The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party

M. T. Anderson's National Book Award-winning novel, "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume I: The Pox Party," introduces readers to Octavian, a young man of African descent raised in 18th-century Boston by a group of philosophers. Initially enjoying a classical education, Octavian gradually uncovers the sinister truth: he is a subject in a pseudo-scientific experiment designed to "prove" the inferiority of the African race. Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution, the book explores themes of identity, freedom, justice, and the brutal realities of slavery and racism. It's a complex, thought-provoking read for mature young adults, prompting deep discussions about history, ethics, and human dignity.

National Book Award Winner! This deeply provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that has startling resonance for readers today. It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother — a princess in exile from a faraway land — are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments — and his own chilling role in them. Set against the disquiet of Revolutionary Boston, M. T. Anderson's extraordinary novel takes place at a time when American Patriots rioted and battled to win liberty while African slaves were entreated to risk their lives for a freedom they would never claim. The first of two parts, this deeply provocative novel reimagines the past as an eerie place that has startling resonance for readers today.