Thursday, July 01, 2010

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Fiction

There are two classes in the world: Crosses (dark skinned) and Noughts (light-skinned). The Crosses are the ruling class; the only ones in government, the majority of lawyers, the ones who get to school their children and send them to university, etc. Callum is a Naught and his best friend Sephy is a Cross. They became friends when Callum's mother worked for Sephy's family and even when she was fired through no fault of her own, Callum and Sephy kept seeing each other secretly. However this is not a world where Naughts and Crosses can be together and as they grow to love each other they realize that life is not going to be easy for them if they want to stay together.

Each chapter flips between Callum's narration and Sephy's narration, giving the reader insight into what each of them is thinking as they both deal with racial tensions but from completely opposite sides of the spectrum. I couldn't help but thinking 'what if' during the entire book. Everyone deserves to be treated equally, but how frustrating and upsetting would it be to be a part of what is considered to be the inferior race?

I really enjoyed the forbidden love story. It was very easy to relate and connect with both characters and it was such a page turner to watch their love unfold. You hope for the best but know there's a chance things won't end up the way you want. A fantastic story, I highly recommend this one.

First Line: "'Honestly, Mrs. Hadley,' said Meggie McGregor, wiping her eyes."

Rating:
(5/5)

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