Customer Reviews

Black & White

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when i first picked this book up, i almost put it back down. for some insane reason it didnt jump at me but i opened it anwyay, and i read it. from the first chapter onwards i was hooked. i loved the way you saw the story from both Sephy and Callum's point of view so you understood their actions and i loved the way they grew up through the book. i wanted to scream with frustration at the incredible injustices in the book and its scary to think that racism like that does exsist in this world.

you definately need tissues handy. i dont think i have ever cried as much at a film or a book as i cried when i read noughts and crosses and as soon as i had finished it i had to go and tell everyone in my house about it and my friends. i've read it so many times now adn every time it still makes me cry. this is the best book i have ever read and everyone in the world should read it!! Malorie Blackman is a genius. the ending of the book was so sad and so beautiful it was incredible, i didnt close it even after i'd read the last page for a while, i was so moved by it.

Naughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman is a fantastic book. In this book, the racial roles of our society is reversed. The whites aka naughts, work for the blacks aka crosses. Callum's mother used to work for Sephy's mother but that all changed when something happened(you'll have to read the book to find out what). With the alternating view points in every chapter you can really see into their personal lives and their inner thoughts. The book really has a lot of exciting plot twists. Their love for each other and what other people will do to ruin that will show you how shallow some people can be. What Callum does towards the end of the book will BLOW YOUR MIND!!!!!!!!!But you'll have to read it to find out.I encourage everyone to read this. I was so into this book I finished it in 1 day and it has almost 400 pages!! READ IT ASAP!

Originally published back in 2001 in the UK, NOUGHTS & CROSSES is the first book in a series by British author Malorie Blackman. I first encountered it as part of the Young Adult Reading Group (YARG) over at Readerville. It was chosen as one of our monthly selections and a dear friend of mine actually picked up copies for several of us while she was in England and mailed them out so we would have time to read them before the discussion. Those were just the kind of people that filled the YARG in those days. Sometimes I miss them all so much it hurts. But my copy came just in time to take it to Italy with me to visit my parents. And I read it while sitting on their terrace watching the waters of the Mediterranean lap the shore below. When I got back, we had a marvelous discussion and pondered as to why it hadn't been published here in the states. It took four more years for it to come out in hardback in the U.S., and I quite like the U.S. cover, even if they did change the spelling of noughts to naughts. A couple of years after that the U.S. paperback was released with a different cover and, strangely, a different title--BLACK & WHITE. Personally, I'm not a fan of the most recent cover or title. Why mess with something as awesome as NOUGHTS & CROSSES? Why talk down to American teenagers just because they might not be aware that in England Tic-Tac-Toe is known as Noughts and Crosses? It's beyond me and I'll hang onto my hardback and UK copies, thank you very much.

Sephy and Callum are best friends. As kids they don't see any problem with a girl from the privileged Cross class playing with a nought boy from the wrong side of town. And their parents let things slide for reasons (or secrets) of their own. But as growing teenagers, Callum particularly is highly aware of the differences in not only their skin tone, but their education, opportunities, and circumstances. Sephy doesn't want anything to change. She wants to go on tutoring Callum in maths, roughhousing with him on the seashore, and crossing her fingers he gets accepted to Heathcroft High and will maybe be in some of her classes. But Callum walks home everyday to his hovel of a dwelling place and watches the hope in his parents' eyes slowly die. He watches his older brother Jude grow angrier and more volatile by the day. And he watches his sister Lynnette draw farther inside of herself, so that even the family can no longer tell how much of her is left anymore. But Callum does get into Heathcroft. And he and Sephy do strive to keep their unsightly friendship alive. And things, both inside and outside of them, grow more and more complicated just as they grow more and more beautiful. Until one day the pressure becomes too much and something happens that threatens to blow the whole fragile relationship into infinitesimal, unrecognizable pieces.

Set in an alternate, present-day England, NOUGHTS & CROSSES explores what the world would look and feel like if the ruling class were black and the oppressed, subservient class white. The two main characters--Sephy and Callum--each belong to one "side" and the crux of the problem arises as they grow up and continue to reach out to each other across enemy lines. I won't lie to you--this dystopian Romeo & Juliet setup worried me in the beginning. I felt like I'd read it before, like it would come off as impossibly melodramatic and tired. But from the very first page it was apparent that such was definitely not the case. As unlikely as it may seem, everything about this story feels new and every passage seems chosen and placed carefully for proper effect as Ms. Blackman swiftly and impressively navigates the deep, gray waters of racism and adolescence amid a stifling society at large. Sephy and Callum are easy to like, their personalities are distinctive and strong, and nothing, repeat nothing is easy. But my emotions were captured instantly and held for the entire, intense and heart-palpitating read.

