Brutal Author Michael Harmon By Michael Harmon
When I first picked up this book, I thought that the premise of it could lead to something not completely predictable.
How wrong I was.
I dislike Poe. So much. I understand what she's trying to get at, but she feels so arrogant and has a 'I am always right how dare you defy me' sort of attitude. Rebellious characters are acceptable, but being excessively so is a bit much.
Not to mention that nothing really goes badly for her. And we're talking about almost every single little thing. Even the parts where she experiences some sort of humiliation or frustration with the system and so forth end up with her succeeding in whatever she's doing.
I'm not even going to mention the plot. Basically, the underdog can apparently get away with essentially everything and wins in the end. That's it. There's no real depth or lesson involved, except for maybe that you should stand up for what you think is right. Even then, this book gives the misleading message that doing so will always result in a near-immediate (if not immediate) victory.
All in all, I felt that she didn't fail enough to have any real character development, the plot was ridiculously predictable, and that it sends out a distorted message. 240 soo, i really enjoyed this one. Our main character Poe, was a character!! She was a little rebel. She makes me want to be more spunky.
In this book we are following Poe. Your run of the mill teenager, who is quite the rebel. She quickly becomes a school outcast, voicing her opinions and cutting her hair into a mohawk, befriending a social leper and defending the school's kick-around kid. Her quest for school equality and defense for the weak and picked on becomes quite the journey. How far will she go to stick up for others?
I'll just say the ending is happy... almost too happy.
I recommend this one, if you're not feeling it about half way through, it's not for you though. Try it out!
240 Ok, the cover of the paperback edition has a blurb on the cover that makes it sound like the book is simply a case of bully vs. protagonist. Thing is, it's not really about the bully at all. Sure Colby's a complete jerk and definitely the catalyst for action, but the book is really about about fighting the establishment that allows bullying to take place. You see, Poe Holly has just moved to a small, upscale winery town on the California coast. She's been living in LA most of her life, singing in a punk band and generally being a pain in her mother's derriere. Now, living with her dad for the first time ever, she's not really sure about that, either. She meets a couple of the other notorious outcasts from school and forges an immediate bond with them as well as a healthy dislike for any and all elements of her new high school's regime. She spends a lot of time putting up a stink about rules that come across as unfair and rattles the cages of the faculty at Bender's High. Then she witnesses a severe beating, only to find it being covered up and glossed over by all authority figures. She's pissed. And she's going to do something about it.
So, Poe was an interesting enough character. She's a classic angst-filled teen, imbued with a heightened sense of justice. You love her and you hate her. Sometimes I was cheering for her; others, I was severely annoyed (particularly when it comes to her and her dad). But that's cool, her complexity is one of the few things keeping this book afloat. The target of the bullies, Velveeta and Poe's new bf, Theo are two of the other things working in favor of this novel. They're hilarious and multi-dimensional as well. The rest of the characters, however, are pretty much stock characters. The bully is the school's football star and his parents are well-connected. While the father character seems like a pretty nice guy, he constantly comes off as a therapist. Granted, he's a guidance counselor, but still...Absent mom is, well, absent. At least until the too-tidy ending. This book is more a vehicle for a message about questioning assumptions, rules and habits than a satisfying novel. The plot and writing are just a bit too messy and the conclusion far too predictable for this to have the impact that it could have. 240
Poe feels spurned when her mother sets her on a plane to go live with the dad she's never met. Poe is sarcastic and witty, cutting and strong. She sees the wrongness in the school- that the school preaches equality, but that's never true. Teachers and adults turn a blind eye on the bullying, the fact that the athletes etc. have more rights and privileges than the other students. Poe sees all that- and she strives to change it. She fights, verbally, for a lot of different things. She fights just because she can. She fights to help Velveeta, a messed up boy being physically harassed by the big popular athletes. She fights against any prejudices anyone has against her.
