The Child Buyer: A Novel in the Form of Hearings Before the Standing Committee on Education, Welfare, and Public Morality of a Certain State Senate

by John Hersey

During a series of hearings Mr. Wizzey Jones is forced to reveal the shocking activities of a corporation which deals in children

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, Classics, Novels, Humor, Literature

257 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

John Richard Hersey, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer, earliest practiced the "new journalism," which fuses storytelling devices of the novel with nonfiction reportage. A 36-member panel under the aegis of journalism department of New York University adjudged account of Hersey of the aftermath of the atomic bomb, dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, as the finest piece of journalism of the 20th century.

Reviews

[Jokoloyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

No need to be intimidated if you find the book with illustration cover of dark man looking down at a thin fragile child. The cover illustration is the scariest part of the book. Surprisingly, I found the story is an easy reading and sometimes even hilariously ridiculous.

The content itself mainly about arguments for buying a child. Compared to other Hersey's books, this book's theme is very mild. If you seek a serious John Hersey's award-winning-classics maybe you will be disappointed with this relatively-light story.

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out of topic note: A friend asked me where I found this book. Is it out-of-print? anyway, the book was my late father's collection. My father had some Hersey's books, and I remember my father sometimes mentioned The Wall in my childhood, and that was my first awareness about Jewish ghettos.

[K. Anna Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've arranged my thoughts on this terrifying story into a haiku:

"Corruption runs deep,
Manipulated by greed.
Nothing's too gruesome."

[Joe Santoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between the cover of the book and the quotes on the back, one would think we've got some kind of techno-horror type novel goin' on here, but what we really have is Hersey's version of A Modest Proposal.

The book is entirely framed as a 'hearing' with 3 state senators. One is just a buffoon, and makes random comments throughout that are meant to be funny (though fall a bit flat to this modern reader). One is essentially McCarthyism incarnate, and the third just an average guy.

In fact, just about every character is a stereotype that Hersey wishes to lampoon ,from the administrator who speaks only in useless platitudes, to the super aggressive prinicple to the meek yet passive aggressive teacher. There isn't much plot, it's really all political satire.

Hersey has quite a bit to say about the educational system... he clearly felt smart kids were being held back by not being singled out. He goes on for quite a while on it, when it's really a pretty basic concept, but I guess one does that when one writes a novel instead of a short story.

The Child Buyer himself isn't nearly as creepy as the cover, but really more of a snake oil salesman extolling the virtues of his company. The actual sci fi.. where the company is intending to erase the children's minds they buy to make them into Dune-like Mentats, isn't all that compelling or well developed.

There are some parts that are awesome though. Senator Skypack (the McCarthyist) is hilariously obsessed, and the main character's buddy, a 60s deliquent right out of central casting, made me laugh out loud with his poor grammar and brilliant insights.

As political satire of 50s middle America, this is pretty well done. Just don't expect a plot or much sci-fi, despite it's classifcation.

[Caitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a strong 4.5. It is entertaining, at times VERY funny, and very well-written. It's written in the form of court transcripts... in other words, it's told exclusively through dialogue with very little description. At first this was hard to get into, as it's so different from the books that I normally read. However, I really came to love it. It is impressive to me how Hersey can bring such life to his characters, and to his message, with what I'd consider to be such a limiting approach. When I first started reading it was interesting and very thought provoking... but as I got further into the novel, and learned more about the "case," it became very chilling and at times very disturbing. I thought that the end was very saddening... and very well done. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to think.

[Mav · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book through an old recommended reading list by my high school freshman English teacher. The novel is in the form of a trial transcript - which makes it seem almost like a drama. I normally avoid reading dramas and books where only dialogue tells the story, but the personalities and motives of the many characters are so well written I fell easily into this work.

The Child Buyer is a study in perspectives. No descriptions are needed because as each person stands to testify, they talk about all the other different characters so that we get a nice, well rounded picture of that character. Imaging how the characters act as they say their words was not hard with this novel.

As for the novel's message, the blurb on the Alfred A. Knopf edition couldn't be more accurate.

[Irene · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were some surprisingly funny sections in the beginning, however, the Senate hearing formula became tiring quickly. I also just could not buy the whole premise and felt he had such a cynical & hopeless opinion on mankind. Maybe that comes from covering Hiroshima? The best part of the book was the cover. I will be tossing this into the book bin as soon as I can.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Child Buyer was one of the few John Hersey books that I was not wildly enthusiastic about. Not that it was badly written, but the plot was odd, and I could not connect to the themes in the novel either. And while the style was unique, using a state senate hearing to tell the story, I thought the characters were charactatures, and the whole things together a bit...well, weird.

