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There are currently 34 member reviews
for Vox
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Virginia M. (San Antonio, TX)
Terribly disturbing and Terribly good
This book was very disturbing because I can visualize it actually happening. I hated the story but I could not put the book down.
The premise of the book is that a radical arm of the religious right has taken control of our country and the laws of the land greatly restrict what females (regardless of age) are allowed to do. As a result, women are not allowed to travel or be employed. They also cannot have any access to books (even cook books) or any kind of written communication and they cannot watch TV or listen to the radio. School age females attend separate schools where they are taught to cook and keep house while being given zero academic training. Worst of all, all females are only allowed to speak 100 words a day with their speech monitored by an electronic bracelet capable of counting the number of words they utter and of administering a painful electric shock when the speech limit is exceeded. Females who violate these laws or who engage in appropriate behavior are imprisoned and forced to endure brutal living conditions.
The story line focuses on one wife and mother who had been an accomplished PhD scientist and her frustration and pain in living under such conditions. She suffers as she watches the life of her family become shattered. She also realizes that eventually for females the part of the brains which control language will most likely cease to function due to non-use.
The author did an awesome job of making the story line so authentic that I had to keep assuring myself that this was a tale of fiction.
The author explains two things in a foreword. First, she wrote this book as a cautionary tale about what could happen if we allow our Government to take away personal liberty bit by bit. Secondly, she hoped to make her readers aware of how blessed we are to have the gift of language.
Well, for me, she succeeded on both counts. I am glad I read this book and I recommend that everyone read it. I think you will be as disturbed by it as I was but it will make you aware of what could happen if our freedoms are not protected.
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Becky K. (Chicagoland)
Great new feminist fiction
I LOVED this novel! A big part of what made the story so great is the characters. Jean, a Ph.D and mother of four, is tasked with working on a solution for the brother of the president - a man who placed strict limitations on the rights of girls and women. Jean is relatable, even though I'm not married or a mother. It seemed like I would feel the same way she did about the politics in the country if I was in the same situation. Jean's husband, Patrick, is frustrating but slightly mysterious. Scientist Lorenzo is a great opposite to Patrick.
I cannot say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend it.
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Diane S. (Batavia, IL)
Vox
The Scarlet letter for the near future, but instead of a Puritan society and the red letter A, we have a society where the Christian right has prevailed. Women, even babies are fitted with a leather wristband that limits the words spoken in a day to a hundred. The first time you go over, one receives a small shock, strength of shock is increased with each transgression. 1984, only it is now, cameras are fitted in each house, front door, back door. Books are locked up, only able to be accessed by men. No jobs, home is their new responsibility, the duties of a wife and mother. The LGBT community fares even worse. This is the pure movement in the US and no one who transgresses is spared.
I found this chilling because I can actually see this happening, have seen men on TV who I can imagine loving just such a scenario. The importance of language, speech to show individuals we'll bring, forming personalities. How can you watch your young daughter not able to vocalize, tell you about her day? For Jean, it is torture, but a situation arises, and unwillingly Jean is temporarily reprieved, because the men in charge want something from her. Can she take advantage, make a difference? Well, that is the story, a quick moving one I was fascinated with. History has proven that with the wrong people in charge, anything and everything can happen. Can it happen here?
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Lauren T. (Orlando, FL)
Vox by Christina Dalcher
Vox is a work of dystopian fiction that takes place in the not too distant future. Jean McClellan is a linguist who, like all American women, has had her speech allowance limited to 100 words a day by the government, that is, men. We watch as Jean's family begins to fall apart under the stress. When she gets the opportunity to go back to work temporarily, it leads her right into the inner workings of the oppressors. I found this book frightening, mostly because the events that take place in it seem all too possible in America's current political climate. To quote Jean's graduate school roommate, "Think about what you need to do to stay free."
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Dorinne D. (Wickenburg, AZ)
One Hundred Words a Day...
This book presents an intriguing view of the future in this country. It immediately grabbed my attention and held it till the end. Imagine that men have taken control of the United States and in doing so have displaced all women, young and old, from any occupations other than child bearing and home making. All females wear bracelets that confine their speech to 100 words a day; anything over that, and they receive electrical shocks in increasing severity the more words they speak. That is the basis of this story, and it is very well told. Big Brother has indeed taken over and is watching every move that everyone makes... thought provoking to say the least. This is an important book, to be read by everyone - the message is clear: do not be complacent, your inaction and disinterest may cost you your lifestyle, indeed it may cost you your life.
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Barbara O. (Red Bank, NJ)
Speechless!
I read Christina Dalcher's book "Vox" in one sitting. This dystopian novel relates an eerily believable story of how women and girls lose their right to speak. Although a work of fiction, the author creates an environment, born in a time of conflicting values that results in a country taken over by a religious fanatic and how rights are slowly taken away. A great story for everyone, not just women. Book clubs should look to put this book on their must reads upon it's release. Christina Dalcher is a master storyteller. I loved this book.
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Rosemary C. (Golden, CO)
This Could Really Happen!
I found Vox to be a riveting, tension-filled read about the United States after a presidential election has put fundamentalist religious ideologues in power. Women's rights are eliminated and they are relegated to the sole roles of wives, mothers, housekeepers. How to resist when cameras are everywhere and all females must wear a counter on their wrists that gives electric shocks if one utters more than 100 words a day? Dalcher is an efficient writer and tells a story of those who fight back that is very suspenseful. It's also a lesson for those who are apathetic about politics and governance-voting matters. This was an excellent book. My only observation is that it ended perhaps a little too abruptly--but maybe I just wasn't ready for it to end.
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