Crusader

by Edward Bloor

Roberta Ritter hopes to be a journalist one day, but for now she's stuck working at her family's arcade in a dilapidated shopping mall. From her vantage point behind the counter, she sees all the goings-on at the mall--and some things she sees are disturbing. Racism, dirty politics, and drugs are all part of the scene. Roberta doesn't like it, but she's just a fifteen-year-old--so what can she do?    Roberta is surprised to find out just how much power she does have. To hone her journalistic skills, she begins to investigate hate crimes at the mall. In the process, she uncovers some shocking information concerning her own mother's death. And as she learns to stand up for herself and the truth, Roberta becomes the kind of person who makes things happen--a crusader.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Christian Fiction, Childrens

484 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 1999

About the author

Edward (William) Bloor

Personal Information: Born October 12, 1950, in Trenton, NJ; son of Edward William and Mary (Cowley) Bloor; married Pamela Dixon (a teacher), August 4, 1984. Father to a daughter and a son. Education: Fordham University, B.A., 1973.

Career: Novelist and editor. English teacher in Florida public high schools, 1983-86; Harcourt Brace School Publishers, Orlando, FL, senior editor, beginning 1986.

* Tangerine, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1997.
* Crusader, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1999.
* Story Time, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2004.
* London Calling, Knopf (New York, NY), 2006.
* Taken, Knopf (New York, NY,) 2007.

Media Adaptations:
Tangerine audiobook, Recorded Books, 2001.
Story Time audiobook, Recorded Books, 2005.
London Calling audiobook, Recorded Books, 2006.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crusader is not your typical young-adult book. For one thing, it's five hundred ninety-one pages long, and with the intense, dynamic writing style of the ingeniously endowed Edward Bloor, that length makes for a roller coaster ride of impossibly unpredictable twists and turns, red herrings and shocking secrets revealed at each step along the way, going and going until one might think that it just couldn't go anymore. Then you realize that you're only a quarter of the way through the book.

Edward Bloor is a master writer. His debut novel, Tangerine, blew by the expectations that I could ever have for any author's first effort, unfolding with the seeming skill of a story told by an author seasoned by decades of experience at inciting emotion and gripping his readers in the throes of excitement. Crusader is very similar in the power and magnitude of its scope, taking its sweet time to close slowly in around the unwinding plot that is Roberta Ritter's life. Roberta is a junior in high school, and she assists her father and her uncle's family in the operation of the virtual reality arcade that they own, in the languishing West End Mall. The arcade's fare is exclusively comprised of virtual reality games, known as "experiences", and for five dollars a pop the customers can immerse themselves in these experiences that briefly transport their senses to another time and place.

Roberta's life is heavily wrapped up in the dark, deadly secrets of her past, however, as well as in the deep secrets kept by her family and the people around them. Roberta gets caught up in the dispute between a young Arab-American mall vendor named Sam and a teenage worker who goes by the nickname Hawg, from her family's arcade. The massive density of the book allows for the resulting ripples of this heated conflict to be treated with uncommon depth, and for a large number of side characters and other issues to naturally blossom from the story as it goes along. Some of these issues follow Roberta throughout the entire book and others find a speedier resolution, but they all contribute to the furtherance of the plot as its dark net begins to tighten, as Roberta begins to find out how all of these ostensibly unconnected portions of her life really fit together in a giant puzzle to point her toward information about the unsolved murder of her mother seven years ago, and the stunning revelations about the people who were involved in it.

Crusader is marked with deeply running lines of noblest virtue and yellowest cowardice, often even coming from the same person. The list of characters is long and important, each one playing some significant role in the narrative's scope. So many people cannot come together in one space without sparks flying, and when enough sparks get together they will always be sure to ignite any scene. That's exactly what happens in this book; not once or twice, but over and over again.

