The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing

Book Title: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the nation, Volume I

Author: M. T. Anderson

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Media Format: Book

Genre: Historical Fiction

Selection Source: National Book Award: 2006

Recommended Audience: High School and above, because of complex themes and sophisticated use of language.

Reading Recommendation: 4

Curriculum Connections: History

Kindness, humility, piety, respect for other human creatures--these are the great desiderata of all who pursue virtuous action and it matters not whether those who preach them heed their own advice (p.12)

-----Octavian Nothing

Summary

Octavian is an African prince turned slave, turned sociological experiment. Octavian has always been aware of his royal blood, but has been emersed in an experimental bubble to hide his slave status from him. The members of the Novanglian College of Lucidity, who have created this condition are interested in discovering the negroes' abilities to achieve a classical education. The unbiased observer who witnesses Octavian's mastery of languages, the classic Greek works, and his virtuosity on the violin would, at the very least be forced to admit that some negroes are indeed capable of achieving an elite level of scholastic achievement, but as the College of Lucidity's funds dry up, and their new benefactor has motives in the experiment that are less pure than science, Octavian's position becomes all too apparent to him. As he says after witnessing the death of his mother, "I cannot fight--nor can I refrain--without imputations of savagery."

Evaluation

This is the second book I've read by M. T. Anderson, who is known for writing uncompromisingly intellectual works for YAs. While The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing(winner of the National Book Award for Young People) lacks the profanity and sexual situations of some of his other works, it is certainly a work intended for a mature YA audience. It's probably ideal for a classroom setting that forces students to confront and examine the complex social issues and political/philosophical quandaries presented.

Some of the questions that confront the reader while reading this book include, What makes a slave different from a prince? How should one respond, when one's fate seems so predetermined? How could people fight for the idea of liberty, while enslaving others? Like all great authors, Anderson does not provide us with the answers to these questions. He puts the questions in our heads like an irritating gadfly, with the hope that it will provoke us to ponder the hypocrisies and wonders of the human condition.