Noughts and Crosses
Firstly, you need to know that I have discovered this book, when I was only 12 years old and I love it as always. Noughts and Crosses, it’s the first books of a series to five books.
To resume in one word this book: an opposition. Opposition between two skin colors. Opposition between politic ideas and ideology. Sephy, the Prime Minister’s daughter, is black. Callum, the nurse’s son, is white. She is rich and he is poor. That’s why the first word to resume this story is “opposition”. But what I found interesting in the universe of these two characters it’s that nobody is kind, nobody is wicked. All riches don’t reject poor. And all poor people don’t react with kindness and intellect. Allow to young nihils (white) to go in a good school isn’t enough, but it’s better than nothing, isn’t it? Defend your rights putting a bomb in a mall is bad, even if it’s for the good cause. In this world divide, Callum and Sephy will try to build a story together. They both want each other’s happiness, but neither of both show it in the right way. It’s complicated between us. Politically speaking, the hope the same thing: equality between Nihils and Primas, but the don’t express it on the same way: he meets an extremist group, she tries to convince her father. Their intentions are good, but not the way to do.
That the setting of the book. The accuracy with which Malorie Blackman describes her character’s feelings, their intentions, is amazing. Maybe I’m utopist, but her “fight” in this book touch me personally. Want the equality between nationalities, races. And her point of view is very interesting: in contrary what we are used, black don’t be oppressed but oppress white people. And it’s a black author who write this! How courage and strongness!
This book reminds me “Where is the Love?” by Black Eyed Peas. In this book, love and war are in opposition. They love them but hate the world where they live. It’s a perfect illustration of this lyrics:
“And to discriminate only generates hate And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah Madness is what you demonstrate”
Let’s read it! it’s a wonderful and powerful book!
Bye!
Audrey
Stories about discrimination are more instructive, but the problem is that people reading it are often altruistic.
It's interesting to change the roles of power between blacks and whites: the money is discrimination stronger than racism.
Hello Audrey
First of all thank you for this explanation. Although this question of opposition between black and white is not new in the world of literature and cinema I see that author doesn't mobilize usual clichés, to know : black is poor, white is rich. And often in the fiction the whites are wicked and the blacks are kind and victim. So what I don't like in it is conception of races. I would like that a day we can speak about relationship in real life and in fiction life too making a totally abstraction of the colour of the skin because what makes a human being kind or wicked is not his colour but others elements more complica…
Hi Audrey, I don't know this novel or the author, but the image kept my attention. Where it com from? Is it the coverbook?
This is not the king of novel I read but I share it to a friend which like this questions.
Have a nice day !!
Phoenix Pershing