There are so many profound pictures of the meaning of our lives and the lives of the people living around us to be found in this book that to launch into an explanation and analysis of them all would take a review nearly as dense as the book itself. The frightening darkness and glowing promise of humanity pours from this novel's every page like water, sustaining the reader to make the entire trip of almost six hundred pages on the edge of their seat nearly the entire time. Rarely have I seen such perceptive characterizations and sharpness of plot focus in any book as in this one. Crusader is a work of art and of unsurpassed verve that should be enjoyed and experienced and allowed to wash over oneself like the powerful waves of an ocean at the shore. This is a book with true knockout potential, the fruit of a writer who has quickly come to be one of the greatest in his field.

All in all, I think that Crusader has the power to change minds, and to lead the reader into the realm of self-examination and understanding of the people around themselves, in the way that only the most important books of all are able to do. So many major issues are convincingly addressed in this book, and all with the incredible skill of Edward Bloor as writer. Readers will find themselves thinking long and hard about this book well after the final page has turned, a sure testament to the ability of Edward Bloor in his creation of the story. I would give at least three and a half stars to Crusader, and probably the full four.

[Asghar Abbas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a mature young adult book that does not insults its audience.
Rich, rich, storytelling.

Book being a fun ride was just a bonus; a cherry on top. It certainly reflected on who we are as a society and what we did. To each other, one another, and the others that were also us.

This is one of the best books I have ever read
this is one of the best YA books I have read

how this is not a Netflix series is beyond me.

[Lar]

This book blew my 6th grade mind out of the water. Literally one of the craziest books of my life and all I remember is that she works in her father’s arcade and I think it’s called “Arcane.” Absolute insanity I don’t remember any plot points at all but I cannot wait to reread this. Been trying to find the title for YEARS and finally found it!!!!

Side note I think Rachel checked it out from the school library after me and my teacher said “Lauren was reading that book for forever” LOL IT WAS A LONG AF BOOK FOR A SIXTH GRADER

[Stephanie]

I am so torn over what to think about this book, and I’ve been pondering it for all 600 pages and since I finished reading it.

The heart and soul of the book for me was Roberta’s relationship with Mrs. Weiss, her in-all-but-name adoptive mom. Mrs. Weiss is the only adult in the novel to notice that Roberta is an extremely neglected, borderline abused child, and that none of the adults in her life care about her at all. Watching them bond as two people who have been through extremely hard times in their childhood, watching Mrs. Weiss take care of her by giving a home-away-from-home, a safe place if she needs it, and trying to make sure she isn’t alone and cared for, was really sweet. And watching Roberta begin to grow and flourish once she knows someone is there to look out for her and love her is really wholesome and a great reading experience.

However, the rest of the plot, having to do with some recent hate crimes at a struggling mall (owned by a sketchy senator), was deeply problematic. There are regular hate crimes being committed against the Arab-American man working there. But as the book drags on, every single act of racism is excused in some way by the characters and the narrative. “He’s not racist, he just wanted to save his business.” “He’s not racist, he just grew up in Georgia.” “He’s not racist, he’s on medication.” “She’s not racist, she’s just terrible to everyone.”

Wanting to save your business doesn’t force you to be a racist! Growing up in Georgia doesn’t force you to be a racist! Taking medication doesn’t force you to be a racist! If the book had actually put the work into exploring all of the social constructs that enable racism, that would have been good, but it didn’t, it just…brushed it all away, as if the reason we can’t all get along is that we don’t give people a chance after they treat other people like less than human.

Even the main character, Roberta, works at an arcade that offers extremely racist VR experiences, and while she turns into an agent for justice when it comes to her mother’s murder and the hate crimes (which turn out to not be racially motivated. YEAH RIGHT.), at no point does she turn that energy on the family business. She works there every day and watches customers come in and either relish the racist VR experiences, or be emotionally and mentally damaged by them, and this never bothers her enough to do anything about it. “She’s not racist, she’s just here to support the family business!”

Even the *victim of the hate crimes* is made to feel bad, because 1. He accuses someone wrongfully, even though that person has been racist to him multiple times in the past; 2. Feels guilty that he hurt the perpetrator??? For???? Finding out the truth???? Sam pls.

