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The Child Buyer

door John Hersey

LedenBesprekingenPopulariteitGemiddelde beoordelingAanhalingen
293689,022 (3.68)12
An imaginary, utterly absorbing record of the investigations of the Committee on Education, Welfare, and Public Morality of an unnamed state senate into the activities of Mr. Wissey Jones, who has come to the town of Pequot on what he says is urgent defense business.      The hearings develop the suspense of a bizarre trial. It soon becomes clear that Mr. Jones buys for his corporation children of a certain sort, and that he is eager to acquire a ten-year-old named Barry Rudd, who manifests the breathtaking, prickly, sometimes obnoxious, but also deeply moving precocity of a potential genius. The dramatic conflicts exposed during the hearing revolve around the questions of exactly why Mr. Jones's company buys children, and whether he will succeed in buying Barry.              The Child Buyeris a biting commentary on some aspects of American education, on the uses of high intelligence, and on the means of defending democracy. Mr. Hersey makes fine use of the classical weapons of satire--humor and high spirits, sweet dream and nightmare, grotesqueness in the heart of normalcy--to attack not any single theory of education, but the notions that education can be an exact science; that superior minds can be set free by a national crash program; that children can be regarded as weapons; and that talent can be processed and stored for profit and defense.              Although these extraordinary hearings end in a kind of horror, involving the slide into corruption or rascality or apathy of almost everyone connected with them, nevertheless the book leaves in the reader's mind a powerful affirmation--a case for individuality, freedom of thought, integrity, faith in the young, and, above all, a better understanding of human needs in a darkling world.… (meer)
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Started this summer of 1975 on the recommendation of a good friend. Somehow I couldn't connect with it. Perhaps I'll try again sometime. ( )
  HenrySt123 | Jul 19, 2021 |
This novel is by an author I like but it came very close to not being read by me. It is from 1960 and is told in a very unusual style - the entire story is told via transcripts from the hearings of a state senate committee. This is a serious cautionary tale. It struck me as a little (a lot?) too weird at times, it is sinister and creepy but also humorous. This was absolutely worth the read but it didn't climb up to the great level. The idea was slightly ludicrous, that a strange appearing man was going around buying child prodigies for a secret experiment. What happens as a result is where Hersey delivers some interesting observations on American society.

I'll add that although I didn't like the story I recognize it as a good one. 2 1/2 - 3 stars ( )
  RBeffa | Dec 8, 2013 |
Thirty years ago, when I read this book back in high school, I focused only on the horror of the sinister stranger, Wissey Jones, who wanted to buy Barry Rudd. As an adult, however, I see a deeper horror at work.

The story, told in the format of a court transcript, is a quick, easy read. However, the themes - the shortcomings of the educational system of the US, television's corruption of society, and peoples' blind belief in the need for national security - will stick with me for a long time. The tragedy is not just that Mr. Jones wants to buy a child; it's that he has the support of so many people. Barry - the precious ten-year-old - is stuck in the middle, left without a voice or a choice in the matter.

The character development in this book is fascinating. Decent characters become indecent while sketchy characters show a strong core. Also, despite the fact that this book was written in 1960, it has a great deal to say about 2013. In fact, I was amazed (and saddened) by the similarities of politics now and then.

On its surface, this book is simple, but it goes much, much deeper. I highly recommend this classic. ( )
  mscott1 | Jun 20, 2013 |
$60.
  Brenada | Sep 8, 2015 |
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An imaginary, utterly absorbing record of the investigations of the Committee on Education, Welfare, and Public Morality of an unnamed state senate into the activities of Mr. Wissey Jones, who has come to the town of Pequot on what he says is urgent defense business.      The hearings develop the suspense of a bizarre trial. It soon becomes clear that Mr. Jones buys for his corporation children of a certain sort, and that he is eager to acquire a ten-year-old named Barry Rudd, who manifests the breathtaking, prickly, sometimes obnoxious, but also deeply moving precocity of a potential genius. The dramatic conflicts exposed during the hearing revolve around the questions of exactly why Mr. Jones's company buys children, and whether he will succeed in buying Barry.              The Child Buyeris a biting commentary on some aspects of American education, on the uses of high intelligence, and on the means of defending democracy. Mr. Hersey makes fine use of the classical weapons of satire--humor and high spirits, sweet dream and nightmare, grotesqueness in the heart of normalcy--to attack not any single theory of education, but the notions that education can be an exact science; that superior minds can be set free by a national crash program; that children can be regarded as weapons; and that talent can be processed and stored for profit and defense.              Although these extraordinary hearings end in a kind of horror, involving the slide into corruption or rascality or apathy of almost everyone connected with them, nevertheless the book leaves in the reader's mind a powerful affirmation--a case for individuality, freedom of thought, integrity, faith in the young, and, above all, a better understanding of human needs in a darkling world.

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