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Munmun
In an alternate reality a lot like our world, every person’s physical size is directly proportional to their wealth. The poorest of the poor are the size of rats, and billionaires are the size of skyscrapers.
Warner and his sister Prayer are destitute—and tiny. Their size is not just demeaning, but dangerous: day and night they face mortal dangers that bigger richer people don’t ever have to think about, from being mauled by cats to their house getting stepped on. There are no cars or phones built small enough for them, or schools or hospitals, for that matter—there’s no point, when no one that little has any purchasing power, and when salaried doctors and teachers would never fit in buildings so small. Warner and Prayer know their only hope is to scale up, but how can two littlepoors survive in a world built against them?
Warner and his sister Prayer are destitute—and tiny. Their size is not just demeaning, but dangerous: day and night they face mortal dangers that bigger richer people don’t ever have to think about, from being mauled by cats to their house getting stepped on. There are no cars or phones built small enough for them, or schools or hospitals, for that matter—there’s no point, when no one that little has any purchasing power, and when salaried doctors and teachers would never fit in buildings so small. Warner and Prayer know their only hope is to scale up, but how can two littlepoors survive in a world built against them?
416 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2018
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3141 people want to read
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July 27, 2019i know i'm probably biased, but i really do think that this is by far my most recent book. in fact, it's not even close
April 1, 2018
Munmun by Jesse Andrews is a young adult fantasy set in a world similar to ours but all of the occupants are different sizes based on how much money they have. The main character, Warner, and his sister Prayer are littlepoors, the smallest size. Their family are about the size of an average rat leading them into dangers that the wealthy and middle class could never imagine.
Warner’s father was killed when a middle child was pushed into their house stomping on him. Then Warner’s mother was also injured leaving the family even more destitute. The trio come up with a plan though for Warner and his sister to make munmun and size up sending them on a quest across the city.
The first thing I’d mention with this one would be that there are sexual situations and adult content in here so it probably should be for more mature audiences. But with that being said it’s also a pretty wacky fantasy world including a lot of made up words and some pretty far out there action in the story. Readers definitely need to know the author is about as far away from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl that he is famous for before stepping into this crazy world.
I have to say I’m not a huge fan of made up words in stories, especially with an ARC copy that I stop and wonder if things are meant to be that way or am I reading through typos. I didn’t actually even realize the title is one of those words, munmun = money in the story. I think that for me was the one thing that kept me from really falling in love since the action was actually quite unique. There was always something going on to progress the story forward and a lot of it was really a creative take on our own upper, middle and lower class. In the end I found it all fast paced, fun and a unique read and would probably rate this one at 3.5 stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Warner’s father was killed when a middle child was pushed into their house stomping on him. Then Warner’s mother was also injured leaving the family even more destitute. The trio come up with a plan though for Warner and his sister to make munmun and size up sending them on a quest across the city.
The first thing I’d mention with this one would be that there are sexual situations and adult content in here so it probably should be for more mature audiences. But with that being said it’s also a pretty wacky fantasy world including a lot of made up words and some pretty far out there action in the story. Readers definitely need to know the author is about as far away from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl that he is famous for before stepping into this crazy world.
I have to say I’m not a huge fan of made up words in stories, especially with an ARC copy that I stop and wonder if things are meant to be that way or am I reading through typos. I didn’t actually even realize the title is one of those words, munmun = money in the story. I think that for me was the one thing that kept me from really falling in love since the action was actually quite unique. There was always something going on to progress the story forward and a lot of it was really a creative take on our own upper, middle and lower class. In the end I found it all fast paced, fun and a unique read and would probably rate this one at 3.5 stars.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
February 22, 2018
Five stars nodoubt but oh dang, filled with rage.
April 18, 2018
jesus christ, jesse
May 1, 2018
If I were developing a required reading list for a class of high school students socioeconomic issues, this book would make the top of the list. I loved how well Jesse Andrews was able to portray economic and class differences using size as the metaphor. It was so effective at demonstrating how powerless and small one feels growing up as a lower class citizen, and at describing the milieu of challenges and obstacles they face in daily life. Using size to represent acquired wealth was a stroke of genius, and the story of the main character attempting to work his way up through the economic strata was incredibly realistic and honest.
If I were using this as a teachable text, the opportunities to inspire empathy and understanding for those born less well-off abound. Even as Warner makes his way up in the world, being given chances and opportunities to acquire wealth or education, he still has plenty of obstacles to overcome as a lower and upper-middle-class citizen. It's important for teenagers to understand how these socioeconomic obstacles exist in different ways and for various classes, and that wealth acquisition is dependent on the hard work of the individual, but also on luck, opportunities, educational level, circumstance, and connections. Andrews does a great job of showing how these factors are interrelated, and how oftentimes the odds are stacked against a family born into poverty.