[Dave J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Bloor's epistolary Tangerine is an exceptional example of YA, it was lacking in areas of characterization that would've made it a stronger book. Crusader fixes all of the problems present in Bloor's previous novel, showcasing the kind of creative mastery that I was convinced Bloor knew how to pull off. The characters are much stronger and more abundant; the main character's writing is even more compelling; and the subject matter alone provides a captivating framework for an even grander mystery. Bloor went to town here and created something that exceeded my expectations by miles.

I wasn't even sure that I would enjoy the story when I began. It was a slow start, albeit intentional in hindsight. The initial setting is a not-so-frequented mall in the late '90s, and the half-lazy introductory tone fits the bill. However, Bloor peppers the beginning with just enough intrigue and oddities to get you a little bit hooked. And by the end, I was a lot hooked. As it was in Tangerine, Bloor presents a realistic status quo, but something always feels off. The subtle tension and trace elements of horror build up right from the get-go and continue to mount in very unexpected ways throughout the novel. I was only able to guess at one twist, but even then it turned out to be just half of the whole picture. If there's one thing I like, it's a good mystery, and Bloor's clever twists create a great one.

Bloor is never afraid to touch on disturbing or dark subject matter, either. Dives into it with confidence, even, much more than he did in Tangerine. The ways in which Bloor weaves events together sometimes had me at a loss for thought. It's bold writing, that's for sure. But the writing doesn't come across as cold, and Bloor doesn't include certain things just to freak you out. There's a lot of warmth to counterweight the yawning darkness, and the main character herself + some others act as a kind of counterweight to the state of the story's world.

Which brings me to my next point: Bloor is great when it comes to negative capability. Plenty of authors fail to do a good job when it comes to 1st person storytelling, but for Bloor the ability comes naturally. While Paul of Tangerine and Reberta of Crusader may appear similar at the outset, their differences become clear soon enough. Roberta ended up leaving such a stark impression on me that I thought for a second that I was reading nonfiction or memoir. I suspect Bloor's ease in this area comes from his own childhood experiences. And that definitely factors into my own enjoyment of his novels. Bloor excels when it comes to creating an outsider; an underdog. His empathy toward the downtrodden is the bond that holds the entire story together. There were a lot of moments that hit me right in the gut and kept me ruminating even after I'd put the book down for the day.

If you were expecting an ornate writing style, there's nothing of the sort here. But this kind of prose certainly works as intended and is super-effective when it needs to be. And that's not to say it's devoid of any character or distinctiveness; it's got plenty of its own vigor, and then some. True to its main character, it's the kind of prose one would expect from a teen with journalistic aspirations and an insatiable curiosity.

While this novel nears 500 pages (give or take depending on the edition you're reading), the length is necessary. I could tell that Tangerine just wasn't a big enough canvas for Bloor, and Crusader proves that assumption. The characters are far more memorable due to their properly varied personalities (and there's quite a lot of them, perhaps around 30 important individuals), and the Floridian landscape is given a lot more life and vigor within the story. The story rarely drags on, and a lot of its threads come to satisfying conclusions, even if those conclusions aren't quite what you'd normally consider conclusive.

Almost in the same way that Oyasumi Punpun is tough for me to recommend, it's hard for me to recommend Crusader. It can be brazenly dark at times, but it also has a necessary kind of warmth that is often a welcome shock. It's a realistic look at a sliver of American society, even a couple decades later. A tough read for sure, but a riveting and worthwhile one that I won't soon forget.