This state senate hearings take place because three senators are looking into an accusations that a man has come into one of their towns looking to buy a child. And they want to get to the bottom of it. The lead senator Senator Mansfield, and his counsel seem to only want to make a name for themselves by pursuing it this matter, while another senator (Senator Skypack) is an arch-conservative war hawk and the third, a senile, petty old man. Now these three are not full fledged characters...there is no dimension to them at all. And their witnesses, the people of the town, are as fully one-dimensional as the senators.

As the hearing unfold, we find out that the child buyer is working for a firm that has contracts with the defense department, and he wants this kid because they feel he is a genius. But the use they are going to put him to is so far off the grid, that it loses its impact.

Now Hersey may have been writing this to respond to something in the culture at the time. But it does not translate well at all to our time frame, unlike his previously read, The Conspiracy. It seems far-fetched and a bit ridiculous. Add that to his characters, and this was not my favorite book of Hersey's. Luckily, he is so good with words, that that aspect gave me some enjoyment.

[Claudia Putnam · Rating 4 out of 5]

On my shelf since, I don't know--it was old and yellowed and crumbly--I'm guessing my early 20s, maybe even high school. So I'm trying to get through some of these books that have been sitting around so I can send them off (to where? who takes crumbly old paperbacks anymore?) if I don't want them. This won't make the keep pile. Dystopian fiction has risen past this benchmark, though it was a benchmark in its day. I found the structure--as the typescript for a state senatorial hearing--to be annoying. Why would the state senate even be involved? I can't imagine the book being written this way today, so in this regard it's kind of a museum piece. And of course the man's world of the late 50s comes through quite clearly.

Mainly it's a study of American anti-intellectualism that still applies today. It just would have worked better as a story rather than a novel.

[Paul Gaya Ochieng Simeon Juma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried so hard to see the social sihnificance of this novel. Definitely, the act of child buying is unthinkable and others would consider it unethical. It is also quite disturbing. Now, what was John Hersey trying to address? Is it the shortcomings of our education system or the immorality of the practice of child buying? The chikd in question is Mr. Barry Rudd who is viewed by many to be a genius. The child buyer believes that the youngster needs to be isolated from his mates solely because of his high IQ. To confirm the same they hire a doctor who is able to identify potentially gifted students. Whether this practice existed before is yet to be made clear. All in all, I enjoyed this book, however, due to a lack of significance for the society it just has to remain a novel just like any other.

[Nik Maack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, strange, dark, disturbing. I'm told many people had to read this book in high school, but I'd never heard of it before until someone mentioned it on Twitter. Told in the form of a transcript from a government hearing, it's surprisingly compelling reading.

The characters are well formed, the plot is a tad sluggish, but there is real suspense. I found myself genuinely worried for the boy being bought, stuck in the middle of the drama.

But it would not be compelling to most teens forced to read it. That might explain why someone has written "boring" on the inside cover of my used copy.

[Kathee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read in a long time. Although written in 1960 and told in the form of senate hearings, it's dark commentary is as pertinent today as ever. What is the price of our convictions?

[boat_tiger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't particulary care for the writing style of this author therefore it was difficult for me to stay interested in the book. Just getting through it was like pulling teeth although the idea of the story was promising.

[Laurelle Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still as good and scary as it was when I first read it in the early '70's. I think the first best description of Asperger children. Highly recommend.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was 12, many, many years ago. Written as the transcript of a hearing, where town and school officials try to understand the reasoning of a stranger in town who has come to buy any highly intelligent children he can for "national defense" purposes, one can't help but think of the hearings in our time, which try to come to the bottom of political intrigues and doings. Barry Rudd is just such a boy, The Child Buyer, Wissy Jones, is looking for. Precocious, maladjusted, from a family without the means for creature comforts, or more importantly for Barry's mother, cultural offerings, Barry is fat, almost friendless and very, very smart. But Jones must convince the family, teachers, school board members, and the senators holding the hearing, that it is in everyone's interest to let Barry go to ULymph, where he will be used - and I mean this literally - as a part of the national defense. Almost forgotten now, John Hersey was a renowned journalist and author in the second half of the 20th century. It's a fascinating, well written book and not without relevance in the 21st century. First time I read it, it scared me. Still scares me now a bit, but for other reasons.

[D.R. Oestreicher · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILERS. In The Child Buyer by John Hersey (Hiroshima, A Bell for Adano), Wissey Jones wanted to buy Barry Rudd (a maladjusted genius). Jones planned to brainwash Barry until he was a blank brain (no memories, feeling, or senses) and train that brain to solve difficult problems (IQ over 1,000). I read this when it was first published (1960s) and I still remember the final question - after everyone has agreed for Barry to be sold.

Is Barry so brilliant that he can resist the brainwashing (something that was much on my teenage mind)? When asked if he would resist, Barry answers, “Oh, no. Once I go, I’ll go the whole way. It would be wonderful, but of course, this is impossible [to experience the] process twice, one co-operatively, once fighting it.” This was the ultimate question for me, whether to fight society or join it. Like Barry Rudd, I joined.