By creating this fantasy world where size is relative to wealth, it makes it a lot easier to dispell the reader's preconceived notions about wealth and economic success. Things seem to work differently in this world, and from the very first moment, tragedy and hardship follow Warner and his family. You immediately start to empathize and root for this character, whose circumstances literally and figuratively dwarf his ability. At this point, the reader is invested in the character's success, and has hopefully forgotten any bias leading them to think that they haven't "worked hard enough." As an educator, I find this a masterful way to open the discussion about socioeconomic differences, and to discuss the issues honestly and with clarity. I highly recommend this to any teachers who want an inspiring way to open up discussion on economic instability in their classroom.
If I were using this as a teachable text, the opportunities to inspire empathy and understanding for those born less well-off abound. Even as Warner makes his way up in the world, being given chances and opportunities to acquire wealth or education, he still has plenty of obstacles to overcome as a lower and upper-middle-class citizen. It's important for teenagers to understand how these socioeconomic obstacles exist in different ways and for various classes, and that wealth acquisition is dependent on the hard work of the individual, but also on luck, opportunities, educational level, circumstance, and connections. Andrews does a great job of showing how these factors are interrelated, and how oftentimes the odds are stacked against a family born into poverty.
By creating this fantasy world where size is relative to wealth, it makes it a lot easier to dispell the reader's preconceived notions about wealth and economic success. Things seem to work differently in this world, and from the very first moment, tragedy and hardship follow Warner and his family. You immediately start to empathize and root for this character, whose circumstances literally and figuratively dwarf his ability. At this point, the reader is invested in the character's success, and has hopefully forgotten any bias leading them to think that they haven't "worked hard enough." As an educator, I find this a masterful way to open the discussion about socioeconomic differences, and to discuss the issues honestly and with clarity. I highly recommend this to any teachers who want an inspiring way to open up discussion on economic instability in their classroom.
January 8, 2018
This book was deeply weird, but pulled it off so well that I'm honestly shocked.
I went into reading Munmun with trepidation because the premise reminded me a lot of that movie that just came out where Matt Damon shrinks himself, which looks horrible, but actually this book is good.
It's very odd -- even the syntax, where punctuation is mostly thematic and words like prettymuch and notsogood are stuck together, acronyms are spelled out (PA becomes "pee-ay" and U.S. becomes "Yewess") and a lot of normal words are shortened, chopped up, or cutesy-fied. (For instance, "munmun" which is the Munmun-world term for money.) Usually, I hate that kind of thing, but Warner's personality as the first-person narrator overpowers everything and the oddness just fits. It's like an unexpected rhythm in a song that first throws you WAY off and you doubt whether reading this book is a good idea, but then in under 1.5 pages you've caught on and can hum along easily.
It was hard for me to imagine how a book about tiny people and giant people could manage to not be stupid-silly or stupid-too-serious. Honestly, though, this perfectly balances the inherent humor of Warner's thoughts and perspective, and the dystopian horror of life at rat-scale. Anytime Markfive was around or Warner and Prayer were talking to each other things got funny, but neither the humor nor the weirdness detracted from the awfulness of the awful moments.
Munmun is not infrequently hilarious, but also communicates its crystal-clear "when the people have nothing left to eat, they will eat the rich" message in terms you can't miss.
I went into reading Munmun with trepidation because the premise reminded me a lot of that movie that just came out where Matt Damon shrinks himself, which looks horrible, but actually this book is good.
It's very odd -- even the syntax, where punctuation is mostly thematic and words like prettymuch and notsogood are stuck together, acronyms are spelled out (PA becomes "pee-ay" and U.S. becomes "Yewess") and a lot of normal words are shortened, chopped up, or cutesy-fied. (For instance, "munmun" which is the Munmun-world term for money.) Usually, I hate that kind of thing, but Warner's personality as the first-person narrator overpowers everything and the oddness just fits. It's like an unexpected rhythm in a song that first throws you WAY off and you doubt whether reading this book is a good idea, but then in under 1.5 pages you've caught on and can hum along easily.
It was hard for me to imagine how a book about tiny people and giant people could manage to not be stupid-silly or stupid-too-serious. Honestly, though, this perfectly balances the inherent humor of Warner's thoughts and perspective, and the dystopian horror of life at rat-scale. Anytime Markfive was around or Warner and Prayer were talking to each other things got funny, but neither the humor nor the weirdness detracted from the awfulness of the awful moments.
Munmun is not infrequently hilarious, but also communicates its crystal-clear "when the people have nothing left to eat, they will eat the rich" message in terms you can't miss.
April 29, 2018
This was just incredibly weird and not the good kind...
The book has such a great plot and a massive potential but it fell flat-faced for me and it was just boring for me.
The book has such a great plot and a massive potential but it fell flat-faced for me and it was just boring for me.
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February 13, 2018I received an eARC of this book on NetGalley
I only managed to get to page 30 before giving up on this book.