[Lana Tessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Mrs. Tessler's Class: Culture Shock

An odd book and I really couldn't decide if it horrified me or engrossed me, which is I suppose why I like it. This was a very deep read for a YA book and one I'd recommend more for teens or adults rather than middle-school level, though some emotionally mature readers may enjoy it as well. It follows the exploits of Roberta, trapped in a neglectful but not abusive family, and working at the family arcade in a mall while she tries to puzzle out a series of hate crimes, prejudices, and the mystery of what happened to her murdered mother several years prior. The characters are realistic, flawed, believable, and widely varied from the fairly normal Kristin to the super-model teen, Nina to the ADHD brother Karl. Every character has a boat load of problems and issues that make the interactions believable and heart-wrenching. There's not a lot of adventure but there is a great deal of human intrigue that raises some excellent questions on prejudice and the darkness of the human psyche. Lots of parallels to Hitler and the Iraq war and the prejudices therein.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

An odd book and I really couldn't decide if it horrified me or engrossed me, which is I suppose why I like it. This was a very deep read for a YA book and one I'd recommend more for teens or adults rather than middle-school level, though some emotionally mature readers may enjoy it as well. It follows the exploits of Roberta, trapped in a neglectful but not abusive family, and working at the family arcade in a mall while she tries to puzzle out a series of hate crimes, prejudices, and the mystery of what happened to her murdered mother several years prior. The characters are realistic, flawed, believable, and widely varied from the fairly normal Kristin to the super-model teen, Nina to the ADHD brother Karl. Every character has a boat load of problems and issues that make the interactions believable and heart-wrenching. There's not a lot of adventure but there is a great deal of human intrigue that raises some excellent questions on prejudice and the darkness of the human psyche. Lots of parallels to Hitler and the Iraq war and the prejudices therein.

[Jenn Estepp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, y'all, I am just glad to finally be finished with this book, because I feel like I've been reading it for-freaking-ever. It's long, just a smidge under six hundred pages, and I was only reading it at work, on lunch hours and breaks. Plus, I went on vacation in the middle of it. So, it really has been a long time. But! It's not just me. The book contributes to that too. Because it's a weird little (well, not little) thing and it made me contemplate stopping and tossing it away on more than one occasion.

I guess it speaks to things that I didn't? That I felt compelled enough to see where Bloor was going with it?

Er, anyway. About the book itself. First off, it feels extremely dated. And not just because working at an arcade that centers on virtual reality experiences is at the center of it. Remember back in the nineties, when everyone thought that VR was going to be the future. That was cute. There are other things about it that locate it very specifically in the time it was written, but that's the most prominent.

Next, characterizations. Eh, not so great. I kind of hated almost everyone and almost none of them felt fully rounded. Most of them I wanted to punch. The one who is most developed is Roberta, the central protagonist, and I just did not get her. Very frequently, I felt like she had Asperger's, and if that's true, than I maybe like this more. But, I don't think it is. I think she's sheltered and odd and the writing is off-kilter. It just did not work for me.

And the plot twists - don't even get me started. There are too many coincidences and/or things that are completely improbable and/or stuff that goes down that makes no sense and/or have no point. And the revelation that I suppose is intended to be jarring is painfully obvious for hundreds of pages in advance.

I just, I don't know. The thing that bothers me the most is that I think, buried deep in there, is something good. The bones of the story are there. The potential exists. A handful of peripheral characters could've been really interesting, if more was done with them. I think Bloor is not a crappy writer. I'm sure they didn't make with a first-time editor. I don't get why this book had to be as mediocre as it was. Or, why the ratings for it are so high on here. Oh, well.

