Face

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Zephaniah is not just telling a story of a brave and inspiring young man, he is also teaching readers an important lesson through the voice of Martin. Even though the book did not meet my expectations of some crazy story (but that's not a problem with the book but with my assumptions) I still loved it when I realised it wasn't going where I'd assumed.

I really like his writing style; he’s able to cover such complicated topics such as peer pressure, drugs, youth crime, racism, young relationships, preconceptions and a whole host of others, without it getting too heavy or bogged down. Martin's life looks good with a model for a girlfriend, the best gymnast in school, and as a class clown. You have to be careful what you say and who you say it to on the streets of Martin's neighbourhood - not that Martin is particularly racist: 'I ain't got nothing against blacks, they're just different, they dance different and everything. He is the author of a number of acclaimed novels for young adults, including Refugee Boy and the upcoming Gangsta Rap.

With this being my 3rd reading of 'Face' (reading the book twice, and the play once), I still love this book and the message it teaches the reader. The ending didn't really feel like an ending to me, and I would have liked to see this book expanded.

This would be an excellent prompt for discussion about prejudices regarding appearance and our reaction to those less fortunate than ourselves. I wanted to know more about Martin because I never felt like I got a good grasp of who he is and his personality. Through this trial he discovers who his true friends are, the difference between love and lust, and what it really means to be beautiful.

meh 🤔🤔🤔🤔 o sea lo leí en inglés y está bueno porque tiene vocabulario y eso pero la historia medio que no me enganchó taaanto. Overall Face is a very good book I would recommend to anyone who wants to read a moving story that’s stand up against social norms. He has to come to terms with his new appearance, his parents' reaction to his injuries, and then his friends and the rest of the school. It’s just a little too shaky in places, and whilst there aren’t any overt mistakes in terms of grammar and punctuation, I did occasionally find myself being jerked out of the story when somebody behaved strangely or said something unusual. Even once I’d been absorbed into the story line, I didn’t enjoy it much, although I did appreciate that the large print made it easy for me to power through it.