Reviews
dnf at 30% yeah, not interested in reading about how a straight cis white boy who plays football has this huge world changing experience that makes him realize just how serious racism, homophobia and sexism is when he experiences it for himself personally. I rarely cringe at books but the way this was written from the start had me deeply uncomfortable and felt wrong. not my cup of tea.
great book for pre teens, light writing style, pretty predictable
I read the reviews after being so excited about Game Changer. To be honest, I didn't even think about the negative aspects most readers wrote about and for a while I felt really ashamed that I didn't see the obvious problems of Game Changer. The reviews made me think a lot about all those topics mentioned, and that's why I came to this conclusion: Personally, I don't think it is about a white boy who once again saves the world. It is about a white boy who learns about the cruel world of racism and discrimination because of his own actions. He notices how privileged he is and as the book goes on, he wants to change the world he lives in because it is never fair. I love the diversity and the thought about: what if I were a girl, what if I were gay, what if I were racist. It shows the cruelty of the world towards certain groups in a new way, and it made me think A LOT about those topics. That's why I think Neal Shusterman did a great job on this one. I feel like he wanted us to think about our own actions, thoughts and views on the world we live in.
Just feels like a huge piece of propaganda. Felt yucky reading it. Would not recommend for summer reading
I expected a lot more from this book than Shusterman ultimately delivered. I have appreciated Shusterman's books ever since he visited the middle school where I completed my student teaching. His Sythe series blew me away. I love the concept he sets up in this book. I loved some of the introductory portions. In the end, however, the narrative became preachy and in so doing I could predict the outcomes. Good but nowhere near what I know Shusterman is capable of.
Thank you to NetGalley and Walker Books for providing me with an eproof of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved the Arc of a Scythe trilogy by Neal Shusterman, so when I heard about this book I was keen to read it. Game Changer follows highs school American football player Ash, who discovers that when he performs a particularly hard tackle, it causes shifts in the universe. Initially so subtle he thinks he must just have remembered things wrong, the shifts become more significant until Ash’s entire identity changes. Books exploring parallel universes are something I find fascinating, and this is no exception. The author uses this as a way to explore how biases affect so much of our lives, and how the smallest of changes in the past could have lead to a very different present. Thought-provoking and gripping, many of the issues dealt with are ones which have come very much to the forefront over the past few years.
I think Neal Shusterman had really good intentions with this book and he does carry some of them off, but overall I think he was just trying to hit on too many issues at once and as such a lot of it felt glossed over. It was a good read, and I do like the authors writing but it was just lacking for me. The idea is an interesting one which just maybe missed the mark a bit. I was sent this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