[Carol Nicolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roberta Ritter’s world centers around her journalism class at school and her work in her uncle’s arcade, located in a Florida mall. She plods through life never feeling anything, just trying to get by. Her one dream is to become a journalist. She thinks that her life is normal.
But gradually Roberta becomes aware just how abnormal things really are. Although she is opposed to violence, she numbly accepts the arcade, which features violent simulation games like Crusader. She was told that her mother died of a heart attack years ago, but she discovers that her mother was murdered, and the murderer was never caught. Her uncle, who owns the arcade, isn’t paying the bills. Hate crimes are on the rise at the mall, and she suspects that the wrong person is being accused. Her father is seldom home, preferring to spend time with his girlfriend. Her only friends are the people who work in the mall, including some high school kids who have some serious hangups. When she discovers that a local politician plans to tear down the mall and the nearby senior complex to make way for a golf course, Roberta decides to embark on her own crusade. She not only resolves to find out the truth about the hate crimes, her family, and her mother’s death, but she is determined to save the mall.
I sympathized with Roberta, and I enjoyed watching her personality and character grow as she took charge of her life. Her caring personality comes through as she takes time to listen to people and help them. She rises above her circumstances and her dysfunctional family, and she uses her journalistic talents to solve the problems facing her and those she cares about. This book is more than a murder mystery with a teenage heroine. It is a deep, complex story about the courage to live, recover from trauma, and to follow one’s dreams. I enjoyed reading it.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid, though I remember picking it up hoping for something closer to Vivian Vande Velde's "Heir Apparent," with descriptions of virtual fantasy experiences. However, this book is anything but. Though mostly set in a virtual arcade, the main character Roberta has never played a game. Instead, she helps out her family in running the arcade, while going to school and learning to be a journalist. Unfortunately, the virtual games are racist in nature - the customers can choose to fight Africans, Japanese, or Jews depending on the setting. Roberta doesn't mind though, she's too busy worrying about the attacks on her friend Sam, and the inevitable fall of the West End Mall.

Unfortunately, "Crusader" was really hard to get into because Roberta doesn't mind much of anything for a good portion of the book. Her initial character is flat, though she's surrounded by all these horrible or horribly nice people. For a long time I was drawn along by these secondary characters, not Roberta. But Bloor does a good job in depicting Roberta's bloom from gray & unemotional to well-rounded, strong & clever. This growth of character and personality really made the book memorable to me, even more than the plot. Sometimes we need to be reminded that heroes don't always have their role thrust upon them. Sometimes they need to take up their cause themselves, when others give up or turn away.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. The main character is a budding high school journalist who mother died when she was very young- of a hear attack, her dad says Mom's heart just stopped beating.
She is now and has raised herself, her dad is mercurial he doesn't really check in with her. The girl is used to this, and doesn't really care she just deals. The people around her who care are noticing though.
Her dad, with her help has run a video arcade all her life. Her uncle and his family are in transition- he was stationed in Germany and enticed to invest in this video arcade now that he is out of the army. This year the uncle and two cousins, a high school aged girl and boy arrive to help out with the arcade and go to high school. There are so many themes in this book- it works- but there are a lot. High school beauty, ADD, popularity, talent and what to do with it, trust, family secrets, integrity, persistence, drug abuse, skin head beliefs, prejudice, the lure of video games, responsibility ....all enmeshed in a young journalist deciding to investigate her mother's death after 15 years and what she will do with the truth she finds. Lots of unexpected, unimaginable plot twists keep the pages turning as we root for her and her cousins all the way.

[Jacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how Edward Bloor does it. He writes these books that may not be the most exciting, action packed pieces ever, but still I can't stop reading. He makes me love the characters too damn much. Every one of them was unique, important, and a picture of realism. They grabbed my attention, won my affection, and then played out their part of the story in an emotion-invoking way. He's a powerful writer.

This book was particularly pointed--covering a variety of important social topics from class/money issues to racism. He handled the topics well. Each character had something to contribute. It would be an excellent platform for discussion. A lot of the pieces that he put into his book (racism against Arab-Americans and the media's role in twisting public consciousness) was rather prophetic seeing how it was written 3 years before 9/11.

And then there was the plot. Bloor has always had a way with writing mystery. In this 500 page block, he had two mysteries going that were equally baffling. I had my own list of suspects for each case and got it wrong each time. I love that. I love that he can outsmart his audience and bring puzzle pieces back around to zing us. He's obviously a big fan of Chekhov's Gun.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't all that impressed, to be honest. I picked it up because I remembered really liking Tangerine when I read it in high school. This one was not as good. Bloor doesn't seem to know what he's writing about-- is it about muckracking and murder mysteries, or is it about the evils of prejudice? The mystery parts are by far the best, though even they're just okay. The passages dealing with racism are didactic and repetitive, and seem to be aimed at much younger kids than the apparent target audience of 12-15 or so. The heroine also reads as much younger than her supposed age of 15-16, and the other characters aren't any better established. There was definitely some good stuff- the twist at the end was especially good-- but overall the story was awkward and ungainly, and probably a lot longer than it needed to be.

