancellor. Men and boys are confined to the basement floors as a punishment for their behaviour during the war. To earn their right to live on the upper floors, they must learn to behave like a gentleman, and never look at a woman's skin without their permission.

The protagonist, Jude, is running out of time to earn the right to live amongst the women. If he does not gain a sponsor, he faces a future in the dangerous mines. Yet, Jude is not sure he wants to live with the women, who have demeaned him for his gender since his birth. He has seen another side to them and believes the Chancellor has killed his best friend. Jude wants to escape, risk the poisonous fog outside and search for a better life. To do this, the Chancellor must die.

The way women treat men and boys is uncomfortable to read. Female readers, in particular, may have experienced similar treatment at the hands of men. Feminists desire an equal world, but there is the risk of going too far the other way. Yet, as Jude discovers, it is not as black and white as Female versus Male. An underground gang of women known as Hysterics are also trying to escape. They want to save themselves and the boys from a society not run by women, but by the elite.

K. L. Kettle explains her intentions behind the novel in a letter to the reader at the end of the book. She quotes Lord Acton's (1834-1902) proverb "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and questions if everyone is equal, does everyone have the ability to abuse the power they have? What may have seemed a good idea for humanity after the war, has become an oppressive state where no one is safe from those in power, not even the women. The Chancellor controls everyone, but Jude and the Hysterics are determined to take that power away from her.

Telling the story from Jude's perspective highlights the faults in today's societies. Many are unaware of the belittling behaviour happening around them, but when the roles are reversed, they are obvious. The Boy I Am is both thrilling and eye-opening, challenging gender roles and power dynamics in general. Those who have read books such as Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman are guaranteed to enjoy K. L. Kettle's novel.
  
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Alicia S (193 KP) rated Vox in Books

Sep 28, 2018  
Vox
Vox
Christina Dalcher | 2018 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
10
8.8 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
I raged, I cried, I doubted... An absolute must-read!!
Imagine if, after the term of our first black President ended, a new totalitarian leader is elected.. Small changes are made, the Southern States, where religion rules, starts to grow and take over the country, converting all those in its path. News channels owned and fed by the government, women silenced, pushing our country back to the 50's as the rest of the world sits by and laughs at us. Sound eerily familiar? Can't imagine why... This book blew me away every step of the way. I raged, I cried, I doubted... An absolute must-read!!
  
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Phoebe Robinson recommended I Feel Bad about My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman in Books (curated)

 
I Feel Bad about My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman
I Feel Bad about My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman
Nora Ephron | 2008 | Essays
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"She’s brilliant beyond brilliant. I was reading this at this black hair salon while I was getting my braids done so I felt like the best of all of America. Ephron has a way with language and jokes. She’s very much a writer who uses her personal life to fuel her work. It’s really funny. Women who are older, people ignore their contributions, but people always craved her writing and her take on the world, and it’s a testament to her skills as a writer, and how she could get you into her world and make you want to be a part of it and keep reading."

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