The Truancy Series by Isamu Fukui

Hey friends! I have been writing some little book reviews lately and I wanted to share.
I love this series. I don't think it is half as popular as it should be. Check it out!

I was introduced to the Truancy series by Isamu Fukui in my sophomore year of high school. I’m generally not too interested in action/ninja books, but I read the first book anyways, to impress a boy, of course. Wow, was I surprised! Truancy has unique and exciting plot that distinguishes it from other postmodern teen reads.

The story centers around a country that uses the education system to subconsciously control its citizens. A teenage boy, Tack, becomes aware of the cruel system of the schools and runs away. Along the way, he meets Umasi, a mysterious pacifist who sells lemonade in an abandoned district, and Zyid, the leader of a rebellious force known as the Truancy. The Truancy is made up of truant and expelled students who yearn to end the school’s harsh control over students by fighting the government. Tack joins the Truancy and learns from both Umasi and Zyid, eventually becoming second in command of the Truancy. Tack, however, has a hidden motive. He believes that Zyid’s rebellion is responsible for the death of his sister and vows to take his revenge. Truancy is full of perceptive characters and EPIC fight scenes. The series contains three books: Truancy; Truancy Origins; and Truancy City. Though Truancy Origins is a prequel to Truancy, I definitely recommend reading the books in the order I have listed.

Fukui wrote and published the first book when he was only seventeen years old. Though his writing style may not be perfectly polished, he creates a fascinating plot that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat the entire series. There is a little something for everyone: action, romance, philosophy, and family. Truancy Origins is definitely my favorite of the three, but each one had its own appeal. I love these books because they refuse to let you see the world as black and white. There is no “good guy” and “bad guy”. Each character has right and wrong intentions, and each is fighting for what he or she believes is most important. I recommend this series to anyone who loves The Hunger Games, Divergent, or Ender’s Game. It is not a more popular series, so you may have to special order it from your local library or bookstore. It is well worth the wait though. You will be immediately captivated by the lives of the characters and the ever twisting plot. Just make sure you don’t conspire any mutiny against your principal after reading.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Caution tape surrounded the bookshelf. My hands quivered as I reached out for the forbidden book. The air was full of excitement as I opened the cover and began to read. It was banned book month at my local bookstore.

The book I happened to reach for was The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, a riveting classic about a young woman's descent into madness. Though the book is narrated by a girl named Esther Greenwood, it is a well known fact that The Bell Jar is a thinly disguised memoir of Plath's own life. The story begins in glamorous New York City where Esther is working for a fashion magazine. But all that glitters is not gold, as can be seen by the trials Esther faces while in New York. When she returns to her small hometown, Esther begins to lose her grip on reality. She becomes paranoid of innocent occasions, she isolates herself from those who care for her, and she loses her ability to function normally. Eventually, Esther is sent to a mental asylum where a crude doctor gives her shock treatments as a solution to her mental illness. The shock treatments, however, spiral her into a yet worse state causing her to try to end her own insanity. After her attempted suicide, Esther is sent to a more refined mental hospital where she recovers slowly and develops interesting relationships with her doctor and her fellow patients. The book ends rather open-endedly, but those who know the story of Sylvia Plath’s life can make a reasonable assumption to the conclusion.

 Plath writes with a matter-of-fact voice, refusing to sugarcoat details. Her ability to put surreal feelings into words amazes me. There are rare moments in life when someone seems to not only understand completely, but also recapture exact emotions vividly. The Bell Jar is full of moments like this. Additionally, Plath uses a plethora of interesting strategies to tell her story. For instance, the first paragraph of the book opens with an allusion to the Rosenberg execution by electric chair, an ominous foreshadowing of the shock treatments Esther is given in the mental asylum.

This book has continued to resonate with me for months after reading. The Bell Jar is full of unforgettable moments and stellar imagery. I recommend it to anyone who has ever suffered with a mental illness, and to anyone who has ever just felt plain crazy. I would encourage readers under the age of fifteen to wait to read this book as it contains graphic sexual and suicidal content. The Bell Jar is indeed disturbing, earning its place as a formerly banned book. Yet, in my opinion, it is disturbing in the very best of ways.