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The Upper Zoo (2012)

by Michael Wolf(Favorite Author)

3.71 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

076844098X (ISBN13: 9780768440980)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Destiny Image

review 1: “There is nothing I liked about this novel”The Upper Zoo was written by Michael Robert Wolf. The novel is literary fiction in the melodrama/ existentialism genre. Michael Robert Wolf has led Beth Messiah Messianic Jewish Synagogue in Cincinnati, Ohio for the past 33 years. He is past president of the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America and presently serves on their executive committee. He has produced several children’s video movies and is presently working with Kingdom Pictures on an independent film he wrote called "Sound of the Spirit," due to be released early in 2012.The Upper Zoo is narrated in the first person by the main character of the work. Though the main character is a teenager, the narration is inexplicably adult in its tone. The writing is straight ... moreforward, not complex and easily read; it should be accepted by a wide audience. While reviewed as a book for young adults, I would caution parents and others that the subject matter may not be appropriate and may even challenge the mores of some adults.The story is developed around two dysfunctional families brought together as a result of children of the families suffering from various psychological or mental problems that finds them attending remedial education classes. As a result of their association in the classes, called the “Zoo” various students become friends or enemies over the course of an eighth grade school year in 1964. The story opens by introducing Jonathan Richman (the narrator), Gwen Anderson (the girl friend), Robey Romero (the gangster) and Clarence Carlson (the prophet). Each has his own particular problem, the cause of which seems to emanate from some dysfunction of the youngster’s family and this eventually leads to an unavoidable and shocking destiny. This is a very dark tale that seems particularly out of place as a “coming of age” style of composition. It is a cesspool of the worst of human nature. It touches on all the topics of depravity in our society; adultery, incest, bigotry (both religious and racist), misogyny, bullying, deception, and disrespect to name a few. It provides a view of the police as imperious dolts and a school principal as remarkably dim witted. There is no message in the litany, no parable, and no lesson - nothing that would make me want to press a young reader to regard this tale as important. The family is viewed as broken, all the fathers’ despicable, all the mothers’ victims, all the children outcasts. It’s not so much that one could consider that none of it is relevant, just that where but in a fictional world would so much be concentrated in one place; and not a single redeeming entity anywhere!All and all I did not find any reason to like this novel. It was all about destruction, despair and failure. While as an adult I could manage the fictional drama, it wasn’t something I would recommend to anyone and certainly not a young adult.I would recommend this novel to adults with reservations and rate it “Forgettable”.
review 2: Overall, I enjoyed the book, however another book written about a marriage that didn't last that resulted in terrible repercussions of all involved. All because of an affair between Jonathan's dad and Gwen's mom. Also, disturbing was when Gwen's mother did not believe that Dom would do anything to Gwen. This story did bring into focus the challenges and rewards of having a family member with autism. less

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