I knew it was going to be a little weird and I thought the premise sounded interesting but the first 30 pages were so immensely unenjoyable. I have absolutely no idea who this book is targeted at. It is far too juvenile for the average YA reader but definitely too adult for the MG audience.
It may have just been the ARC formatting but the smashing up of several words into a single word without spaces was infuriating, appeared far too often and was actually pretty distracting. I had to read several of them at least twice in order to pronounce the words properly (i.e. read vs read sounds different depending on the tense used. On top of that, the writing was choppy and very off putting. I had to continuously reread sentences...pause and squint...think...reread the sentence and confirm that I was reading it right. I found the use of baby-sounding words (like "munmun") so uncomfortable based on the supposed age of the characters. The next sentence would include a swear word or phrase which totally messed with me and my ability to imagine these character.
I only managed to get to page 30 before giving up on this book.
I knew it was going to be a little weird and I thought the premise sounded interesting but the first 30 pages were so immensely unenjoyable. I have absolutely no idea who this book is targeted at. It is far too juvenile for the average YA reader but definitely too adult for the MG audience.
It may have just been the ARC formatting but the smashing up of several words into a single word without spaces was infuriating, appeared far too often and was actually pretty distracting. I had to read several of them at least twice in order to pronounce the words properly (i.e. read vs read sounds different depending on the tense used. On top of that, the writing was choppy and very off putting. I had to continuously reread sentences...pause and squint...think...reread the sentence and confirm that I was reading it right. I found the use of baby-sounding words (like "munmun") so uncomfortable based on the supposed age of the characters. The next sentence would include a swear word or phrase which totally messed with me and my ability to imagine these character.
March 26, 2018
In an alternate reality a lot like our world, every person’s physical size is directly proportional to their wealth. The poorest of the poor are the size of rats, and billionaires are the size of skyscrapers.
Warner and his sister Prayer are destitute—and tiny. Their size is not just demeaning, but dangerous: day and night they face mortal dangers that bigger richer people don’t ever have to think about, from being mauled by cats to their house getting stepped on. There are no cars or phones built small enough for them, or schools or hospitals, for that matter—there’s no point, when no one that little has any purchasing power, and when salaried doctors and teachers would never fit in buildings so small. Warner and Prayer know their only hope is to scale up, but how can two littlepoors survive in a world built against them?
A brilliant, warm, funny trip, unlike anything else out there, and a social novel for our time in the tradition of 1984 or Invisible Man. Inequality is made intensely visceral by an adventure and tragedy both hilarious and heartbreaking.
Out April 2018
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
I’ve heard so much about this author and his work that I needed to get a copy of this book to review. I’m glad I did.
Andrews has managed to create something that hasn’t been done before in the YA genre. If you can get past the syntax, acronyms that are spelled out, and a whole new style of grammar, then you’ve unlocked the door to the world of “Munmun.”
Although incredibly weird and even deemed odd by many, Andrews has created an amazing world that mirrors many of the social and economic struggles of our own world. This is what makes his writing a well-written masterpiece!
I did struggle with Warner’s story being told in first-person, but that’s just me, I’m not partial to first-person narrative. However, Andrews pulls this off without deflecting from the story pace. I still remained engaged and eager to see what he’d written next. The best advice I can offer someone considering reading this book: stay open-minded and receptive to a writing form you’ve not seen before.
Some may call it juvenile, others may call it a disaster– I call it BRILLIANT!
There are surprising gems of humor found when certain characters interact which I thought to be creative tools used by the author to keep the reader engaged when plot and pace slowed slightly. These moments ushered the reader forward and back in to the action and gave the character another chink in its arc development. Truly clever!
Fiction mirrors reality during some of the more brutal and awful moments in the book, and Andrews most certainly refuses to hold your hand through them, but the voice of the author and overall ‘feel’ does manage to soften the impact somewhat, allowing the reader to digest the information presented and move forward. Another masterful technique used by the author to push the plot along.
The impact of the social and political bards are beneficial to the story in that they show a direct statement about what is often poo-poo’ed by society today. Although done in a caricature fashion where the poor are tiny, overlooked and ignore, the rich are larger than life itself and achieve everything, you can’t help but see the irony in the author’s use of said imagery.
Satirical yet brilliant! The author has taken how he sees the world and used this reflection to voice his own sardonic aptitude in a book delivering a loud message. There are far more ‘minions’ than giants and if united… one has to wonder about the outcome. Reminds me of the blockbuster children’s movie, “A Bug’s Life,” where a colony of ants were bullied in to gathering food for a nasty band of grasshoppers who were too lazy to gather their own (like the children’s nursery story too). When the ants united and refused to allow the grasshoppers to continue bullying them, the grasshoppers didn’t stand a chance because they were out numbered, hence — united we stand??!! lol who knows.
