Alan S. Kessler

One of the best books I’ve read this year.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. I finished it about 2 weeks ago, but I wanted to take time to mentally digest all that it encompassed. The author does a wonderful job creating the characters in this novel. You definitely feel as if your going along with them while they discover themselves. It deals with some very heavy topics such as racism, bullying, alcoholism and dysfunctional relationships. All while set in the late 50’s world of sock hops and the Elvis era. It does a wonderful job of exploring the other sides of that white washed 50’s era we romanticized from tv, and portrays how a darker side of history was for many Native Americans, African Americans, people of Jewish faith, South Asians and LGBT people. At times, the darker themes can be pretty heavy as our young teenage protagonist deals with these social injustices around her, but through some of those darker scenes, comes through a tale of characters you will care about and how it will all unfold. This was an extremely well written book that I throughly enjoyed getting lost in the world the author created. The themes in Ghost Dancer are themes that are still relevant today. This is a book that will make you think and will still with you much later than the last chapter. I look forward to seeking out other books from Alan S Kessler.… (més)

This was an early reviewer book. To start, I had taken notes on paper and placed it inside the book for when I left a review but a tornado took out my house a few weeks ago and I lost the book to it. That being said, I’ll do my best to review the book without my notes.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was a moving journey that touched me in many ways. It let me down paths that I did not expect and I loved it. Thus far, it’s my favorite book I have read this year. Set in the 1950s, much of it still touches on subjects that we are facing today— sexism, racism, bullying, etc. Eleanor is a unique character and her coming of age tell is touching and interesting. There are many lines in the book I had written down that I wanted to share on social media. I feel like so many people could benefit from reading this book, or at least learn something. I highly recommend it. Thank you for the opportunity given to me to read and enjoy it.… (més)

I received this as an ARC and am reviewing it voluntarily.

What a strange book this has been.

A two-season world.
A master race. Tall, blonde and blue-eyed.
The need to keep the bloodlines pure.
Everything evil is called a pig, the burners, as far as the people following the Butcher, are evil and called pigs. But for the time being, only pigs are ritually slaughtered, but not everyone is allowed to eat the meat. This master society has its own caste system in place with the different people having their duties that identify with the class. The story line kept reminding me of Hitler and how they treated the Jews, with a little bit of Animal Farm for good reference.

Mikkel is the son of important official in the Butcher's society. His problem? He looks like a burner. He tries to conform but nothing seems to work. Even his mother and father seemed ashamed.

At the end of the book, my thoughts of Hitler and his evil kind as a parallel to the story bared fruit with references to Nazism and the Holocaust. This book seems to be an allegory to those evil times.

A masterful book about living with a master race, and what becomes of their ability to maintain society and their strong need to eliminate the already enslaved Burners.… (més)