Octavian lives in a house where only he and his mother have names and he is treated like a prince. Can it last forever?
This is an extraordinary book. One of the problems with studying American History is that we have been a very busy country and events and themes constantly overlap. This book takes an interesting look at the years before the Revolution, but also at the lives of the slaves. It also uses the idea of the College of Lucidity to look at humanity and how socialization can form personality and lead to success.
This is called a Young Adult Book, but it reads at a very high level and uses a lot of "$10 words." It seems more appropriate for college students. It is an important novel, though, and it raises a lot of important questions. ( )

Incredible use of language! ( )

Story of a boy and his African queen mother enslaved and educated in the name of science and philosophy. Revolutionary era and language marvelously captured but in its detailing of various experiments it seemed almost to revel in perversity. Not an easy read in any sense of the word. ( )

Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com

Even the title gives the reader a glimpse of the ostentatious nature of this incredible book. THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION is presented as a young adult title, which should in no way limit it only to the teen audience. Indeed, this book will be a challenge for many high school students -- a challenge well worth the effort.

M.T. Anderson immediately immerses his reader in the flowery, pretentious language spoken in the Revolutionary War period, a language that requires thought and concentration for today's reader. Once the reader is acclimated to the writing style, they are already hooked by Octavian's story. Octavian, an African prince, was sold while yet unborn, to one Mr.
Gitney, referred to as 03-01, of the Novanglian College of Lucidity. He was dressed in fine silks and fed the finest of fares. His mother was treated as the African princess she was, entertaining gentlemen, playing her harpsichord.

It was not until Octavian turned eight that he realized his life was not normal, that he was indeed one of the College's experiments. No other human being had their intake, as well as their body's waste, measured and recorded. Every word spoken, every situation, was a challenge to excel, an experiment to determine if the African race was capable of advanced thought and skill. Not all children, especially black children, were given the opportunity for a classical education. Octavian was already an accomplished violinist. He read all of the great literature, in several languages, including Greek and Latin. He understood figures, physics, and sciences of the earth. No discipline was left untouched in the quest to determine the potential of a slave to learn.

THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION is written from Octavian's point of view. Some passages are as though written by his own hand, then scribbled through, as if Octavian, with his vast education, still could not find the proper words to convey the horrors he had lived. His life of seeming luxury changes when the college's benefactor dies. Mr. Gitney entertains Lord Cheldethorpe in hopes that he will see fit to continue to finance the college as his uncle before him. For a time it seems that he is the solution to the College's financial distress. Especially since he has taken an acute interest in Octavian's mother. It is when she violently opposes his offer of her purchase, rather than a
royal marriage, that Octavian and his mother experience the outrage and beatings more typical in the life of a slave. To Octavian's great relief, Lord Cheldethorpe returns to England and a new financial supporter, Mr. Sharpe, is found.

But Mr. Sharpe changes the experiment. Now the lessons seem more designed to prove failure rather than success. When not engaged in his “lessons," Octavian is treated as a simple slave, along with his mother. Add to this the mounting unrest of the American nation, and fear is paramount. The entire household flees Boston to Canaan, Massachusetts. It is there that the most horrific experiment takes place. Mr. Gitney throws a pox party, whereby all, white and black alike, are “inoculated” against the small pox virus in hopes that they will be immune. Instead, Octavian witnesses pain and loss at the most personal level.

At this point the reader will identify with Octavian on a primal level, and feel enormous relief when, finally, Octavian makes his escape. We read about his life as a soldier in the Patriot's army through the letters of one of his co-patriots, one Private Evidence Goring. But it's not until his capture, and subsequent total isolation, that the reader truly understands the complete desolation and hopelessness in the life of a slave. When M.T. Anderson places the iron mask, which he so artfully described to the reader in an earlier chapter, on Octavian, the reader feels complete revulsion and aches for Octavian to be released from this abject misery.

The story is masterfully written and researched. It is one of the most difficult books I've ever read, both in vocabulary and realism. That I made it through to the end makes me feel smart, educated, humble, and indeed amazed, nay fortunate, to have been given a glimpse into the mind of a genius, M.T. Anderson. I'm quite confident that the readers' desire to find out the fate of Octavian Nothing will still pulse within by the time Mr. Anderson shares Volume II with the world. ( )

In this revolution-era novel, Octavian, a black youth, is raised in a Boston and given a classical education by a household of scientists and philosophers, The Novanglian College of Lucidity. As Octavian grows older, he begins to realize that he is, in fact, a research subject as the members of the College of Lucidity try to prove if the African, given the same education, is inferior to the European. The novel is written primarily from Octavian’s point of view, but also makes use of newspaper clippings, scientific items and letters. The use of 18th century language adds to the atmosphere, but may frustrate some readers. Recommended for readers 14 and above; this excellent coming-of-age story will resonate with readers while provoking thoughts on power, freedom, racism and what it means to be human. ( )