2018 School Spending Survey Report
Glory O'Brien's History of the Future
308p. Little, Brown. Oct. 2014. Tr $18. ISBN 9780316222723.
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Gr 9 Up—King returns with another wholly original work of magical realism. This eerie, provocative title centers on Glory O'Brien, on the verge of graduating high school. Though talented and whip-smart, Glory is an outsider whose social interactions are largely limited to her only friend, Ellie, who lives across the street in a commune, and her father, a one-time painter who's been floundering since the suicide of Glory's mother 12 years earlier. Both girls realize they have the power to see the past—and future—of strangers around them, and Glory slowly understands that an incredibly disturbing, Handmaid's Tale-esque future lies in store, with the rights of women and girls being eroded and a second civil war breaking out. The teen is confronted not only by her future but by the past: she fears that she'll go down the same path as her psychologically unstable mother and begins to learn about a falling-out that took place between her parents and Ellie's years ago. As with works such as Ask the Passengers (2012) and Everybody Sees the Ants (2011, both Little, Brown), King has developed an unusual protagonist, yet one with a distinct and authentic voice. Elevating herself above the pack and imbuing her novel with incredible nuance, King artfully laces themes of disintegrating friendship, feminism, and sexuality into the narrative, as well as some provocative yet subtle commentary on the male gaze and the portrayal of women in our culture. This beautifully strange, entirely memorable book will stay with readers.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library JournalGlory ingests dessicated bat remains and begins receiving eerie "transmissions" from people around her--and scenes from the future depicting a Second Civil War, sparked by rampant misogyny, in which a white-haired Glory is a prominent rebel fighter. Magical realism broadens the novel's societal critique; Glory is deeply scarred yet buoyed by wry humor and thoughtful intelligence. Thoroughly original, uniquely compelling, and deeply memorable.
Still haunted by her mother's suicide years ago, seventeen-year-old Glory is certain she'll die young, too, and can envision no future for herself. Until, that is, she ingests dessicated bat remains and begins receiving eerie "transmissions" from people around her -- details about and images of their ancestors and/or descendants. The scenes from the future depict a shocking Second Civil War, sparked by rampant institutional misogyny, in which a white-haired Glory is a prominent rebel fighter. Maybe she does have a life ahead of her after all. As in King's Ask the Passengers (rev. 1/13) and Everybody Sees the Ants (rev. 1/12), magical realism serves to broaden the novel's societal critique (of parasitic friendships, dysfunctional families, and anti-feminism), expanding the book's purview and allowing Glory to comment on the past, present, and future. Again, the protagonist is deeply scarred yet buoyed by a wry sense of humor and a thoughtful intelligence; again, mysterious (and fascinating) visions provide the struggling teen with hope and a reason to live. Glory has always gotten crap for being a feminist ("Why did everyone mix up that word so much?") -- but it will make her important to the future uprising; instead of following in her mother's footsteps, she now knows she's destined for a long, and meaningful, life. King's distinctive approach to fashioning a story of adolescent strife results in a book that's not only thoroughly original but also uniquely compelling and deeply memorable. jennifer m. brabander
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