All of the secondary characters are also wonderful, interesting, and unique. Theo speaks in metaphors a lot of the time, and actually, is hard to understand at times. I pride myself on being intelligent, but it took a real brain workout at times to sift through all that he talked of. He dislikes the school hierarchy also, but doesn't believe he can do much until Poe comes around. Velveeta is a very strange boy that has many problems. Poe's dad is the school counsellor, and therefore speaks very coldly and clipped. Colby, the school bully, is a mean and vicious boy. Anna, cheerleader and head soloist in the amazing school choir, is probably my favourite character. She seems like a typical annoying cheerleader, but she has a good heart and will stand up when needed.
The dialogue is hilarious. The humor is perfect and quirky. In some scenes, I could feel Poe's anger (she yells and swears a lot) bounce off the walls. The atmosphere would vibrate with Poe's intensity. Then there were scenes that were quite cute- I loved the relationship between Poe and Theo. Some scenes, I didn't really know what to make of. Mostly, those scenes were with Velveeta, who I honestly couldn't understand. But what the different scenes all had in common, was that they were all well done.
Brutal comments on many of the social aspects of life in a small, closed-minded town. While Poe sets out to change the ways of the school, in the process, she also changes. She has to realize things about herself.
Actually, in some ways, Brutal seemed like the small-town version of Genesis. There's a lot of discussions about the deeper things in life. A different type of deep in Brutal than in Genesis, but I feel it's deep all the same.
Overall, great great read. I recommend it. It's quirky, it's powerful, and it gets across the message. Great, fun characters in a book that reads quickly. It packs quite the punch for being only a little more than 200 pages. 240 Hmm, with Brutal, I couldn't decide between two or three stars. The topic of bullying and a main character who tries to do something to reform the educational system that not only doesn't prevent it but may actually encourage it are worthwhile. But the execution is didactic in many spots, and Harmon seems to sacrifice narrative, character, and writing style to message.
Nonconformist Poe Holly's doctor-mother has shipped her off to a father she doesn't know so that she can go play humanitarian in South America. Poe finds herself in a wealthy wine country tourist town where the school prides itself on, well, lots of pride. She revels in being different, but not all who fall outside the lines of cliques and power structure are lucky enough to choose. She befriends one such square peg who goes by the name of Velveeta and has become the target of BMOC Colby Morris. Can taking the prized soloist spot away from one of the perfect girls and refusing to wear a gym uniform shirt when althletes can wear their jerseys make any difference when bullying violence turns serious?
240
I've read over 1000 books and this is probably the worst book I have ever read. I can't give a review without it turning into a raging rant about the depth of my ire, so I will leave it at that.
If you want a book about bullying, please look elsewhere. This one is Pulitzer-worthy compared to Brutal: The Beckoners. 240 I have to say, I really, really enjoyed reading this novel probably because it exceeded my expectations.
I highly enjoyed the witty humor and the very interesting point of view, Poe.
The characters, Poe, Theo and Velveeta are highly personified and are developed nicely. I enjoyed Poe immensely because she's just so funny. I admire her courage to go against the school and its authorities to point out their errors. And even though she herself is the definition of the things she wants to get rid of, I love her approach because it's extremely ironic.
Theo is the typical sidekick and I absolutely adore him. He's funny and he's very easygoing. And despite the fact that he isn't as outspoken as Poe and the fact that he doesn't do anything to help Velveeta, he is still very against the school, their policy, in general.
Velveeta is the typical victim of school bullying. He's afraid of saying anything for fear of getting more hurt and more bullied. So instead, he keeps quiet about everything. He's a very quirky fellow and even though he's being bullied, I still find him courageous. He's not outwardly courageous but he has more of an inner courage. :) I love how Poe befriended him despite his weirdness and I personally find him as a very interesting person.
Overall, Brutal was a very entertaining read. It dwells in the idea of cliques and the idea of who fits in and who doesn't. The writing style made the book seem very worthwhile.
240 Only got 13 pages into this. Stopped shortly after the appearance of the overly clownish hick (complete with detailed announcements of his defecation plans). I found the protagonist overly-aware of her otherness (she describes herself as a counterculture being) and thus, not believable. The snark was too contrived. I was thinking it might be a fun remix of Beige by Cecil Castelucci, but just read that instead. 240 Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka Readingjunky for TeensReadToo.com
When sixteen-year-old Poe Holly's doctor mother decides to take her practice to the jungles of South America for a year, Poe finds herself living with the father she has never really known. She was a baby the last time her parents were in the same room together, and now she's moving into his house.
