Customer Reviews

Nothing but the Truth

5 star:		(164)
4 star:		(204)
3 star:		(152)
2 star:		(85)
1 star:		(78)

 

 

Let's say you're a well-known children's author who wants to write a book criticizing the one-sided quick response nature of our media saturated society. And let's say that you'd like to show this nature in the form of a boy and the Star Spangled Banner. Now, there are two ways to go about this. The easy way would be to write a book in which a boy refuses to sing the Star Spangled Banner in class and his silent protestation is blown out of proportion and becomes a major national scandal. There are plenty o' books with this plot, or some mild variation. And while they are all well-intentioned, they're not particularly original. The more difficult method would be the one offered here by Avi. In this book you have a boy who is supposedly punished for singing the national anthem and his self-centered approach to this punishment ruins a whole lotta lives, including his own. Heard that story before? You will.

Philip Malloy is just your typical high school jerk. He goofs around, wants to be on the track team, and generally is as normal a guy as you could wish for. Of course, Phil's not exactly tops in his English class. In a clash of personalities, Philip tries to be lighthearted and silly when in the presence of Miss Narwin. Miss Narwin, on the other hand, is a truly dedicated teacher who tries as hard as she can to get her kids interested and serious in the great works of English literature. When Philip is disruptive and silly, she reacts strongly, trying to reach him. This all comes to a head when Miss Narwin is made Philip's homeroom teacher and asks him to remain silent (as per the school rules) during the daily playing of the Star Spangled Banner. Philip, who cannot try out for the track team due to his poor English grades, ups the ante by singing and continues to badger Miss Narwin until he finally ends up with a suspension. And all of this would remain in the closed sphere of a single public high school, were it not for the fact that the idea of a boy being suspended, "for singing the national anthem", is just the kind of hot topic the pundits love to play with. In the end, no one could predict the insanity that would result from a stupid boy just acting out.

The danger with a book like this is that it would be all too easy to strain credulity. I mean, the idea that America at large would get wrapped up in a debate as to whether or not a boy was "allowed" to sing the national anthem is a bit grandiose. Then again, high school has always been the symbolic battlefield, both in art and life, where real world conflicts are played on. Better still, Avi knows just exactly how to pull the strings on this puppy. Why does Phil's father push him to continue to act out in class? Because Mr. Malloy is being hounded at work and is feeling powerless personally (something he doesn't want Phil to feel). Why does the neighbor of the Malloys take such an interest in this topic? Because he's running for the school board and needs a hot button topic like this one to get elected. For every burst of press this story gets, Avi has a perfectly good reason for it in his back pocket. And I loved the characters in this story and how they reacted. If nothing else, Avi has a wonderful feel for the weaknesses of human beings. His villains are simply the kinds of people who hear the story they want to hear and proceed with willful ignorance, doing everything they can to avoid listening to the other side. I loved that the man running for the school board used Phil's act as a way to say that the school didn't need to receive additional funding for new computers since they weren't even patriotic. Beautiful.

The book is written in an engaging style as well. Part script, part play, the book's like a mature (and remarkably better written) version of "Regarding the Fountain" or (similarly well-written) Walter Dean Myers's, "Monster". It's as if you're reading a collection of transcripts and recorded diary entries meticulously pieced together by an interested unknown party. The result is a book that's as interesting to look through as it is to read.

"Nothing But the Truth" has one last element in its favor. It presents the number one best kicker of a last line ever put in a children or teen novel. Read the book and see if you agree with me. Read the book and see if you disagree with me. For crying out loud, just read the friggin' book. It'll a wonderful piece of subversive literature that every kid should be familiar with. Sweet sedition light.

This book is a story told indirectly, through diary entries, letters, memos, news clips, dialogues, and telegrams. As the reader pieces together these different materials, the story of a controversial episode over the course of several weeks in a high school emerges. Freshman Philip Malloy is struggling in English class and homeroom with his teacher Miss Narwin. Due to a failing grade in her class, he is unable to join the track team, his greatest ambition and likely only route to college. In a fit of unruliness, Philip sings along to the national anthem as it is played over the PA for morning announcements during homeroom. Warned twice over two days about breaking the rule to observe "respectful, silent attention" during the anthem, on the third day Philip willfully pushes Miss Narwin's limits until she sends him to the principal's office where he is promptly suspended. When relaying the day's events to his parents, Philip tells only part of the story, noting that he was suspended for singing the national anthem. Outraged at this supposed affront to a young man's expression of patriotism, a local politician and the media catch wind of the story and spread the story - full of misinformation and factual errors - across the country creating a huge media storm, which eventually results in the end of Miss Narwin's teaching career and similar unfortunate consequences to Philip himself. The story examines the variations a mistruth can go through when filtered through person after person and illustrates how different people can have multiple perceptions and interpretations of the same event. The various types of material offer the reader several points of view and provide insight in to the story that none of the characters alone possess. This dramatic irony gives the reader a feeling of privilege as well as frustration as the events unfold. The resolution of the story is deeply unfair (though true-to-life) and may be unsettling and unsatisfying for many readers. Near the end of the story, the politics of education may be above the heads of some readers or simply dull to others. Some readers will find the non-traditional structure of the story hard to follow and slow to read. For avid readers, this book is a good tool for media literacy instruction, offering insight into how personally damaging misinformation can be and perhaps inspiring healthy skepticism of what they read and hear second-hand.

