Bibliography:
King, A. (2014). Glory
O'Brien's History of the Future. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young
Readers
Summary:
Glory O'Brien is graduating high school but she isn't headed to college and
doesn't know who she is or what she wants to do with her life. She has
never dealt with her mother's suicide when she was four and begins to question
her purpose in life. One night while out with her friend Ellie, they
decide to throw in some bat ashes to their beer. Their life would not be the
same anymore. The next day, they are able to see people’s past and future just
by looking at them. Ellie’s visions are not severe; however, Glory is able to
see a Civil War in the future. She begins questioning her father
about her mother and what happened and looks through her mother's darkroom and
her photo albums. She discovers that there was a bad history between her
parents and Elle's mom who have created a commune on O'Brien land. Glory
decides that she wants a future for herself and her father and encourages her
father to move on. They have legal papers drawn up to make Elle's family
leave. Glory is ready to move on with her life.
Critical Analysis:
This book keeps you interested throughout, it keeps you wanting to know what
vision Glory will see next. A. King does a great job keeping the reader
engaged! Even though the book does have events that are fantasy, many of the
events in the book are very common and realistic, events that many young adults
today are dealing with. Glory feels lonely, she is a teenager who is not
able to connect with her father. These are things that young adults today
are trying to deal with and can make those connections. Reading this book
is a great way for young adults to explore their identity and their purpose.
Connections to the textbook:
My young adults have a difficult time building a relationship with their
parents, this book talks about how Glory is trying to build a relationship with
her father. She is trying to understand her father and try to build a
relationship with him. They are both having a difficult time dealing with
the absence of Glory's mother. Glory's mother committed suicide, many
times young adults are dealing with the absence of their mother because of
death or because of divorce which is very difficult to deal with as well.
Reviews
"Wickedly clever...a genre-busting battlefield of a book."―Bestselling author Rick Yancey for The New York Times
* "This beautifully strange, entirely memorable book will stay with readers."―School Library Journal, starred review
*"Not only thoroughly original but also uniquely compelling and deeply memorable."―Horn Book, starred review
* "A novel full of provocative ideas and sharply observed thoughts about the pressures society places on teenagers, especially girls."―Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "An indictment of our times with a soupçon of magical realism.... Will inspire a new wave of activists."―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "King performs an impressive balancing act here, juggling the magic realism of Glory's visions with her starkly realistic struggle.... [A] powerful, moving, and compellingly complex coming-of-age story."―Booklist, starred review
* "King continues to be one of the most original (yet accessible) YA writers today, and the magical realism element accentuates the humanity of the narrative."―The Bulletin, starred review
"This book reminds you to get scared. It reminds you that battles fought aren't always won, that history repeats itself, that what we take for granted can easily be dismantled."―"Birthday by Birthday, a Starter Library for Young Feminists" --BNTeenblog
"You won't be able to put down this futuristic story about a girl who starts having visions of both the past and the future-in which she sees an end to women's rights and a civil war between sexes."―Teen Vogue
"The characters will stay with readers long after they finish the novel....Highly recommended."―VOYA
"Glory is a wry, occasionally acerbic narrator, exhibiting the balance of truth-telling and blindness so common to smart teens. In trademark King style, the chapters alternate between daily life and troubled future, despair and humor, rage and acceptance."―Shelf Awareness
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