Since her mother is usually busy 24/7, Poe is used to living on her own. It's a welcome relief to find out her father is willing to allow her a fair amount of freedom, but his neat and tidy house soon becomes her home, and she is surprised how much she enjoys it. The shared meals and conversation aren't nearly as dreadful as she anticipated. The major weird thing about the arrangement is that when Poe starts school at the local high school, she's not sure how to handle the fact that David Holly, her newly inherited dad, is the school counselor.
Life in Benders Hollow is way different than the punk rocker life Poe is used to. Music is her life, and leaving her band was one of the hardest things she had to do. When her father suggests she could join the school choir and maybe even be one of their soloists, she rejects the idea as too lame to even consider. But after some contemplation, Poe stops in to visit the music teacher.
After hearing Poe's incredible voice, Mrs. Baird promises her a spot as the principal soloist. The result of that offer is one of Poe's first experiences with just exactly how the town of Benders Hollow works.
Poe soon learns that at Benders Hollow High School a select few have all the power. Although the school brags about its tolerance and its dedication to keeping its halls bully-free, Poe soon learns that the select few can do and say anything they want - and those in authority will look the other way.
Her father's odd neighbor, Velveeta, is a target for the rampant cruelty of Benders Hollow, and he provides just the reason Poe needs to stir things up a bit at her new school.
If you haven't had the pleasure of reading Michael Harmon, BRUTAL is a book you won't want to miss. His previous books, SKATE and THE LAST EXIT TO NORMAL, are excellent, but BRUTAL takes the prize in my opinion.
Poe is an independent thinker, and the way she champions the underdog should be an example to us all. She is a terrific combination of the two people who have parented her in such different ways. Our world would be a better place if more of us reacted to injustice like Poe did.
240 I found this book funny, chuckle worthy, but in the ha-ha ironic type of way. Why? Because Poe really does represent everything she hates and fights against. Normally I would not dwell on this but the book goes into great lengths to talk and re-talk about this topic. We are talking cliques.
Poe mentions about the injustice in cliques and how certain groups receives special favors. She tries all she can to go against it and speak up to the “Man” about it. But what I found truly ironic was that, she herself separates into a clique. When she first attended the school, who does she sit by with in class? The outsider of course. The boy in the back row looking outcaste from the group looking, how should we say, punkish. Dun dun dun…just like her! With her Salvation Army shirts, ripped fishnet stocking, and a Mohawk of course Poe would not dream of following her group of people! That will completely go against everything she stands her! And let’s not forget the music. Only hard rockers are allowed to listen to Motley Crue, the Sex Pistol and Metallica (but God forbid you listen to the newer version). Anything mainstream? Pshhh you’re a poser!
But Poe can do no wrong. If fact she joins the choir! Well with a slight biased attitude. She berates the music teacher for judging her before her tryouts and when she does well she quits right there and then. Here’s the irony. She expected it; she probably wanted it just to prove her point. She later rejoins the team to piss someone off and going against the “Man”. Anyone seeing a pattern.
So yes, Poe aggravates me. Even so I could help but like the book. The humor was crude, and the actual plotline was done fair—though the ending could use a bit more of a touch up. I just wanted to mess with this idea because Michael Harmon emphasized on this topic.
Overall: Weird, righteous, but still downright entertaining. Especially when writing this review. 240
With her martyr-doctor mother gone to save lives in some South American country, Poe Holly suddenly finds herself on the suburban doorstep of the father she never knew, who also happens to be a counselor at her new high school. She misses Los Angeles. She misses the guys in her punk band. Weirdly, she even misses the shouting matches she used to have with her mom.
But Poe manages to find a few friends: Theo, the cute guy in the anarchy Tshirt, and Velveeta, her oddly likeable neighbor—and a born victim who’s the butt of every prank at Benders High. But when the pranks turn deadly at the hands of invincible football star Colby Morris, Poe knows she’s got to fix the system and take down the hero.
With insightfulness, spot-on dialogue, and a swiftly paced plot, Michael Harmon tells the story of a displaced girl grappling with a truly dangerous bully. Brutal Author Michael Harmon