Review: Holy crap…..What an awesome book!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 24, 2014
Matt Shaw’s ‘The 8Th’ is one of those books that just sticks with you for awhile. It dances along some dangerous lines that other novels don’t dare to tread and then, pushes past them. It has some gore but the mental games are really the dark parts of this book.This story is very reminiscent of Stephen King’s Rage as other reviewers have mentioned. Two boys are bullied, the school does nothing, and one decides to make a stand. Our main character takes over a classroom full of all those who have wronged them and makes them pay in different ways.  Is it controversial? Yes. Nobody wants to root for a school shooter but you can’t help but feel for this teen. Through flashbacks, we learn of the horrors that our protagonist had to deal with.As with any Matt Shaw book, don’t expect to know how the story will end. There are twists along the way that I didn’t see coming. This isn’t a happy-go-lucky book where you come out of it feeling great. You will feel uncomfortable. You will be damaged.This story also brings up questions we need answered in our current society. What are we doing to prevent future school shootings? What are schools doing to prevent bullying? What is being done to change children’s views on people who are different than them? I’m not sure if Matt Shaw knew he was writing such a thought provoking piece of literature but I’m glad he did. Kudos.