The Wave by Morton Rhue (aka Todd Strasser)

I can't remember now where I first learned about The Wave by Morton Rhue (aka Todd Strasser). Maybe from another book blogger?? Anyway, I've had The Wave on my reading wishlist for quite a while and decided that this month was going to be the one for reading this novel.

The Wave is a young adult novel based on real life events that take place at a high school in Palo Alto, California back in 1969. The fact that this novel is based on real life event and the captivating synopsis are what initially captured my attention enough to want to read The Wave.

Since I'm currently having a complex regional pain syndrome (crps) flare up, I used Google Gemini to help me flush out some of the finer points of this book as follows below:

A Chilling Study in Groupthink: Review of The Wave by Morton Rhue

Morton Rhue’s 1981 novel The Wave (a pen name for Todd Strasser) remains one of the most stark, accessible explorations of how totalitarianism develops within a society. Based on Ron Jones’s real-life 1967 "Third Wave" classroom experiment at a California high school, the story serves as a haunting answer to a timeless question: How could ordinary people allow something like Nazi Germany to happen?

Premise & Plot

When history teacher Ben Ross shows his high school class documentary footage of Holocaust concentration camps, his students react with disbelief. They insist that the average German citizen could not possibly have stood by while millions were murdered. Intrigued and slightly frustrated by their skepticism, Ross decides to launch an unannounced classroom experiment.

He introduces strict discipline, snappy salutes, and unifying slogans: "Strength Through Discipline, Strength Through Community, Strength Through Action." He dubs the movement "The Wave."

What begins as an engaging pedagogical tool quickly spirals out of control:

• Instant Belonging: Outsiders and victims of bullying, like student Robert Billings, suddenly find status and equality within the group.

• Enforced Conformity: The movement rapidly spreads beyond the history classroom. Dissenters—most notably Laurie Saunders, the student newspaper editor—are ostracized, threatened, and labeled as traitors.

• Loss of Control: Ben Ross himself becomes intoxicated by the absolute authority and order he commands, delaying the end of the experiment even as violence begins to leak into the school hallways.

Key Themes

Theme	How It Manifests in the Book
Conformity vs. Individuality	Students willingly trade personal critical thinking for the security and comfort of belonging to a collective.
The Appeal of Fascism	Rhue demonstrates that authoritarian systems do not begin with obvious cruelty; they begin with order, pride, and shared purpose.
Power Dynamics	Ben Ross highlights how authority easily corrupts even well-meaning leaders who believe they remain in control.

Strengths & Weaknesses

• Strengths: The pacing is rapid and taut. At under 150 pages, it reads with the urgency of a thriller. The psychological shift of the students feels disturbingly believable, demonstrating how quickly human beings succumb to tribalism when offered structure and inclusion.

• Weaknesses: Written primarily as young adult literature, the prose is straightforward and occasionally sparse. Character development takes a back seat to the central psychological experiment, making some interactions feel somewhat functional rather than deeply nuanced.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Wave by Morton Rhue (aka Todd Strasser) I found on Amazon's website:

The Wave is based on a true incident that occurred in a high school history class in Palo Alto, California, in 1969.

The powerful forces of group pressure that pervaded many historic movements such as Nazism are recreated in the classroom when history teacher Ben Ross introduces a "new" system to his students. And before long "The Wave", with its rules of "strength through discipline, community, and action," sweeps from the classroom through the entire school. And as most of the students join the movement, Laurie Saunders and David Collins recognize the frightening momentum of "The Wave" and realize they must stop it before it's too late.

I am giving The Wave by Morton Rhue (aka Todd Strasser) a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

 

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

I listened to the unabridged audio version of What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher, which is well narrated by Avi Roque. I'd had this horror/fantasy novella on my reading wishlist for a while. I'm glad I finally listened to What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher as it was really good. 

What Moves the Dead is a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's, The Fall of the House of Usher. What Moves the Dead is also the first novella in the 'Sworn Soldier' series. If you enjoy reading books and novellas that fall into the horror and fantasy genres and are also into a retelling of a classic story, then this book may be for you. The storyline, plot, and characters are fun! This book is most definitely worth the hype.

Below is the publisher's summary for What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher found on the Goodreads website:

From the award-winning author of The Twisted Ones comes a gripping and atmospheric retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's classic "The Fall of the House of Usher."