[Robertp · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book Crusader by Edward Bloor was exciting, but it was ultimately unsatisfying because it dragged on at times. I would not recommend this book. One reason that it was exciting was because it said, “Then Kristen’s right arm shot up like a rocket.” (107) This scene was exciting because it was a fight. A reason why I didn’t enjoy the book is because the author wrote, “So don’t go calling me Hitler. So don’t go calling people fat Arabs.” (123) This shows that the book is extremely racist. Another reason why I didn’t enjoy Crusader is because it stated, “The blow knocked him up into the air.” (293) This made me sad because someone dies in a very harsh way. Although I did not really like this book, you or other people might like Crusader.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

[Jerry Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crusader was often touted as my favorite book ver b/c it was the thickest book I have ever read. I couldn't remember the plot when I would tout this, but hey! it was my favorite book? I was suprised to discover it was a pretty simple young Adult book, similar to a Twilight, with end of Middle thoughts and convservational banter writing style. I don't think I impressed anyone with my book of choice but myself. What I thought would be a tale entrenched in historical fiction had but a few short passages of allusion.

In spite of this, I finished my long time favorite book (a 600 pager) in 2 days. Here are some quotes to allude to the next time I describe my favorite historical thriller:
"The door opened behind us, and Kristin strolled in. Kristin is pretty close to perfect. She's blond and beautiful; she's an A student, and popular and athletic. Uncle Frank is as proud of her as he is ashamed of Karl"(8).
"Kristin asked, 'Is Carlos going to be there tn?' Nina sneered, 'Carlos? What do I care where he is?...I tell him, 'Carlow, you got two chances with me: no way and no how.'" 'So why do you go out with him?' 'Because he begs me to. And he takes me to nice places'" (113).
"'in Arab history the Crusades haven't ended....The Christans are still fighting the infidel, colored, and it's still in the name of the cross.' 'What do you mean, the infidel?' 'The non-Christian people. The Japanese. The Vietnamese. The Iraqis. The infidels had reasons to fight back. But they can never keep up with the atrocity level'"(232).
"'[Nina] has a lot of guys...But that doesn't stop her' 'Do you two hang out a lot?' 'No. She invites me out sometimes. She drives. She pays"(340). Betty goes with Nina every time.
"Once your case is classified as inactive, any property that we [cops] seized as evidence gets returned to you. Provided, of couse, that it's not forensic evidence, stuff we would have tom produce in a court of law" (400).
The brain numbing servitude of the silent majority. "raised by parents who don't value education; who actually resent it; who desperately do not want you to be better educated than they were. In fact you are supposed to be just as dumb, uncurious, and cretinous as you are. You are supposed to be no more than a member of the servant class. Pardon me - I beleive they call it the 'service class' now.
You are destined to serve teh small percent of people whose families did value education, and who made their children's futures their priority and pride"

[Dr.Fishbowl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Roberta Ritter goes on a dark journey of self discovery and learns many valuable life lessons--- Such as: Be terrified of poor people. That hate crimes aren't really a thing and that everyone deep down is a racist. Mistrust the news media with their super advance, bad kung fu, voice dubbing abilities. And my personal favorite, don't go within a hundred feet of foreigners or you might contract chicken pox.

Crusader by Edward Bloor starts off well enough. There is the downtrodden heroin (Roberta Ritter), with a violent and tormented past, who is working at a mall in her father and uncle's arcade. A arcade which games may or may not be germinating and nurturing the rash of hate crimes that now plague the dying shopping center. With all these combustible elements one would think Crusader is setting up to be a compelling racially charged mystery where Roberta would have to reconcile with her own dark past in order to solve the perils of the present, but you would be wrong.

What follows is just a absurdly long novel which by some dark miracle isn't long enough to tackle all the themes and plot lines being thrust upon the reader. Whether that be the glorification of violence in video-games or the challenges that lie with racial diversity, to ones solemn duty to reporting the truths of the world as oppose to blindly accepting the fallacies of reality. All of these themes are touched on so haphazardly and poorly that they seem trivial and unimportant at the best of times, and at the worst--- blatantly raciest.