This book is many things, some positive and some not so much, but it certainly doesn’t conform to what is considered ‘proper’ when writing fiction. Rather, it’s a dynamic, original breach of fiction normalcy worthy of becoming a classical paradox about a pariah in a fantastical world.
Because of the complexities of the main character, Andrews obviously realized he needed to keep the other characters ‘down.’ In other words, he needed to keep the developing arc of the main character the center of the story without adding distractions created by other arcs. I believe this to be an ingenious structuring ploy, and because of the writing complexities, it manages to keep the focus where it needs to be. I think if he created complex character arcs of the secondary characters, these arcs would take away from the writing. The story-line continuously develops through the driving force of the main character’s growing arc, and in doing so, drives the story forward to it’s conclusion. I don’t think the story would work if done any other way. The developing character arc is almost a living entity of its own, and in effect, takes on the job usually reserved for secondary characters–that of pushing the MC along to achieving his plot goals.
Because the whole story is laced with satire, I think if anything, it’s here where the author fell short in achieving his goals. At times, one could say the satire becomes too much or drags on, however, I didn’t really see this as a huge hindrance worthy of demoting the book. I think what the author did achieve far surpasses any huge criticism anyone may have about satire and its use.
Lots of tongue-in-cheek references that could mirror today’s political ‘giants’ are seen here and there throughout the story, and I laughed out loud at how the author had fun with these particular satirical moments, shading the inferences enough to keep things funny and not turn the reader off or feel their own political views were being slighted or attacked.
“Kick em while he’s down” is definitely how Warner is treated, an interesting paradox that also reflects how many minorities are treated in our own society. Andrews cleverly shows social viewpoints on caste systems that make the ‘whole picture’ absolutely horrifying. His mirroring world is also governed and driven by the motto, that the amount of money you own decides your value to society.
Andrews driving wit, charm and clarity along with his classic method of storytelling oozes from the pages of Munmun, and I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for all to read this book, or, you’ll miss out on something unique.
Warner and his sister Prayer are destitute—and tiny. Their size is not just demeaning, but dangerous: day and night they face mortal dangers that bigger richer people don’t ever have to think about, from being mauled by cats to their house getting stepped on. There are no cars or phones built small enough for them, or schools or hospitals, for that matter—there’s no point, when no one that little has any purchasing power, and when salaried doctors and teachers would never fit in buildings so small. Warner and Prayer know their only hope is to scale up, but how can two littlepoors survive in a world built against them?
A brilliant, warm, funny trip, unlike anything else out there, and a social novel for our time in the tradition of 1984 or Invisible Man. Inequality is made intensely visceral by an adventure and tragedy both hilarious and heartbreaking.
Out April 2018
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
I’ve heard so much about this author and his work that I needed to get a copy of this book to review. I’m glad I did.
Andrews has managed to create something that hasn’t been done before in the YA genre. If you can get past the syntax, acronyms that are spelled out, and a whole new style of grammar, then you’ve unlocked the door to the world of “Munmun.”
Although incredibly weird and even deemed odd by many, Andrews has created an amazing world that mirrors many of the social and economic struggles of our own world. This is what makes his writing a well-written masterpiece!
I did struggle with Warner’s story being told in first-person, but that’s just me, I’m not partial to first-person narrative. However, Andrews pulls this off without deflecting from the story pace. I still remained engaged and eager to see what he’d written next. The best advice I can offer someone considering reading this book: stay open-minded and receptive to a writing form you’ve not seen before.
Some may call it juvenile, others may call it a disaster– I call it BRILLIANT!
There are surprising gems of humor found when certain characters interact which I thought to be creative tools used by the author to keep the reader engaged when plot and pace slowed slightly. These moments ushered the reader forward and back in to the action and gave the character another chink in its arc development. Truly clever!
Fiction mirrors reality during some of the more brutal and awful moments in the book, and Andrews most certainly refuses to hold your hand through them, but the voice of the author and overall ‘feel’ does manage to soften the impact somewhat, allowing the reader to digest the information presented and move forward. Another masterful technique used by the author to push the plot along.
The impact of the social and political bards are beneficial to the story in that they show a direct statement about what is often poo-poo’ed by society today. Although done in a caricature fashion where the poor are tiny, overlooked and ignore, the rich are larger than life itself and achieve everything, you can’t help but see the irony in the author’s use of said imagery.
Satirical yet brilliant! The author has taken how he sees the world and used this reflection to voice his own sardonic aptitude in a book delivering a loud message. There are far more ‘minions’ than giants and if united… one has to wonder about the outcome. Reminds me of the blockbuster children’s movie, “A Bug’s Life,” where a colony of ants were bullied in to gathering food for a nasty band of grasshoppers who were too lazy to gather their own (like the children’s nursery story too). When the ants united and refused to allow the grasshoppers to continue bullying them, the grasshoppers didn’t stand a chance because they were out numbered, hence — united we stand??!! lol who knows.
