Representation: Side Asian character
Trigger warnings: Mentions of the Vietnam War, mentions of the Holocaust

6/10, after reading some great books I was hoping that I would enjoy this one, sadly I didn't like this one as much as the other ones I've read due to the glaring flaws in this and I highly doubt that I'd pick this one up again however I'd like to see what other books this author has written and hopefully they could be better than this one. It begins with the main character Mac Delaney living in a town controlled by essentially a dictator called Ms. Sett who controls everything from curfews to junk food and even the colour people are allowed to paint their houses with but most importantly the books. Mac goes to 6th grade and has to read The Devil's Arithmetic which was about the Holocaust but he soon discovered that some words were blacked out. Somehow I didn't connect to this; maybe this is only a thing in this book but I don't see books with blacked-out words, no it just doesn't work like that, rather libraries just ban or reject the book entirely rather than getting it and then removing a few words like one time I saw my library reject a book because it mentioned suicide. Of course, Mac is frustrated by this and when he got the uncensored version the words that were blocked in the censored one were just words referring to female bodies but I didn't like the preachiness in this when he was sorry for the actions of people of his race in the past but he never did that; he also defined some LGBTQIA terms I already know and acknowledged the Native American tribes which detracted from the story. There was a part where Mac's father suffered from a mental illness yet somehow despite his mother and grandfather teaching him to call things out when they are wrong he never applied that to his father, I don't really know. The ending just petered out when some kids protested against the school council board and then held a silent protest but after that, Ms. Sett got rid of some restrictions; I'm not sure if she uncensored the books yet. ( )

Mac Delaney lives in a small-town suburb of Philadelphia with his mother who works in hospice care and his grandfather who is a Vietnam War vet. The town isn’t particularly notable except that a handful of minority-viewpoint yet vocal folks have managed to convince local government to enact a variety of strange ordinances to purportedly keep the town safe, including enforcing a 9pm curfew, banning Halloween trick or treating, dictating that all houses must be painted white, and so on. One of the biggest proponents of all these strictures is Mac’s new teacher in sixth grade, although in school she seems more open. That is, until Mac and his fellow students notice that their reading assignment has certain words blackened out with a Sharpie marker. They are determined to take a stand against this censorship and so start researching the best ways to protest and speak up.

This was a very interesting title to read. I was a bit skeptical at the outset as the first few chapters seemed a little all over the place and introduced a lot of details, but it actually does all come together. Mac is concerned about truth, while having a father who he later deems a “liar,” although it seems likely that the man has some untreated mental illness. Despite himself wanting to point out uncomfortable truths (particularly around our country’s history of mistreating people of color), Mac is initially ill at ease with his friend Marci’s concern about women’s rights; however, that does come into play with the censored words and Mac ultimately sees the benefit of Marci’s feminist thinking and how it’s not just about elevating women to the same status as men but also freeing men from toxic ways of thinking and being.

As may be obvious by now, Mac and his close family are fairly liberal and politically active, but ultimately this book does show that everyone – regardless of their specific beliefs and political leanings – should care about preserving their right to read and their intellectual freedom. The book is actually somewhat lacking in diversity itself in terms of most characters being white, although that is addressed by Mac early on and there are also other ways that the book shows a lack of uniformity in people, as is true in life. The book that the students are reading in school is about the Holocaust and the students learn more about a few Jewish customs as a result. There is one classmate who is Asian, and another who is dealing with anxiety and later states being asexual. Mac’s living situation with a single parent and a grandparent is perhaps not that uncommon in real life, but still not the norm in children’s literature.

The book ends in a way that is cautiously optimistic about most of the problems raised, but not a tidy tying up of every negative thing in Mac’s life. I do like how the book did talk about his struggles with his feelings over all these events, and that both Mac and his grandfather were able to show emotion and even cry, normalizing this for boys and men. ( )

When the three main characters in this book find that their copies of The Devil's of Arithmetic have words blacked out, they decide to take action. From finding a copy that include the censored words to taking a stand within their school and community, the students push back against censorship in a town with heavy handed morality and community rules (no junk food?). The students remain the center of the activism, but get help from supportive adults.
The teacher at the center of the censorship remains a complex character but never directly speaks about her choice to censor words from stories in the text.
Sometimes veers into the didactic, but the characters are thoughtful, passionate, and determined. ( )

This book is sadly far too realistic. It's going on in my community and at my library.

BUT WOW! This is a book that needs read. Seeing children take a stand on something that matters to them. Wanting to stand up for what's right. And recognizing that people NEED TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS FOR THEMSELVES. Yes, this is SO important.

I want students to read this book. To ask the questions. And for the adults in their life to be willing to have those conversations with them. THEN and only then can change come about. THAT is when we will know we are training future thinkers. ( )

Middle school book great for future activists ( )