A classic from 1960. Surprisingly timely.
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[Tell Tale Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago, in a high school English class. It was called science fiction, but most of the way through it didn’t seem at all science fictional. No aliens, no robots, no time travel - none of what you expect from a “science fiction” novel. Yet it is science fiction and is also a really excellent novel. This makes you question your genre definitions and makes you question whether you are only interested in reading a certain type of story or if stories in general are able to captivate you. You leave this book with the realization that staying within genre marketing only keeps you from discovering a lot of great books and fascinating tales. While I do tend to love more imaginative stories with some element of the fantastic, The Child Buyer opened my mind to a lot more literature. If you love science fiction, give this a chance. If you don’t love science fiction, give this a chance and remember that some science fiction can come very close to reality.
-Gregory Kerkman

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I expect is the case with most people, all I know of John Hersey is his "Hiroshima," which is ubiquitous and annoying when one is interested in Japanese literature as I used to be. I had no idea he had written so many novels, and I found reference to this title ... actually I don't remember how I found out about it. But I did, from some obscure source, and I'm glad, because outside of the iffy ending, it's rather brilliant, subtly but very effectively disturbing, and intelligent people who were once highly intelligent children will find much in here to relate to. It is structured/presented as the unedited transcript of an investigation and I assumed such a framework was just another clever little postmodern trick, the 1960s being the decade when style became much more admired than substance, but that's not the case at all; the whole thing works. Calling this novel "dystopian" is a bit of a stretch, but if using the term wins it some interest, so be it.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an interesting, challenging read. Character description and analysis are some of the novel's strengths, along with some very funny passages and farcical behaviors. Too, there are a wealth of things to discuss, and many pertinent to today's cultural and political climate. I absolutely love John Hersey's writing, this book included. Right up until the end. I wanted more, and I wanted something more for the child. Hersey didn't let us off the hook. Our beliefs, morals, philosophies (life, educational, political, and more) have been poked and prodded -- we must decide his fate.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1960. It was not what I expected from reading the back of the book. On the surface, it was often quite comical, in it's form of state senatorial hearings regarding the Child Buyer. Many characters are shown with all their provincial flaws, and no one seems to be the least alarmed by the plan of the Child Buyer. Under the comedy, is the dark truth.
It was readable and interesting.

[Booreiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was my father's, as I would probably not have read it otherwise. I've seen another cover where a man almost appears to be flashing a child.!!..and the title is ominous, but the book is much less harmless and more enjoyable than it appears. It started slow, but as the characters "testify" multiple times, you grow connected to the child at issue and there are humerous interactions. This book grew on me and would be a great play.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

All written in court/playlike writing format. Dabbles around in things that appear unecessary when really the whole point of the story is to show how these people are turned around to admit to selling the child. A study more in human psychology and manipulation than a drama about the actual child or program itself.

[Tom Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of this book is very funny, though the subject matter is entirely serious and frightful. Would you sell your kid? By the end of the book, everyone would throw this kid under the bus. It seems people have a price that they will sell off almost anything. John Hersey writes superbly and is a master of his material.

[Charles Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the year 1960, there was justified apprehension about the rise of the military-industrial complex that Ike had just warned us all about. And there was a certain conviction that the brutally inefficient educational system of our country was crushing individual genius.

And there was a hell of a lot more indulgence for over-the-top slapstick devoid of nuance (Vonnegut, Heller).

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intensely biting, and savagely funny and entertaining satire of American nationalism, anti-intellectualism, commercialism, capitalism, and bureaucracy. What starts as a mostly funny book slowly becomes disturbing to the highest order. Highly recommend.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subtly frightening near-future story of establishment-sanctioned evil happening realistically in our society.

[Anvitha Miryala · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an inevitably eerie read. And at often times a frustrating plot progression as well. However, we learn about the characters nicely. Left me feeling uneasy after finishing it.

[Diana H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

intresting enough but drags for a short novel

[Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the form of court transcripts, Hersey excels at giving each character a distinct voice while utilizing the structure of the courtroom proceedings to underscore the futility of square pegs in round holes. The story is especially apt in today's climate of Alternative Facts.

[Michelle Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grabbed this book off the library shelf because the title is compelling and the cover art chilling. With such a great cover and title, the book has to be great, right? D'oh! It's not that the story is bad, it's just that it's so disappointing. All the potential never came to fruition, leaving a hollow ache instead of anticipated fulfillment.

Part of the problem is the format of the book. Writing a book as if it were a senate hearing is a neat idea, but one that would have worked far better as a short story. Over the course of this (short) book the style became tedious. But the most disappointing aspect of the book was the plot itself. It wasn't bad, just unfulfilling. The back cover promised an "alarming" work, but in the end it's not alarming. At least not alarming enough to warrant the title of "alarming."

This is an interesting book, but it falls painfully short of all that it promised.