This book is many things, some positive and some not so much, but it certainly doesn’t conform to what is considered ‘proper’ when writing fiction. Rather, it’s a dynamic, original breach of fiction normalcy worthy of becoming a classical paradox about a pariah in a fantastical world.
Because of the complexities of the main character, Andrews obviously realized he needed to keep the other characters ‘down.’ In other words, he needed to keep the developing arc of the main character the center of the story without adding distractions created by other arcs. I believe this to be an ingenious structuring ploy, and because of the writing complexities, it manages to keep the focus where it needs to be. I think if he created complex character arcs of the secondary characters, these arcs would take away from the writing. The story-line continuously develops through the driving force of the main character’s growing arc, and in doing so, drives the story forward to it’s conclusion. I don’t think the story would work if done any other way. The developing character arc is almost a living entity of its own, and in effect, takes on the job usually reserved for secondary characters–that of pushing the MC along to achieving his plot goals.
Because the whole story is laced with satire, I think if anything, it’s here where the author fell short in achieving his goals. At times, one could say the satire becomes too much or drags on, however, I didn’t really see this as a huge hindrance worthy of demoting the book. I think what the author did achieve far surpasses any huge criticism anyone may have about satire and its use.
Lots of tongue-in-cheek references that could mirror today’s political ‘giants’ are seen here and there throughout the story, and I laughed out loud at how the author had fun with these particular satirical moments, shading the inferences enough to keep things funny and not turn the reader off or feel their own political views were being slighted or attacked.
“Kick em while he’s down” is definitely how Warner is treated, an interesting paradox that also reflects how many minorities are treated in our own society. Andrews cleverly shows social viewpoints on caste systems that make the ‘whole picture’ absolutely horrifying. His mirroring world is also governed and driven by the motto, that the amount of money you own decides your value to society.
Andrews driving wit, charm and clarity along with his classic method of storytelling oozes from the pages of Munmun, and I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for all to read this book, or, you’ll miss out on something unique.
September 24, 2018
I haven't hated a book so much in a long time.
July 2, 2018
Clearing another blog on my to-do list.
Another book I'm not totally sure about. I downloaded this with the idea that as people had been comparing to Douglas Adams there would be some humour in this but I didn't really spot that.
I got quite bogged down in the language and complexity of dream world and the characters themselves. I couldn't quite gel with the writing style but others may enjoy it. Possibly I'm not the target audience for this one.
Free arc from netgalley
Another book I'm not totally sure about. I downloaded this with the idea that as people had been comparing to Douglas Adams there would be some humour in this but I didn't really spot that.
I got quite bogged down in the language and complexity of dream world and the characters themselves. I couldn't quite gel with the writing style but others may enjoy it. Possibly I'm not the target audience for this one.
Free arc from netgalley
April 20, 2020
Took me a month to finish cuz it was depressing, but I did it, ma. You proud?
March 14, 2019
ANNOUNCEMENT! Up next in our book review section: A love ode for Munmun by Jesse Andrew written by a speechless-with-awe Kathi, unable to convey her thoughts in a coherent and enjoyable pattern, yet still trying, always trying.
This book! THIS FREAKING BOOK! I can't believe I've never heard of it before, why isn't it more popular?! It's an actual crime, and one I'm very much determined to solve by writing this review. So attention attention, a HUGE amount of praise for this book is coming right acount the corner. It's really interesting how tastes differ; I actually skimmed a few reviews before reading, expecting them to make me totally hyped for it, but alas. I immediately found so many DNF's and now, in hindsight, those are just utterly inexplainable to me. How can you even put this book down, let alone decide to not even continue reading?! And all because of the (to me quite genius) writing style? I actually loved the idea of using spelling mistakes as a stylistic feature since the main character telling the story doesn't even have a freaking school education. It makes everything so much more realistic without being annoying at all! The humor in this book is to die for, if I ever manage in my life to be as funny as Jesse Andrews, I think I can die happily. The whole idea of linking physical height to amount of money is simply ingenious, and the execution absolutely blew me away. Warner is one of the most lovable protagonists I've encountered in a while, far from being perfect, full of the dumb decisions of a pubescent teenager and yet, again, it's all so very realistic! It's really hard for me to review books that I enjoyed THIS much because I feel like I can never do them justice. Nothing that I write could actually even remotely reach the perfection that Munmun was for me on a personal level. I wouldn't say I have much of a communist mindset (although my dad often belovedly calls me "little communist"), but there's definitely something wrong with the world when it comes to the often enormous (!) gap between the big super-richs and the having-nothing poors, and this book does a fabulous job critisizing society in a dystopian and yet so awfully familiar-feeling setting. A black mirror on its own, which is why the cover art is so absolutely fitting in that regard. Money that ultimately determines the entire worth of a person, isn't that a very familiar sounding problem? And yet Munmun is one of the few books that deals with it in such an amazing fashion. I can already say before even reading any other books in this year, that this will probably be my funniest read of 2019 (at the very least), it's absolutely brilliant. I have no criticism whatsoever; even though the ending took me some time to get used to. But I took some time to think about it and let it all sink in, and ultimately I can't find any more fitting way to end it. It's so anticlimatic and yet perfect at the same time, since real life doesn't follow any particular higher logics either. What a crazy and wonderful rollercoaster the entire plot of the book was. It's kinda got the feeling of being on a drug-induced journey and that's what I loved so much about it! Satire is my biggest weakness and this was done in such an unique and inspiring way that I cannnot help but stare at and think back to this book with the BIGGEST double-scale love-goggly eyes. True romance isn't dead!
