The Child Buyer

On the surface, this book combines a complex set of topics: education, intelligence measurement, greed and class, and the military-industrial complex. These topics are woven together to create a lush story that can be viewed from many angles. This simple review could never cover the intricate nature of the characters and story.

In the last couple of pages, the story reveals what ties all of these topics together and what the book is truly about. All of these topics collide to show how to break down the spirit of an entire community so capitalism and the military-industrial complex can overcome any obstacle.

Despite the horror laid out in this book, the story is fulled with humor. It rips psychological and educational motifs into shreds; show more it slices greed and class into ribbons. A fantastic read for those interested in education and quantifying intelligence. show less

Thirty years ago, when I read this book back in high school, I focused only on the horror of the sinister stranger, Wissey Jones, who wanted to buy Barry Rudd. As an adult, however, I see a deeper horror at work.

The story, told in the format of a court transcript, is a quick, easy read. However, the themes - the shortcomings of the educational system of the US, television's corruption of society, and peoples' blind belief in the need for national security - will stick with me for a long time. The tragedy is not just that Mr. Jones wants to buy a child; it's that he has the support of so many people. Barry - the precious ten-year-old - is stuck in the middle, left without a voice or a choice in the matter.

The character development in show more this book is fascinating. Decent characters become indecent while sketchy characters show a strong core. Also, despite the fact that this book was written in 1960, it has a great deal to say about 2013. In fact, I was amazed (and saddened) by the similarities of politics now and then.

On its surface, this book is simple, but it goes much, much deeper. I highly recommend this classic. show less

This novel is by an author I like but it came very close to not being read by me. It is from 1960 and is told in a very unusual style - the entire story is told via transcripts from the hearings of a state senate committee. This is a serious cautionary tale. It struck me as a little (a lot?) too weird at times, it is sinister and creepy but also humorous. This was absolutely worth the read but it didn't climb up to the great level. The idea was slightly ludicrous, that a strange appearing man was going around buying child prodigies for a secret experiment. What happens as a result is where Hersey delivers some interesting observations on American society.

I'll add that although I didn't like the story I recognize it as a good one. 2 1/2 show more - 3 stars show less

Started this summer of 1975 on the recommendation of a good friend. Somehow I couldn't connect with it. Perhaps I'll try again sometime.

From Wikipedia: The Child Buyer is John Hersey's 1960 novel about a project to engineer super-intelligent persons for a project whose aim is never definitely stated. Told entirely in the form of minutes from a State Senate Standing Committee, it relates the story of the appearance and efforts of a mysterious stranger in the small town of Pequot, and the repercussions of his attempt to buy a boy, Barry Rudd.

The novel is primarily a satire on the school system, although it also posits questions about intelligence, the validity of intelligence/personality tests, and the efficacy of attempts to quantify humanity. One of its major themes is corruption--in the stranger's (Wissey Jones') relentless quest to buy Barry, Jones manages to persuade show more everyone concerned with the transaction, including Barry himself, to go along with him, primarily through favours (money, honorary degrees, positions, status, et al.), although Barry and Dr. Gozar are convinced through a sort of desperate logic.

The novel, in its description of a non-existent mental-conditioning process possibly intended as a means of leaving Earth, approaches science fiction, although it is more properly put in the genre of speculative fiction. show less

$60.