Truancy is Awesome III

If you want to read a book full of action, suspense, a little love story, a lot of mystery, and full of amazing writing, skip The Hunger Games and read Truancy by Isamu Fukui.


The Hunger Games is not nearly as good as Truancy and is way way more popular. While certain parts of The Hunger Games bored me to sleep, Truancy had me at the edge of my seat every second I read it.


Truancy is a very good book for many reasons. While the end of The Hunger Games has a very predictable ending, Truancy keeps you guessing. Everything that was good about The Hunger Games is better in Truancy. And Truancy was written by a seventeen year old high school senior. Beat that, Suzanne Collins.

I finished Truancy, and this book really makes me think. Umasi was not part of the Truancy when it started. And guess what? He is Zyid's brother! Those two characters could not be more different! Zyid wants to end the City's cruel educational system with violence, while Umasi wants to end it with peace. And both of them have to intelligence and strength to end it.



This is a great twist. An even greater twist is that Umasi and Zyid are both actually the sons of the Mayor.





Tack has joined Zyid's gang. Why? Umasi, his mentor, has showed taught him of being a pacifist. He joins because his sister is killed by Zyid. He swears to kill Zyid after he shows no concern for killing an innocent student.



I agree with Umasi partially. Umasi is extremely patient, because his way of ending the system is waiting for the current leaders to die of natural causes and let the new ones solve the problems. I don't think I could be that patient. But killing thousands of people is too much. All the people murdered are fathers, husbands, brothers, wives, daughters, mothers, sons, uncles, aunts, all people with real families. And the family of the cruelest Educator doesn't deserve to suffer from the sadness of losing a loved one.



This book is also, I believe, meant to teach a lesson. The lessons here are harsh and very real, which is stunning from a seventeen year old. When Zyid makes a "speech" that the entire City hears, he comes up with some very good points. He talks about how children should deal with their parents, their teachers, and anybody who has considered them inferior. He says "No longer will we beg for their favor. No longer will we fear their displeasure. No longer will we hide from failure". He also realizes violence is not the way to go. He says that the violence can only bring the two sides to "mutual ruin". This speech tells us not to be afraid of our mistakes or ourselves. And it tells us that in the end, the real winner of wars is nobody