Please, do yourself a favour and read the novel. It may take some time getting used to (didn't for me, but there are a lot of intentional spelling mistakes in this book because - again - the character is an illiterate 13-year-old boy and I imagine that can be bothersome to read at first, especially if English is your native tongue), but it's definitely worth it. Just be prepared for a lot of (wonderful) craziness coming your way! Did I mention how much I absolutely LOVED the whole experience? I suspect it was very easy to miss...
This book! THIS FREAKING BOOK! I can't believe I've never heard of it before, why isn't it more popular?! It's an actual crime, and one I'm very much determined to solve by writing this review. So attention attention, a HUGE amount of praise for this book is coming right acount the corner. It's really interesting how tastes differ; I actually skimmed a few reviews before reading, expecting them to make me totally hyped for it, but alas. I immediately found so many DNF's and now, in hindsight, those are just utterly inexplainable to me. How can you even put this book down, let alone decide to not even continue reading?! And all because of the (to me quite genius) writing style? I actually loved the idea of using spelling mistakes as a stylistic feature since the main character telling the story doesn't even have a freaking school education. It makes everything so much more realistic without being annoying at all! The humor in this book is to die for, if I ever manage in my life to be as funny as Jesse Andrews, I think I can die happily. The whole idea of linking physical height to amount of money is simply ingenious, and the execution absolutely blew me away. Warner is one of the most lovable protagonists I've encountered in a while, far from being perfect, full of the dumb decisions of a pubescent teenager and yet, again, it's all so very realistic! It's really hard for me to review books that I enjoyed THIS much because I feel like I can never do them justice. Nothing that I write could actually even remotely reach the perfection that Munmun was for me on a personal level. I wouldn't say I have much of a communist mindset (although my dad often belovedly calls me "little communist"), but there's definitely something wrong with the world when it comes to the often enormous (!) gap between the big super-richs and the having-nothing poors, and this book does a fabulous job critisizing society in a dystopian and yet so awfully familiar-feeling setting. A black mirror on its own, which is why the cover art is so absolutely fitting in that regard. Money that ultimately determines the entire worth of a person, isn't that a very familiar sounding problem? And yet Munmun is one of the few books that deals with it in such an amazing fashion. I can already say before even reading any other books in this year, that this will probably be my funniest read of 2019 (at the very least), it's absolutely brilliant. I have no criticism whatsoever; even though the ending took me some time to get used to. But I took some time to think about it and let it all sink in, and ultimately I can't find any more fitting way to end it. It's so anticlimatic and yet perfect at the same time, since real life doesn't follow any particular higher logics either. What a crazy and wonderful rollercoaster the entire plot of the book was. It's kinda got the feeling of being on a drug-induced journey and that's what I loved so much about it! Satire is my biggest weakness and this was done in such an unique and inspiring way that I cannnot help but stare at and think back to this book with the BIGGEST double-scale love-goggly eyes. True romance isn't dead!
Please, do yourself a favour and read the novel. It may take some time getting used to (didn't for me, but there are a lot of intentional spelling mistakes in this book because - again - the character is an illiterate 13-year-old boy and I imagine that can be bothersome to read at first, especially if English is your native tongue), but it's definitely worth it. Just be prepared for a lot of (wonderful) craziness coming your way! Did I mention how much I absolutely LOVED the whole experience? I suspect it was very easy to miss...
