Review: Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King
Published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers on October 14, 2014
Pages: 320
Format:Hardcover
Source:Purchased

In this masterpiece about freedom, feminism, and destiny, Printz Honor author A.S. King tells the epic story of a girl coping with devastating loss at long last--a girl who has no idea that the future needs her, and that the present needs her even more.Graduating from high school is a time of limitless possibilities--but not for Glory, who has no plan for what's next. Her mother committed suicide when Glory was only four years old, and she's never stopped wondering if she will eventually go the same way...until a transformative night when she begins to experience an astonishing new power to see a person's infinite past and future. From ancient ancestors to many generations forward, Glory is bombarded with visions--and what she sees ahead of her is terrifying: A tyrannical new leader raises an army. Women's rights disappear. A violent second civil war breaks out. And young girls vanish daily, sold off or interned in camps. Glory makes it her mission to record everything she sees, hoping her notes will somehow make a difference. She may not see a future for herself, but she'll do anything to make sure this one doesn't come to pass.

This book is weird. If you don’t like weird, then move along, because any book that contains the premise of seeing both the past and future upon the consumption of petrified bat remains will probably not be for you.

Yes, it was a weird book with a strange cast of characters, but it worked. Of course, when I had first heard about the whole “ingesting bat leads to superpowers” thing, I was certain there was no way anyone, even the most talented of author, could make it work. But I have terrible initial impressions, so I was wrong again. Even trying to review and describe it sounds utterly insane, and I don’t expect you to buy that this works, if you’re curious, you’re just going to have to read it.

Let’s just move along as though the bat thing was normal, for the sake of the review. So, we have Glory, who is about to graduate from high school. She is a hot mess, and hasn’t a clue what she wants to do with her life.  She has her dad, who is basically a shell of his former self, and though it’s clear her adores Glory, he is a bit too broken to be of much help. Glory’s mom, Darla, killed herself when Glory was three. Glory is still grappling with the aftermath, and the fact that absolutely no one in her life will talk about it makes her ruminate on it even more. Ellie, who is Glory’s “best friend” (only Glory kind of can’t stand her) lives across the street in a hippie commune and cares mainly about herself. So Glory plods through life, being cynical and obsessed with picture taking (the latter a hobby of her mother’s), not knowing if she will have a future, let alone what it will entail.

One night, Ellie and Glory find a bat (Max Black) and they are unsure if he is dead or sleeping. He is dead, and eventually ends up pulverized, and mixed in the contents of a beer and drunk by both girls, who subsequently can see people’s pasts and futures. The visions, though I didn’t understand their purpose initially, were incredibly interesting. They could see ancestors long passed, or descendants on Jupiter. But one theme sticks out to Glory, and she pursues it, and ends up meeting some interesting characters along the way.

There are so many amazing themes in this book. A lot of people focus on the feminist theme, and it is there, and expanded upon with the future visions, but there is just so much more to the book. One of the things I found so intriguing was Glory and Ellie’s friendship. Glory would be so sick of Ellie, yet she would continue to act (and even think) like a friend would. Glory was very judgy of Ellie’s behaviors, but I think deep down, she was concerned for Ellie. Ellie was one of those friends who takes way more than she gives, and I think we can all sympathize with having an “Ellie” in our lives. Like Glory, I would basically harbor resentment, but continue to befriend, so I understood why she acted the way she did.

Family is another big theme in this book. I love how Glory’s relationship with her dad develops and grows as she pushes him to open up about the past and allow her to discover her mother for herself. Glory is basically terrified that she will be just like her mother, that her cynicism and jadedness has doomed her to the same fate. Glory has to discover her mother and herself to figure out how similar or different they may be.

For awhile, I wondered what all the transmissions (especially the future ones that Glory was borderline obsessed with) had to do with anything, but as the book wrapped up, it all clicked. It was like putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and that last one fits into place perfectly, and you are so satisfied. I am not usually big on symbolism and underlying messages and such, but it worked in this book, because it all fell into place so nicely, but not in some cookie cutter, rainbows-and-unicorns way either. I am being vague on purpose, but if there comes a time while reading that you’d ask why? trust that there is an answer.

Bottom Line: Read this book. Seriously, it is clever, and well written, and amazing. Glory is so far from perfect, but I still found her incredibly likable and relatable. This book made me think, make me feel, and make me laugh. It’s so weird, but at the same time so much more than weird. I don’t think I can explain it any further, it’s just the kind of book you need to experience for yourself.