"Nothing But the Truth" is better than all but a very few of the adult novels I've read lately. I'd recommend it highly to adults (my wife loved it too), and it's well worth teaching to the right age group (roughly grade 9-11).

Avi's approach to character seems almost Shakespearean to high school--teachers, students, administrators, parents, politicians--and shows how their different goals and biases keep them from understanding and the protagonists' minor but significant character flaws lead to grievous consequences that ought to induce fear and pity. (This might be a nice book to pair with "Julius Caesar"--the characters could be generally writes in a workmanlike, clear prose that shouldn't intimidate younger readers.

Based on the other reviews I've read here, and thinking students who are too young (7th grade is too young). (2) Students will need help in discovering that the characters behave the way they do because they see the same incidents in very different ways. All the characters think they're telling "nothing but the truth," but their various "truths" are contradictory. If you can get students to see this, it could be a valuable lesson about why real-life political issues are so difficult to resolve. (3)Students find the ending a let-down, so teachers have to help the students see why a more conventional ending wouldn't have been right for the book.

This book was laid out a bit differently, giving you a different look at all kinds of parts of the story. Though something like this can be confusing, I think Avi did a good job. I did get mixed up between the principals, board members, etc. though.

Warning - some spoilers in this paragraph.
Just about everyone in the story lied except Narwin who was the person who took all the public blame. All she wanted to do was try to teach and the principal using that letter out of context was awful. It all came down to CYB - Cover Your Butt. It was funny to see how the report of the incident grew in exaggeration and how Ted's speech was basically the same thing but expanded as well. I don't defend Jesse either for his part of his lying. Although I don't think he had any idea what would happen when a few white lies got out of control.

The most significant part to me was the talk show transcripts. I used to produce a similar type of radio talk show. We did the very same thing - taking a controversial piece of news, just one article and blurb and expand on it for an hour of the show. This book made me wonder how many times we may have been wrong - or how many times other news media gets it wrong. Though I always tried to interview the sources, it wasn't always possible.

The lessons learned in this is be careful what you say and don't believe everything you hear. Some lessons are learned the hard way.

Though at first it seemed like just another boring school story with a stuck-up main character it turns into a story you will never forget. This kid Phillip pushes the limit and hums the Star Spangled Banner. After the story goes under many transformations, it turns into a national scandal. Thought the ending was very sad, it shows what really will happen and how the media can take control of our lives.

A must-read for teenagers who believe everything they hear!!!

Book Review of Nothing But the true
By: Rebecca Bubadias
English / Mrs.Cave
Period 4

The title of the book is Nothing But the truth. The author's name of the book is Avi. The publisher name of the is Avon Book Inc. There are two main characters of this book. The first main character is a boy name Philip Malloy. Philip is a freshman in Harrison high school. Philip wants to be on the track team. Philip doesn't like English teacher. The second main character is Mrs.Narwin. She had been teaching at the Harrison high school for years. Mrs.Narwin is an English teacher at Harrison high school. She loves to teaching. The setting of the novel is modern day and in the Harrison high school distract. The type of book it is documentary novel .This novel won the Newberry award. The theme of this novel is "Be careful with the "truth" because there may be consequent you don't expect or want".
Philip Malloy wants to join the track but there is a problem with his English grade in Mrs. Narwin class. He gets in trouble for sing the national anthem and the whole country gets in on the action. The newspaper gets in on same of the action. Avi's purpose was both to entertain and get to think about what is the true. Avi used a lot of realistic writing. This novel is very interesting because how it play out. This book raises many issues scubas: The role of the media, 1st amendment, and student's rights. This book affects the way I look at the media. I have learned from this novel what people tell you are really the true.
This novel was to intend audience is to Teens and adults. My opinion of this novel that is interesting and very entertaining. The reason that it is interesting one little problem get so big. Aui did wonderful job on the book. The away he writes the novel in letter memos, and diary enters etc. I agree with theme because it helps you to found out the truth better. I think the Aui doesn't need to change a thing in his novel. The novel shows that it's self.