March 8, 2018
2.5 stars
MunMun by Jesse Andrews is about a satirical world where a person’s size indicates wealth, running from people the size of rats to giants. Our protagonist, a tiny boy named Warner, makes his way through life with some serendipitous turns, but all the while, he is still in his mind a little. The book is not so much character or plot driven, being a straight satire or allegory for the way Andrews see our world. For example, he showcases the power big pharmaceutical companies have and the sliminess of politics. It deals with a wide range of issues from his beliefs about the class system to the campus rape of Warner’s sister, satirizing many aspects of society. It takes a while to get used to the writing here because of the very concatenated way that Andrews writes here, using phrases like “he lolled” and “kidjail.” The phrases, while mostly immediately identifiable, take you out of the book for a while because the characters’ dialogue includes abbreviations such as lmao. The plot takes place over the course of many years, maybe 2 decades. Warner is very much explored, though he is more of a tool for Andrews to create this world and satire than a fully fledged character. The other characters were quite flat, with very little appeal to the reader, which would have been acceptable in a better satire. The satire became too much and dragged on too long to be interesting; there is only a certain amount of times you can poke fun at something before it stops being novel and cool. There was a funny joke about the degradation of politics into talk about penis size, an obvious barb about the Rubio-Trump hand debate. The book deals with sex, not heavily, but enough to merit a warning to younger readers. This book will certainly annoy those who want a solid plot because for a while, this book just moves along with very little destination. The closest thing to a plot begins maybe 150 pages in. Overall, while the book isn’t bad, I think that it takes a very specific reader to actually enjoy reading it, instead of feeling like you’re reading a school assignment.
I received an ARC of this book through the BookParade program in exchange for an honest review
MunMun by Jesse Andrews is about a satirical world where a person’s size indicates wealth, running from people the size of rats to giants. Our protagonist, a tiny boy named Warner, makes his way through life with some serendipitous turns, but all the while, he is still in his mind a little. The book is not so much character or plot driven, being a straight satire or allegory for the way Andrews see our world. For example, he showcases the power big pharmaceutical companies have and the sliminess of politics. It deals with a wide range of issues from his beliefs about the class system to the campus rape of Warner’s sister, satirizing many aspects of society. It takes a while to get used to the writing here because of the very concatenated way that Andrews writes here, using phrases like “he lolled” and “kidjail.” The phrases, while mostly immediately identifiable, take you out of the book for a while because the characters’ dialogue includes abbreviations such as lmao. The plot takes place over the course of many years, maybe 2 decades. Warner is very much explored, though he is more of a tool for Andrews to create this world and satire than a fully fledged character. The other characters were quite flat, with very little appeal to the reader, which would have been acceptable in a better satire. The satire became too much and dragged on too long to be interesting; there is only a certain amount of times you can poke fun at something before it stops being novel and cool. There was a funny joke about the degradation of politics into talk about penis size, an obvious barb about the Rubio-Trump hand debate. The book deals with sex, not heavily, but enough to merit a warning to younger readers. This book will certainly annoy those who want a solid plot because for a while, this book just moves along with very little destination. The closest thing to a plot begins maybe 150 pages in. Overall, while the book isn’t bad, I think that it takes a very specific reader to actually enjoy reading it, instead of feeling like you’re reading a school assignment.
I received an ARC of this book through the BookParade program in exchange for an honest review
December 10, 2018
A really interesting take on the world as it stands right now and I couldn't help but relay it to how marginalized demographics; particularly black youth in the Yewess (US) are treated when it comes to the characters here and their circumstances in the life and death world in Munmun. The entire book disturbed me greatly, in a way that I feel like I needed to be disturbed.
I thought it was particularly refreshing that author Jesse Andrews would just lay it all out there to be consumed, how having a lack of access to things can pit people against each other and create all this violence. I think Saul Williams said it best in his song Grippo, "violence is a metaphor for victories blocked.." and that surely plays out here. All that could have been and all that should be and what becomes, it's all crafted so expertly here. I love the whole experience of dreamworld and the fact that that could be such a powerful tool and weapon in the storytelling and in Warren's retribution against his enemies. I loved that it could be used for beauty and for pain. I loved that it was communal. It was one of my favourite elements of the book.
The only thing that I grappled with with this book was that it felt like the end was just sort of fought through but not entirely reflective of how much thought was given to developing the story in the beginning. It just felt like a ride it till the wheels fall off ending and I feel like I would have liked to see what could have happened if it didn't have to end in this - the main character is smart, but not smart enough to avoid personal misery - type of situation.
So many parallels to real life. I fucked with this book. I also loved the unique way that it was written; the amalgamation of words; the too familiar real world situations of exploitation, desperation and the by any means necessary mindsets that have been reformed to fit Munmun. It was very engaging.
I thought it was particularly refreshing that author Jesse Andrews would just lay it all out there to be consumed, how having a lack of access to things can pit people against each other and create all this violence. I think Saul Williams said it best in his song Grippo, "violence is a metaphor for victories blocked.." and that surely plays out here. All that could have been and all that should be and what becomes, it's all crafted so expertly here. I love the whole experience of dreamworld and the fact that that could be such a powerful tool and weapon in the storytelling and in Warren's retribution against his enemies. I loved that it could be used for beauty and for pain. I loved that it was communal. It was one of my favourite elements of the book.
The only thing that I grappled with with this book was that it felt like the end was just sort of fought through but not entirely reflective of how much thought was given to developing the story in the beginning. It just felt like a ride it till the wheels fall off ending and I feel like I would have liked to see what could have happened if it didn't have to end in this - the main character is smart, but not smart enough to avoid personal misery - type of situation.
