After the First Death

After the First Death

Robert Cormier

Laurel-Leaf Books 1979

Summary
Told from six different points of view, this book will keep you turning the pages. It starts off with the hijacking of a bus full of five and six year olds, and their driver, Kate, a teenager in the local town. The hijackers, aiming to regain their homeland, want something, and if they don't get it then things will happen that America doesn't want to happen. They will start killing--killing more than they already have been.

Personal Review

This book was a little disturbing. Although I thought it was well done. It was disturbing because one of the points of view was from the youngest hijacker, Miro. As Miro talks, as he thinks, we as the readers start to feel sympathy for him. We start to connect with him. Then it switches to Kate's point of view, and we start to see Miro as a monster. Then there are chapters that are taking place a year and a half after the hijacking, which really makes you start thinking. The content of some the book was a little inappropriate, in my opinion. I thought that some of the swearing could have been eliminated. But Cormier did a wonderful job of keeping the full truth from the readers. You never really knew what was going to happen, if the hijackers were really going to carry out what they say they're going to do, if Kate's plan will work, if Ben will really do what he says he will do.

Cautionary Notes

There is a lot of swearing, and some violence. There is also sensual suggestions and a sensual scene. This book is about terrorists, so it has terrorists activity scenes in it. I would suggest it for older high school kids, not middle school kids!