Crusader for the most part is a bore of a novel, except when it's being surprisingly offensive and ignorant, in which case it seesaws from being hysterical to rage inducing. From lessons of fearing poor people and foreigners, to perpetuating false equivalencies and victim shaming, this book can be quite the conundrum. It seems the authors intent was to present a world where there is no easy answers, a world where shades of gray rule the day, but it's pretty clear where the authors allegiances lay. This is a world where saying hillbilly is as bad as saying nigger, that news media and intellectuals are the bad guys while school administrators who believe everyone on god's green earth is a raciest are truth speaking heroes. A world where being a fun and free teenage girl is a sin and that only through divine punishment, like leprosy (or in this case chicken pox) can you see the light and achieve salvation. I mean, like....WHAT?

This book is bad. In a attempt to make “real” and flawed characters we end up with a posse of truly unlikable and detestable kids. The main plot is muddled and unfocused, with a climax that revolves around the most cosmic coincidence of all cosmic coincidences and is ultimately resolved with people praying, leading to nothing felling genuine, to nothing feeling earned, to nothing making a lick of sense. This is a 600 page, grueling quest of a novel that even an honest to goodness crusader would be hard pressed to finish before asking some random infidel to lob off his head as to spare him from having to read any more of this sanctimonious, double speaking tripe. Either that or he can just skip out on his pox vaccine, I mean who needs vaccines when you have the power of prayer, am I right?

[JennM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant book written by Edward Bloor. The characters have so much heart and the main focus is how we treat each other and ourselves. I would definitely say this is a novel for teens or even better... adults. A lot of deep issues are discussed from racism to drug addictions. It just has so much heart and the emotions sneak up on you and before you know it... bam, tears in your eyes. This is the third or fourth time I've read this book. I don't think they actually print this one anymore and the copy I have is literally falling apart. I think it was geared toward middle school, but I see it placed better as adult fiction. At times it seems all over the place, like Bloor had way too much he wanted to discuss, but it all comes together nicely and everything does play a part in creating the bigger picture. I am always surprised at the depth of this novel when I read it. It is a quiet, scary, reflective read. Roberta is such a strong character. She saves others and herself. And it is a "real-world" story with characters of our world rather than fantasy or science fiction. Readers see Roberta develop into a strong young woman. She cares and fights for what she believes in with respect and dignity. I really liked the character of Mrs. Weiss and was glad that someone was looking out for Roberta. Kristin's transformation was also incredible and a good example of what really counts in life. An excellent read. I highly recommend. I've seen some of Edward Bloor's books as kindle only -- wish they'd come out in print. Something so awesome about reading an actual physical book and turning physical pages. Crusader is a great book with a lot of heart, which I think is missing in a lot of today's more modern novels.

[Gretchen Fatouros · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was ready for a change in books, but had no idea what I was looking for. I grabbed a few random books from my bookshelf. I don’t like to know what to expect, so I just started reading. This is what I needed.

The back on what it is about (which I read after finishing) doesn’t do it justice. Even the name of the book is strange to me. I had no idea where this book would lead. Roberta seemed like a normal teen & then learn more and more...

Was difficult to put down & I did some very late night reading to finish.

Glad she stuck up for herself & had adults who also looked out for her. Wasn’t sure about her cousins at first. Then realized they were good kids & had her back... Uncle Frank is a bit rough, but not a bad guy in the end.

[Veronica F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was deep for the age it was written for. Initially it comes off as a simple shallow racism is bad and we all need to stand up for what we believe in, but in the end there was some depth to it.
What I dont like is that it lighty touched too many topics- racism, drugs, dirty politicians, murder/death, military, suicide, mental health, criminal justice, sea turtle preservation, mismanagement of schools, ... I was able to follow the story, but it would have been so much better narrowed down slightly.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

My father gave me this book about 6 or so years ago and I can't stop reading it! I have read so many books, and this one stays my favourite! It moves kinda slow, but the character development of the main protagonist, Roberta Ritter, is amazing! I don't have much more to say about the book, but I love this book and I definitely recommend it!!!

