Truancy: A Novel
By Isamu Fukui
3/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
In an alternate world, in a nameless totalitarian city, the autocratic Mayor rules the school system with an iron fist, with the help of his Educators. Fighting against the Mayor and his repressive Educators is a group of former students called the Truancy, whose goal is to take down the system by any means possible--at any cost.
Against this backdrop, fifteen-year-old Tack is just trying to survive. His days are filled with sadistic teachers, unrelenting schoolwork, and indifferent parents. Things start to look up when he meets Umasi, a mysterious boy who runs a lemonade stand in an uninhabited district.
Then someone close to Tack gets killed in the crossfire between the Educators and the Truants, and Tack swears vengeance. To achieve his purpose, he abandons his old life and joins the Truancy. There, he confronts Zyid, an enigmatic leader with his own plans for Tack. But Tack soon finds himself torn between his desire for vengeance and his growing sympathy for the Truants….
Isamu Fukui wrote Truancy during the summer of his fifteenth year. The author's purpose is not just to entertain, but to make a statement about the futility of the endless cycle of violence in the world as well as the state of the educational system. And, as he put it, "I need to be in school myself if I want to write about it."
Isamu Fukui
ISAMU FUKUI is a student at New York University in New York City. His first novel, Truancy, was published to rave reviews and garnered significant publicity, including two interviews on National Public Radio and features in The New York Daily News and Esquire.com.
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Reviews for Truancy
55 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tack lives in The City. The City is an experiment the Mayor is running, where they are trying to control people through the school system. They push children with schoolwork as far as they can so they will be obedient as adults. Some students have started rebelling, and they have formed a group called The Truancy to better coordinate their efforts. The Truancy is led by Zyid, who kills Tack's sister during one of his assassinations. This leads to Tack joining the Truancy, and quickly rising through the ranks. His first thought is to kill Zyid and take his revenge, but he seems mesmerized whenever in Zyid's presence, and eventually takes the Truancy's beliefs for his own.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This would make a really awesome action film.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Ahhhhhhh I've been reading this forever and I'm a little better than halfway through, but every time I open it up I get the "what is this I don't even" feeling again. I think there are some interesting ideas, but by the time I've gotten this far into the book I've forgotten what they are.
The writing is pretty bad. This is why people shouldn't achieve their dreams at 15 years old. Oh goodness the badness of the writing. And it seems there was not an editor within ten feet of the manuscript. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Tack and his sister Suzie are students. The purpose of the educational system in this dystopian novel is to create adults who will obey without question. In order to do this, the Mayor creates laws that require students to obey, regardless of the task. The consequences are brutal, such as expulsion, which can lead to death. The Mayor, who rules with an iron fist, has a group of Enforcers who make sure all rules are followed.The Truancy is a group of teens who have,for the most part, left school and are fighting the Enforcers. Both sides of this equation use brutal means to attain their goals, which is total annihilation of the other side.Each year the school has senior day during which the seniors brutalize the underclassmen. Tack and Suzie run away and Tack enters uninhabited District 19 where he meets Umasi, a pacifist in this war between the Enforcers and the Students. Tack returns on a regular basis and Umasi teaches him both to fight and to be cmopassionate.When a chief enforcer, Mr. Caine, visits Tack's school, Suzie's friend Melissa throws a sticnk bomb at him. Suzie takes the blame and as Mr. Caine escorts Suzie to a car to drive her away and expel (kill her), The Turancy (in the form of Zyid and Noni) throw a molotov cocktail at the car, inflaming it and killing both Suzie and Mr. Caine. Tack is helpless in this ordeal but runs away in both agony and fear that he will be held accountable in some fashion.Tack runs to deserted District and meets up with The Truancy. He joins and beomces an integral part of their organization. His goal of getting revenge on Zyid and Noni for his sister's death becomes secondary.Through a series of discussion questions at the end of the book, the reader understands that Fukui is trying to relate his story to the guerilla warfare going on in the world today. However, in my opinion, he has created a dull, but violent story. I don't thinnk that the reader empathizes with an character, least of all Tack. The plot is slow, the action mostly bombing and rocket launchers and the pacing, while there is action, is dull and slow. The reader loses the sensation of time.I bagged the book about 2/3 of the way through. Regardless of the outcome, I didn't think I'd gain any more insight into the book and the boredom factor was rearing its ugly head.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I think this book will only be appreciated by a few readers, but will be picked up by many boys due to the cover. I liked the characters of Tack, Umasi, and Zyid, and also liked the fact that the book is a stand alone. The death that drives Tack to seek revenge was a powerful motivator, but I thought he might have changed his mind once certain truths were revealed. Again, I'd be very particular about who I recommended this book to. It is more suited to older students (high school)
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Judging this book solely based on the fact that it was written by a 15 year old boy, it's quite good. Comparing it to other YA literature, it's mediocre at best. The plot is mediocre, the characters waiver between being flat and three dimensional, and Fukui relies far too heavily on violence. That being said, he's an engaging enough writing that I wanted to know what happened, even though I found the end disappointing. I can definitely see Fukui's potential and hope that he continues to write. Because if he allows his writing to grow up as well, I think we'd be in for a treat.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Abandoned early on. Written by a fifteen-year-old - reads just like that; in dire need of a good editor.