An early passage that, I think, highlights Callum's desperate situation:

***

We walked into the downstairs room. Lynette and Dad sat on the sofa. Jude sat at the dinner table poring over what looked like a map--not that I was particularly interested. Mum sat down next to Dad and I sat next to Lynette. It was a squash but a cozy squash.

I looked at my sister. "You okay?"

Lynette nodded. Then a slow-burning frown spread out over her face. And that look was back in her eyes. My heart plunged down to my shoes and bounced back up again.

Please, Lynette. Not tonight . . . not now . . .

"Lynny, d'you remember my seventh birthday?" I began desperately. "You took me to see my first film at the cinema. There was just you and me and you got annoyed with me because I wouldn't take my eyes off the screen, not for a second. D'you remember you told me that I could blink because the screen wasn't about to vanish? Lynny . . . ?"

"Why am I here?" My sister's troubled gray eyes narrowed. "I shouldn't be here. I'm not one of you. I"m a Cross."

My stomach lurched, like I was in a lift that had suddenly plunged down at least fifty stories in about five seconds flat. Every time I convinced myself that Lynette was getting better, she'd get that look on her face . . . She'd stare at us like we were all strangers and she'd insist she was one of them.

"What're you talking about? You're a naught," Jude said with scorn. "Look at your skin. You're as white as the rest of us. Whiter."

"No, I'm not."

"Jude, that's enough," said Dad.

"No, it's not. I'm fed up with this. Keeping Lynette in this house so she won't embarrass us by telling everyone she's a Cross. She's barking mad, that's what she is. And Callum's just as bad. He thinks he's better than us and as good as the Crosses, even if he doesn't say it."

"You don't know what you're talking about," I hissed.

"No? I've seen you looking up at this house when you've come back from your dagger friend. I've seen you hating it and hating us and hating yourself because you weren't born one of them," Jude spewed out. "I'm the only one of the three of us who knows what he is and accepts it."

"Now listen here, you brainless--"

Jude sprang out of his chair, but only a couple of seconds before I did.

"Come on then, if you reckon you're hard enough," Jude challenged.

I stepped forward but Dad got between the two of us before I could do little more than clench my fists.

"See?" Lynette's small, puzzled voice rang out as clear as a bell. "I don't behave like that. I can't be a naught. I just can't."

All the fight went out of me. Slowly, I sat back down again.

"Listen, Lynette . . . ," Mum began.

"Look at my skin," Lynette spoke as if Mum hadn't. "Such a beautiful color. So dark and rich and wonderful. I'm lucky. I'm a Cross--closer to God . . ." Lynette looked around at all of us and smiled. A broad, beaming, genuinely happy smile that lit every line and crease on her face and squeezed my heart.

"Stupid cow," Jude muttered.

"That's enough!" Dad shouted at him.

Jude sat, a sullen, brooding look on his face. Lynette looked down at her hands, stroking one over the other. I looked too. All I could see were pale white hands, blue veins clearly visible through the almost translucent skin. She looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back. Forced it really, but at least I tried.

"Don't you think I'm beautiful, Callum?" Lynette whispered.

"Yes," I replied truthfully. "Very."

***

Make no mistake. This book will wring your heart out. You'll need to breathe a few times rather deeply when you're finished and I wouldn't advise winding it up in public. But it's utterly worth it, a not-to-be-missed hidden gem from the wonderful Malorie Blackman.

Reading order: NOUGHTS & CROSSES, AN EYE FOR AN EYE (novella), Knife Edge, Checkmate, Double Cross

'Noughts and Crosses' is a heartbreaking novel, upon the love and troubles of Callum and Sephy, their lives crushed by two different communities. Sephy who is a Cross (black), is the teenage daughter of a powerful Cross leader who rules both communities and is strongly against Noughts. Sephy works hard to protect their relationship, but soon learns the true meanings of difference, and how dangerous it is if they are found togethor. Callum, who is a few years older, is a Nought (white), and he lives with his poor family of violence and suffering. In his community, they are treated as if they are are not human, blamed and treated badly. They both struggle through their difficulties, but are shattered when a bomb explodes pulling them apart...

I loved this novel because it was so emotion, you couldn't put the book down at any point of the story. Some of their problems they faced seemed to relate to real life, the racist world we are in now, of not only black and whites, but many other different communites. I also enjoyed the book because it explained different problems in different points of view and how they struggled to cope against the difficulties they had. I think this book is brilliant for anyone to read, it captures your attention and makes you think about the problems that you may face.