When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, receives word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruritania.

What they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possessed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.

Aided by a redoubtable British mycologist and a baffled American doctor, Alex must unravel the secret of the House of Usher before it consumes them all.

I'm giving What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars. 

Until my next post, happy reading!

New to Us Little Free Library in San Juan Bautista, California

 On our way home from Soledad, California, my husband and I stopped off in San Juan Bautista, California with the goal of visiting the San Juan Bautista Mission. 

Unfortunately, the San Juan Bautista Mission was packed with people. So, we decided to take a pass and visit the San Juan Bautista Mission another time.

On our way out of town, we found a Little Free Library outside Vertigo Coffee Roasters. This Little Free Library is cute!

New to Me Little Free Life in Soledad, California

 

This past Friday through Sunday, my husband and I spent time at the Inn at the Pinnacles in Soledad, California. The Inn at the Pinnacles is a luxury bed and breakfast set on a vineyard and is located about a ten to fifteen minute drive from the west entrance to the Pinnacles National Park. It was our first visit time staying at the Inn at the Pinnacles. We truly enjoyed our relaxing stay at there and hope to make another visit in the future. 

The primary purpose of our visit was to attend a stargazing event hosted at the Inn at the Pinnacles. We were able to view the night sky both Friday and Saturday using a telescope. Wine and cheese happy hours were offered both nights and a delicious, homemade Mexican dinner on Saturday evening. And, of course, delicious breakfasts during our stay too. 

On our way to the Inn at the Pinnacles, we visited one of the 21 California Missions in Soledad. The Soledad Mission was a small, but quaint mission. We enjoyed our visit there.

On our way home, we dropped off a couple of books at a Little Free Library in Soledad.

How was your weekend?

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates

I listened to the unabridged audio version of Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates, which was nicely narrated by Lauren Ezzo. I you enjoy suspenseful novellas, then you will enjoy Cardiff, by the Sea as all four novellas were very good and very different from each other. 

Cardiff, by the Sea is the second book I've read by Joyce Carol Oates this year. Interestingly enough, both books I've read by Joyce Carol Oates this year have been buddy reads. This time around, I read Cardiff, by the Sea with Marianne @ Let's Read. Marianne is a fan of Joyce Carol Oates's writing too! Marianne made a perfect reading buddy as we had lots to discuss. Checkout Marianne's blog by clicking on the link above.

I want to break down my review of Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates by reviewing each novella. Each novella contains a female protagonist who is threatened, manipulated, or traumatized by predatory, abusive, or toxically controlling male figures. 

Additionally, most of these novellas has an ambiguous ending to them. The final novella has a resolution of sorts, but not everything is entirely wrapped up so neatly at the end. Joyce Carol Oates is notorious for writing ambitious endings! But then again perhaps that's the appeal... Perhaps, JCO wants you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions.

1. Cardiff, by the Sea

This is the titular first novella in the collection and happens to be my personal favorite. JCO's writing here is superb. The basic premise follows an academic in Pennsylvania who discovers a terrifying trauma from her past after inheriting a house in Cardiff, Maine, from a relative she never knew existed.

The protagonist, Clare, was given up for adoption as a baby and never spent much time dwelling on her origins—until she inherits property from her biological paternal grandmother. Summoned by the estate lawyer, Clare travels to Maine and meets her eccentric great-aunts and paternal uncle. That’s where things begin to go awry. Strange, unsettling things start happening to Clare—or so she believes.

Clare learns that both of her biological parents died tragically, but no one—not even the estate lawyer—will explicitly tell her how. Instead, Clare is directed to the local library to uncover the truth herself, and the answers she finds are horrific. Obsessed with uncovering what really happened, Clare sets out to interview anyone who might know the real story behind her parents' dark past.

2. Miao Dao

"Miao Dao" refers to a traditional Chinese two-handed saber, but it doubles as a clever wordplay on JCO's part, as cats ("meow") play a central role in the narrative. In this story, an eleven-year-old girl named Mia is struggling through her parents' tense divorce while navigating the uncomfortable, predatory attention of older neighborhood boys and men. Overwhelmed by loneliness and anxiety, Mia adopts a fierce feral cat. The bond between them turns dark and protective as the cat becomes a silent guardian against the increasingly aggressive males in her life. It’s an unsettling look at how young girls are forced to navigate terrifying environments far too early.