Nothing But The Truth Review The book Nothing But the Truth ,written by Avi, is about a boy named Philip in New Hampshire who loves track but who cannot get on the track team because he failed English. He tries to get on his English teacher's, Miss Narwin's ,nerves. Miss Narwin is also his homeroom teacher. He gets on her nerves by humming the National Anthem and gets kicked out of class to the principal's office. Then the school board and the press get involved and people think that Miss Narwin is unpatriotic. Philip lies to everyone and it turns into a case of "he said she said." Philip ends up with more than he bargained for when it turns into a big mess.

The style of this book is a documentary novel, a term coined by the author, because it is told through lots of different characters' dialogues, letters, phone calls and Philip's diary. I think this is a good book for a class because it gives students parts to read out loud. I recommend this book for people who like reading in groups or like reading parts.

I think this book had a good moral lesson, but I agree there were too many different types of dialoge. For example, when I was reading the conversation between Phillip and his parents, I got mixed up on who was saying what and I had to read it over several times. I think if it had been written in a regular narrative form, it would have been alot easier to read and more enjoyable.

I think AVI made the descriptions vague on purpose so the reader could image himself what the character would look like and that, to most readers makes the story more enjoyable. I am more like Michael in that I think it is more fun to read that way. For instance, I thought Mrs. Narwin was a gray haired, old lady with those little half glasses that sit down on the end of your nose. I picured moles on her face and I pictured in my mind that her clothes were old Grandma clothes like something you would buy at the Salvation Army store. But, as the story went on the picture I had of her changed into a nice lady in her fifties with a little gray hair wearing nice clothes, no moles and at one point I almost pictured her with a halo above her and light all around her. She seemed to be about the only sane person on the whole staff of teachers.

My review is about Philip Malloy who wanted to try out for the track team. He wanted to try out because he was a very fast runner, and the coach and other students thought he could help them win a championship.But it turned out that he could not try out because he was failing in his English class. He soon got in trouble for humming in the classroom. The school was doing the National Athem and philip began humming. He eventually was kick out of the classroom. Right now the Princpal is talking about suspending Philip and Jennifer is wondering why.
They all figure it was a silly rule that you can not sing when The Star Spangled Banner was playing, it's a sign of disrespect. Philip was eventually transferred to a different homeroom. He was transfered from Mrs. Narwin class to Mr. Lunser class but he was suspended for 2 days for not apologizing to Mrs.Narwin. This situation became so popular that Jennifer decide to plublish it in the newspaper. Jennifer was an Education Reporter. This situation had the whole town talking and seems that Philip was getting alot of attention.Philip was getting so much attention and the coach did not want him to try out anymore because he wasn't a team player and Philip was upset. He truly wanted to be on the track team but the coach told him maybe next year. Philip decide that he did not want to go back to that school anymore and he tansfered to Washington Academy from Harrison High. It was also time for the school budget at Harrison High and everyone was hoping it would pass. When that day came they were defeated. Philip went to his new school and when he meet his new teacher , they were preparing to sing the national athem and Philip started to cry. He was asked why and he said he did not know the words....

Nothing but the truth is a facinating book about the first amendment rights. This book has many surprises in it.
It is about a boy named Philip Malloy, who wants on the track team,in order to join the track team you have to make passing grades. Philip does good in school for all except English. Philip beleives Miss Narwin, the English teacher, don't like him because he jokes around alot. Philip thinks if he ticks off Miss Narwin then he would get kicked out of her classand he would bring up his english grade. Miss Narwin isn't only Philips English teacher though she is also his homeroom teacher. Every Morning over the PA System the national anthem is played. Philip think if he hums real loud during the national anthem she would kick him out.
Philip was sent to the office many times because of this "miss-happening." He gets kicked out of Miss Narwins homeroom class but still in her English class. Philip had told his parents that the reason he got kicked out was because he was being patriotic.
Philips story got in the newspaper and now news casters all over the world had took up on this story. Now, not only Philips parents think that he was patriotic but the whole world thinks it.
At the end of the book, Phlip had moved to Washington academy, and Miss Narwin moved to Florida. The teacher at his new school told Philip that he would love it there because they sing the national anthem aloud every morning. After introducing Philip to the other students she told him that he could start them off singing the national anthem. Philip started crying. The teacher asked him what was wrong and he told her, "I dont kno the song."
This was a surprising ending to me. i would recomend this book to any one who would like to read about taking advantage of the amendments.