The book immediately reminds one of the slew of other dystopian novels that are being published now. Marena and Dex sneaking off the compound felt parallel to Katniss and Gayle. This book however stays closer to traditional Orwellian novels. There are not explosions or violence, but while reading the book, one feels the look of big brother at all times. The author's note at the ends adds another touch of realism because he based the book on Sophie Scholl a young college student who met all the requirements of living under Hitler's regime. She would have been safe if she kept silent, but she chose to protest because she believed she did not have a right to remain silent. The choice cost her life, but the white roses she used to protest gave hope to many. ( )

Very disturbing, very depressing. Would be interesting paired with Susan Bartoletti's book on the Hitler youth program. ( )

Chilling and stark, this dystopian tale takes Germany's White Rose resistance as its inspiration, and imagines a USA with an entirely different feel from the one we know today. The surprises are not as surprising as I'd have liked for them to be, but still the plot was solid and the story engrossing. ( )

Provocative book about freedom vs. totalitarianism. It was Pre-Hunger Games and a little less flashy,,.but worth reading. ( )

Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com

In this vision of a government-controlled futuristic world, James DeVita introduces readers to Marena, a teenage girl who is just barely old enough to remember a world without the Zero Tolerance Party, which rules their lives and restricts everything from interactions with the opposite sex to education to reading and writing to private conversations to (it seems sometimes) thoughts.

Marena struggles to remember a time when people could talk to whomever they wanted, say what they wanted, live the way they wanted. As the ZTs took control, Marena's mother was one of a brave few who spoke out against what was happening to their country. And she was murdered for it.

Now, urged on by the memory of her mother, Marena and a couple of like-minded friends begin their own resistance: The White Rose. The White Rose will not be silenced...and the consequences for all of them, for their families, could be deadly. But they could be even worse if the ZTs are allowed uncontrolled power over everything and everyone.

THE SILENCED is an un-put-downable, fast-paced story that, scarily, doesn't seem so far off the mark sometimes, in regard to our country's future. It's definitely something to think about.

Besides raising important questions, this well-written novel is just entertaining. Despite its size (over 500 pages), the action moves fast enough to capture even some reluctant readers' attention. James DeVita is a talented voice in young adult literature, and I'll certainly be looking up his previous novel, BLUE, and waiting eagerly for whatever he writes next! ( )