Naughts and Crosses is a wonderful, captivating book. It tells the tale of Sephy and Callum, two teenagers living on the opposite sides of life. Sephy is a black-skinned Cross, the reigning race at this particular time. Callum is a white-skinned Naught, the lowly servants of Crosses. They are considered to be worth nothing, just mindless slaves. See any resemblance to American history, except with the roles switched? Anyway, Callum and Sephy are good friends, but must hide their friendship from the rest of the world. Or maybe more then friends...*wink wink*. But the Naughts are sick with being looked down upon by Crosses, and they have their 'Liberation Militia' that fight against Crosses. This militia is getting stronger and stronger, and things aren't looking good. Of course, Callum and Sephy are caught in the middle of this. They must try to stay friends while racism is a part of life, and stay strong while the world as they know is falls apart.
This book incorporates the use of political intrigue without it getting too boring, which is usually what happens with politics in young adult books. There's also romance, which is always good to have a bit of in teen books. Then of course there's action, mystery, and some good ol' courtroom drama! This is a good book for a teen (and possibly a very mature preteen) who is looking for a quality book that is actually good for the brain. Of course, an adult could enjoy this book as much as a teen could. I recommend this book greatly, and is not only a good book, but it teaches some quality lessons and uses parts of our own country's history to create a masterpiece.

Who can help but be drawn to such an interesting premise? This is a book about race, and also about love, and about whether it's more important to make a difference or just be an important person. It's a book about well meaning intentions that only do more harm, whether one person can truly change a society, and about growing up. This is a book about so many things it's really hard to list them all. The author does an excellent job of layering a multitude of stories into a book that provides a thorough look at an alternative England that is ruled by the crosses (blacks), and is served by the naughts (whites). While it is interesting to consider the color switch, for me that was not the main focus of the story. I really forgot which group was what color and it became a story of the oppressed and the oppressors seen through the eyes of two teenagers who had the misfortune to fall in love with a member of the opposite group.

Sephy and Callum are two characters that I sometimes found annoying and hard to read. I would get frustrated with their naivete and innocence and even their ability to function in a society that was so stacked against them. Sephy keeps asking Callum "is this what it means to grow up?" They made me sad and I totally believed them. Teens will read their story and recognize their voices as ones they know. Be careful, because they will break your heart.

I was frustrated with both sets of parents. I wish there would have been more reasonable adults in this story, but I suppose that would have made it an entirely different book! The author does a great job of pulling all the characters together along with all the themes and plot lines into a conclusion that wasn't all that surprising but was still dramatic and heart wrenching.

This is a well written very dramatic look at an alternate society with obvious parallels to our own. It will generate much discussion about race issues, and here's the part that stuck out for me - what is the role of the individual in making societal change? Can one person make a difference? Do ends justify means?
Lots of great stuff wrapped up in a well told story that is a solid recommend for any teen grades 8 and up. Adults will also find much to ponder and remember from this country's own troubled past. A solid recommend.

I thought it was fantastic.I really reccomend it to people over 12. It was a real page turner. Malorie Blackman is a genius. I think anyone who likes a good read should read any of her books, they're FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book but it does have a certain atmosphere in which you can actually feel what the characters. Absolutley fantastic.

Naughts and Crosses was a great book and I enjoyed reading it. The book took me into a position where I could view the past, racism, and my perception of equality differently. This was a story of the past, when one race was treated unfairly just because of the color of their skin. The author switched things up a bit and made it so the Black people (Crosses) in charge and on top, while white people (Naughts or blankers) were looked down on and treated unfairly. This is a story of how two friends, Callum(white naught) and Sephy(black cross) were handling and dealing with their friendship. The persective changing really made me think about what the world could've been like and how important equality really is. I really loved reading this book because it made me think, it was interesting, and it opened up a part of my mind to switching views on things. I would recommend this book for any teenage students between the ages 14-17. I think this book is a real eye-opener and its important for teenagers to realize what happened in the past, how important it is, and how someone can make a difference.

dont lk, people who dont wanna no the plot!(...)
this was an absolutely moving & action-filled bk by the 1 and only malorie blackman. the story tells a tale of a Cross girl (black girl) named Sephy who is the daughter of the powerful politician Kamal Hadley & a nought boy (white boy) who is poor and is the son and brotha of 2 libertation militea members (a group of terrorists planning 2 kill Crosses). his name is Callum. the story gos from when they were inseperable & at peace on the private beach Sephy owns, 2 the dramatic & tearful event in which Callum is pressurized in 2 helping jude, his brother, kidnap Sephy and send a ransom letter 2 her fatha. the kidnapping made me cry so badly my room was flooded. i screamed hatefully at callum until the beautiful moment when Callum helped her escape, after they had sex and Sephy was pregnant. the ending is so moving, as callum hangs himself 4 his daughters safety, & every1 is blaming eachother. racism is the main topic of this bk & ther isnt 1 like it. it made me feel angry at all the racist people who r living happily, whilst the victims suffer each day for their colour and beliefs. it is an absolutely heartbreaking bk.
i am now half-way thru the sequel, knife edge.
please buy it if u dont have it already, it is worth every penny!(...)