Book Review: Most Dangerous

Title: Most Dangerous
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Teen Reviewer: Se Choi


As tensions rise in North and South Vietnam, American government Decided to assist South Vietnam. But as American troops ambush rice paddies and bomb the North, they don’t seem to make a difference in the war. The North’s elaborate strategies make the war seem endless for the US. And in the US, civilians are also upset about the government’s ambush on North Vietnam and the danger inflicted on the people of Vietnam. Because they were criticized by their people, the US Government decided to hide real facts and operations going on in war-torn Vietnam. At that time Daniel Ellsberg was working at the Pentagon and knew that the war in Vietnam was not as successful as the Government said it was. So he traveled to Vietnam and experienced the truth: that American military maneuvers in Vietnam were stagnant and turning very unpleasant for the Americans. Daniel Ellsberg then found himself trapped in two loyalties. One to the government he worked for, and one to citizens like himself. But as the war went on, Daniel decided to copy pages of classified information and deliver them to newspaper companies all over the US. Then, all the people knew the truth about the things that were happening in Vietnam. They learned that the US wasn’t winning the war. But it all didn’t stop there. The government took Ellsberg to court. They even ransacked several places to find information of Daniel’s wrongdoings. But after a tiresome trial, Daniel Ellsberg got away with all the convictions that were brought against him. After the government lost the fight, they gave up and left him alone. Later, the US agreed to leave Vietnam alone and the war ended in defeat.

 Most Dangerous shows the heroism of Daniel Ellsberg. He stole documents from his government for the greater good of his people. He helped end the doomed fight in Vietnam so that lives would be saved, but he did it by breaking the law. As Steve Sheinkin tells this story, he adds many facts and details that make the novel trustworthy and interesting.

Book Review: Red Rising

Title: Red Rising
Author: Pierce Brown
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Teen Reviewer: Se Choi

On Mars, a hardworking type of human named Reds lived to drill the soil to find a certain gas to make Mars habitable for humans. The Reds wore suits that contain everything inside it, and they slave all day to serve the uppercolors without hesitation. Darrow was a gas miner, and he had a wife that started to rebel against the upppercolors. But one day, the uppercolors found out she was rebelling, so they hanged her in front of the ArchGovernor and in front of Darrow and the community. Then Darrow, thoroughly distraught, did something rebellious for his wife and got himself hanged. But he woke up and found himself alive because the Sons of Ares resurrected Darrow with high tech equipment.

The Sons of Ares was a terrorist group that was against the rule of the Golds. The Sons of Ares showed Darrow the cities the Golds had made and how they were telling the Reds lies. They turned Darrow into a Gold through the use of technology and training. Then, the Sons of Ares sent him to an academy where he was first tested his smartness and physical health. Then he was ordered to kill one of the Golds that did not do well on the test. The Gold he killed happened to be the younger brother of Cassius, the son of a rival of the ArchGovernor and a friend that he made. He decided to keep this a secret. The institute he tested for was not the normal school with classes and tests, but a huge game with seven houses. Darrow and Cassius quickly became leaders of House Mars until Cassius found out that Darrow killed his brother. Then he was left for dead by Cassius and survived to make an army of his own and eventually win the game. He was immediately claimed by the ArchGovernor and was promised a bright future.

The book was packed with action and has a very creative storyline. The novel also tells us that even the weakest and smallest can rise up to the top. The explosive action and the meaningful purpose of the book makes it perfect.