Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers on October 14th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Magic Realism, YA, Young Adult
Goodreads
Would you try to change the world if you thought it had no future?
Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities — but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she’s never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way... until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person’s infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions—and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying.
A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women’s rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she’ll do everything in her power to make sure this one doesn’t come to pass.
In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last—a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more.
I borrowed this book from my library, this does not affect the contents of my review.
As a huge A.S. King fan, I had to pick up Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future. And oh boy, this book is just as amazing as all of her other ones. While the concept of the novel seems really strange to others, I thought it was refreshing and uniquely quirky.
When Glory and her best friend drink a dead bat, they start seeing people’s futures and pasts all at once. While all of this is happening, Glory is still struggling to figure out her place in the world- and she keeps wondering about her mother, who committed suicide 14 years before. In general, this book is entertaining, compelling, quirky and thought-provoking.
I loved Glory’s point of view, and I definitely related to her. She struggled with finding herself, figuring out how she fit into the world of her parents, friends and post-high school life. I thought her point-of-view was refreshing compared to some other characters I’ve read about lately and I just loved that Glory was not two-dimensional. She liked photography, was fascinated with death, and sometimes was prone to over-thinking. She felt like an actual human being, and A.S. King is the best at writing realistic characters. And somehow incorporating magic into their very-real lives.
The plot of the book, despite how it seemed, left me shocked at times and was definitely fast-paced. Never a dull moment for sure! The romance in this book was practically non-existent but what romance was in Glory was fantastic, I loved it.
In general, Glory O’Brien’s History of The Future is another great novel by A.S. King. Even if Glory O’Brien doesn’t seem like your type of book, I highly recommend taking a look at other of A.S. King’s other novels because they are all fantastic.
Have you read Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, did you like it? If you haven’t read it, have you read any other book by A.S. King? Let me know!
