The Silenced

I did a lot of reading this week!! I also read the book, The Silenced, by James DeVita. This book is sort of futuristic, with a twist on communism. The more I got into the book, the more I realized what the book was making fun of--governments that gain too much control over their people. Marena, the main character of the book, is the daughter of two "rebels" to the government--her mother was killed and her father is under house arrest. At her school, the government disbanded all classes and now prepares and trains children (starting from ages 6 and on) to become assistants and officers for the government. Marena rebels with her boyfriend, Dex, and new friend, Eric, creating the group the White Rose. As time goes on, she becomes more determined to fight and learns the ugly truth about the government and the extent they would go to maintain power. Over time, Marena realizes that sometimes you just have to follow your gut instinct.

"Marena didn't know what to think anymore or whom to trust. Her father was right: Her mother hadn't changed anything. All she'd done was get herself killed. And here Marena was making the same mistake. The ZTs had all the power, all the strength. They could do whatever they wanted. What Marena and her mother had done made no difference, and nobody would remember it anyway. All they had accomplished was to hurt the people they loved" (390).

This book was a great read. I normally don't read books that take place in the future or involve government/people conflicts, but I literally could not put this book down!!