3. Phantomwise: 1972

Set in the title year of 1972, this story centers on Alyce, a brilliant but deeply insecure and shy college sophomore who finds herself in a terrifying dilemma when she becomes pregnant. The setting of 1972 is crucial here: it takes place immediately before the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973. At this time, abortion was still largely illegal across most of the United States, leaving young, isolated women with virtually no safe or legal options.

Terrified and lacking institutional support, Alyce becomes completely dependent on the men around her. Enter an older, charismatic poetry professor who steps in to "take her under his wing," though his motives are far from innocent. JCO brilliantly highlights the legal traps and social taboos of the pre-Roe era, showing how restrictive healthcare laws weaponized control over women's bodies and left them uniquely vulnerable to predatory, manipulative authority figures. The tension in this piece is suffocating as Alyce struggles to find agency in a world designed to strip it away.

4. The Surviving Child

This was probably my least favorite of the four novellas, but it was still a gripping, eerie read. The story functions as a subtle roman à clef inspired by the tragic lives of poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. It follows Elisabeth, a woman who marries a charismatic, domineering widower whose famous poet ex-wife died by suicide, taking one of their children with her.

JCO leans heavily into the classic, dark "wicked stepmother" trope here—though with a psychological twist. Elisabeth steps into the household trying to care for the surviving child, but she is quickly consumed by the toxic family dynamic. Instead of being the villain, Elisabeth becomes a victim of the domestic haunting, finding herself tormented by the late wife's lingering voice, an inexplicably befouled well, and an unsettling, hypnotic attraction to the garage where the horrific tragedy took place. While it felt a bit slower than the rest, it paints a haunting picture of inherited grief and psychological decline.

Here's the publisher's summary for Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates, which I discovered on Hoopla:

An academic in Pennsylvania discovers a terrifying trauma from her past after inheriting a house in Cardiff, Maine, from someone she has never heard of. A pubescent girl, overcome with loneliness, befriends a feral cat that becomes her protector from the increasingly aggressive males that surround her. A brilliant but shy college sophomore is distraught to discover that she's pregnant, and the professor who takes her under his wing may not have innocent intentions. And a woman who marries into a family shattered by tragedy finds herself haunted by her predecessor's voice, an inexplicably befouled well, and a compulsive attraction to a garage that took two lives.

In these psychologically daring, chillingly suspenseful pieces, the author of We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde writes about women facing threats past and present, once again cementing her reputation for "great intelligence and dead-on imaginative powers" (Los Angeles Times Book Review).

I am giving Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

P. S. I did have Google Gemini help me rewrite my summaries for each of the novellas to make them sound/flow better. The rest of this post is solely written by me without Google Gemini's assistance.

I Love Little Free Libraries!!

 

Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

 

Last year, I read and reviewed Chicano Frankenstein by Daniel A Olivas. Another blogger, CyberKitten, read my review of Chicano Frankenstein and recommended I read Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi. Since I enjoyed reading Chicano Frankenstein so much, I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of  Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, which is well narrated by Edoardo Ballerini and Kaleo Griffith.

Thank you, CyberKitten, I enjoyed listening to Frankenstein in Baghdad. It is a unique read with a setting in Iraq. It's filled with colorful characters and an engaging storyline. The narration is phenomenal as well. If you are interested in reading retellings of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, then Frankenstein in Baghdad may be right up your alley.

Below is the publisher's summary for Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi, which I discovered on Chirp's website:

From the rubble-strewn streets of U.S.-occupied Baghdad, Hadi—a scavenger and an oddball fixture at a local café—collects human body parts and stitches them together to create a corpse. His goal, he claims, is for the government to recognize the parts as people and to give them proper burial. But when the corpse goes missing, a wave of eerie murders sweeps the city, and reports stream in of a horrendous-looking criminal who, though shot, cannot be killed. Hadi soon realizes he’s created a monster, one that needs human flesh to survive—first from the guilty, and then from anyone in its path. A prizewinning novel by “Baghdad’s new literary star” (The New York Times), Frankenstein in Baghdad captures with white-knuckle horror and black humor the surreal reality of contemporary Iraq.

I am giving  Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Happy National Book Lovers Day!!