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked a Tangerine much better. This book was like a third too long with like 20 red herrings and too many storylines and then a huge rushed ending even though it was over 500 pages. It’s one of my nephew’s favorites though so I wanted to see what his tastes were like.

[mcayla]

The fact that the plot of this book was ingrained in me and not much else for locating (thanks google), it was probably a little too much to be reading at 10 yrs old and I remember reading it often! This will be interesting to revisit as an adult

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Hugh Mason. From west Georgia. He’s dead. So is Mrs. Weiss. Will tried to die, too, in the trash trailer, but we wouldn’t let him. I guess we’re all going to be dead someday, Mr. Lyons. But I’m alive right now. I’m standing here at the edge of your ditch, and I’m looking at you, with all your money, and all your people, and I’m saying, I will not jump in the ditch like all the others. You will have to shoot me. I will not give up! Do you understand? I will not give up—no matter what you do, I will never, ever give up!”

This is easily the best book I’ve read for 2023. One of the best books I’ve ever read period.

[The Poor Person's Book Reviewer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great first half, bad ending, I thought the VR would play more of a role, but it could of been left out and the story would be the same. Honestly the whole mom plot couldn’t of been left out altogether, all together it could of been great but will ultimately be forgotten

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down. This was a strange, strange book. Very blunted unfiltered view of racism and conflict from a young girls POV, interesting character development and just a weird story. It did feel dated and overall unpolished, but the heart of it had potential.

[Sarrah Wallflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this is middle school, and recently rediscovered it. It wasn't exactly as I remembered it, but it was a great read.

[Katarzyna Balutowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better ending then I expected. However the book was not what I thought it would be.

[Jlo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crusader: A Slow Burn in Paradise

Edward Bloor's "Crusader" unfolds like a sun-bleached photograph found tucked away in an attic trunk. The colors are faded, the edges worn, yet there's a undeniable allure to its hazy familiarity. The plot, much like that photograph, is more of a suggestion than a concrete image. It whispers of teenage angst, simmering secrets, and the intoxicating pull of the Florida swamps.

Roberta, our 15-year-old protagonist, is a mystery wrapped in a flannel shirt. We glimpse fragments of her past - a mother's death, a strained relationship with her father - but they remain tantalizingly out of reach. Bloor doesn't bombard us with exposition; instead, he lets us piece together the puzzle alongside Roberta, savoring the small clues and quiet revelations.

This isn't a novel for those seeking fireworks. It's a slow burn, a patient dance between introspection and action. Bloor's prose, like a gentle guitar strumming on a porch swing, lulls you into a state of quiet contemplation. You find yourself less concerned with where the story is going and more enthralled by the way the sunlight filters through Roberta's messy hair, the way the fireflies flicker in the twilight air.

"Crusader" won't leave you breathless, but it might leave you with a newfound appreciation for the beauty of uneventfulness. It's a reminder that sometimes, the most captivating journeys are the ones without a clear destination, where the simple act of being present is enough.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloor's follow up to TANGERINE is another YA novel that doesn't have any easy answers, and doesn't insult the reader's intelligence. It's got a slower pace than TANGERINE, but it also has deeper characterizations and a more complicated conflicts.

The book centers around Roberta, a high schooler that works part-time at her family's arcade. The arcade is failing, just like the mall where it is located. To make matters worse, someone has been painting racist symbols in the mall, leading to tensions among the tenants.

Over the course of the novel, Roberta faces a remarkable number of issues: racism, classism, murder, politics, ecology, divorce, religion, drugs, and more. But this really isn't a "message" novel -- it's more about the complicated lives of high-schoolers, and not giving up in the face of adversity.

Bloor's writing is strong, and the characters are compelling. This book is worth the time and effort, with sections that really pay off because the reader cares about the characters and what it happening with them.