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One Pledge Unspoken
By Patricia Hilliard
Writers Showcase 0-595-16373-4
$12.95
www.iuniverse.com
www.hilliardbooks.netTrue, I was not alive during the 60s, but from what I heard, it was good ol' time in the dark days. Everything seemed to explode: music, sex, culture, war, and politics, to name a few. Then there were the 70s, the birth of disco, punk, and serial killers. The 80s had MTV and the birth of video and the exploitation of VISUAL stars, plus the Blockbuster and the Yuppy/Preppy came around. The 90s was a wasteland, used up ideas, carbon copying, milking, draining, and boredom. How are the 2000 measuring up, who the hell knows.
Anyway, the 60s. The Vietnam War took over the country as well as Bet Anderson's mind. A high school student who had good marks and always did what was expected of her, that is, until the war happened. Bet protests the country's (and her school's) involvement in the war and starts an underground newspaper called The Rebel, branding her a Communist, a troublemaker. From there, a chain of problems arise in her life. Bet has to deal with free speech, teen sex, town racism, sexism, and conformity (to name a few).
The one thing I noticed about this short novel of 126 pages was it was more of a protest than a work of fiction. It screams in your face. Some parts seemed very autobiographical (after reading the author's bio as an activist I can't help wonder if she had a similar beginning) which was cool because it added a touch of truth and realism concerning the emotion.
"Issues" are the main characters of this story and character seems to come second. True, Bet went through some real and serious issues during a turbulent time in American history, but there are just so many issues. ARGGHHHH! If I was Bet I would of shot myself or just turned into a Zombie.
However, I am not Bet and she is wiser for it
I think the novel could have focused on just a few issues and then explored them, beefing it up. Like I said, character isn't a priority here (whether that was intentional or not) and I would of liked to have spent more time in her head. Most of the characters where just humanized opinions, there to state a side of the argument. The pacing was very chop, chop, chop, and often glazed over beats of the story.
Does this make it a bad novel…Hell No!
"One Pledge Unspoken" has to be one of the most interesting young adult novels I read since Robert Cormier. It is readable, entertaining, a little antagonizing, and in your face. Try it out.
Review by Mike Purfield
Critical Raves for Mike Purfield's "Dirty Boots."
"If you're looking for a good read, something you've never experienced before, then this is the book for you." Paul Kane of Terror Tales.
Rated 3 out of 4 by Unhinged Magazine.
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