So many parallels to real life. I fucked with this book. I also loved the unique way that it was written; the amalgamation of words; the too familiar real world situations of exploitation, desperation and the by any means necessary mindsets that have been reformed to fit Munmun. It was very engaging.
March 19, 2018
The amount that I loved this surprised me. it is dark and weird and awesome and depressing and thought provoking. And also just really, really COOL.
I loved the writing and language. The plot expression is intricate and fascinating. the characters! how much do I love Warner?! ugh, so much.
I loved the writing and language. The plot expression is intricate and fascinating. the characters! how much do I love Warner?! ugh, so much.
March 28, 2018
I need to collect myself before writing anything about this book. BUT, I was almost about to cry at the end. I've never almost sad cried because of a Jesse Andrews book before! What is this?!
Seriously, pick this up when it comes out!! It's at times confusing, but so worth it!
Seriously, pick this up when it comes out!! It's at times confusing, but so worth it!
September 21, 2018
Income inequality sucks--I get it. This book is trying to make a point and I agree with that point, but I couldn’t stomach it’s hammering execution. That’s strike one. The whole book was full of misspellings and the author did it on purpose. The. Whole. Book. The author wanted to illustrate that people in lower classes do not have the same educational opportunities, but it detracted from the story and made it toohardtoread. Strike two. The main character is a little twit. I spent the entire book hoping someone would step on his misogynistic, littlepoor ass so the book would finally end. #teamsquish Strike three.
May 18, 2018
This book is marketed to the wrong audience. The cute title and bright cover is trying to appeal to younger readers however, the content is unnecessarily sexually explicit and crude while the characters have no depth. This book could have been such an interesting commentary on society if the plot was more engaging rather than trying to shock readers with offensive language and the use of unconventional grammar and spelling. This book should be marketed to an adult audience. I won't be recommending this book to my high school students.
Want to read
March 30, 2018How did I not know that Jesse Andrews was releasing another book??? AND HOW HAVE I STILL NOT READ HIS OTHER ONE (The Haters), what am I even doing with my life???
June 4, 2018
DNF at 38%
Im disappointed:(
I gave both of his other books 5 stars so I expected another hilarious book.
But this book didn't do it for me at all..
Im disappointed:(
I gave both of his other books 5 stars so I expected another hilarious book.
But this book didn't do it for me at all..
December 5, 2018
[I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
I admit I skim-read the last 25%; I tried to read more carefully, but at this point, either I skimmed or I DNFed, and I don’t like DNFing.
It is not without good ideas and potential, and it delivers good criticism of a society based on money: in this case, money literally defines your weight in the world, since the poorest people are tiny and get squished by just about anything and anyone, while the richest ones are so big that they tower over everyone and take a lot of space. The plight of the characters, too—the way they have to fight, the desperate schemes they come up with, are (unfortunately, realistically) close to reality, in that when you don’t have much, no matter how you try, your attempts are conditioned by the little means you have. (I do agree that “you have to make efforts to achieve your dreams”, but let’s be honest, it’s very easy to give lessons about how you managed to buy the house of your dreams when you got a nifty inheritance from your grandparents. Prayer’s plan to find herself a husband, as harebrained as it is, does reflect a desperate attempt at doing something with nothing.)
However, I couldn’t really connect with the characters, nor get into the writing style, which tends to combine words together. I get it, I get why it’s done, but for me, it’s jarring (took me a bit of time to realise that the “munmun” of the title is money, although that was because I wasn’t pronouncing it, only reading it at first). It’s like all those cutesy words like ‘preloved’ and ‘choccy’ and all that stuff which, for some reason, is considered as witty, but just falls flat as far as I’m concerned. After a while, I lose interest.
More like 1.5 stars for me, however, I do acknowledge that there are good ideas in here.
I admit I skim-read the last 25%; I tried to read more carefully, but at this point, either I skimmed or I DNFed, and I don’t like DNFing.
It is not without good ideas and potential, and it delivers good criticism of a society based on money: in this case, money literally defines your weight in the world, since the poorest people are tiny and get squished by just about anything and anyone, while the richest ones are so big that they tower over everyone and take a lot of space. The plight of the characters, too—the way they have to fight, the desperate schemes they come up with, are (unfortunately, realistically) close to reality, in that when you don’t have much, no matter how you try, your attempts are conditioned by the little means you have. (I do agree that “you have to make efforts to achieve your dreams”, but let’s be honest, it’s very easy to give lessons about how you managed to buy the house of your dreams when you got a nifty inheritance from your grandparents. Prayer’s plan to find herself a husband, as harebrained as it is, does reflect a desperate attempt at doing something with nothing.)
However, I couldn’t really connect with the characters, nor get into the writing style, which tends to combine words together. I get it, I get why it’s done, but for me, it’s jarring (took me a bit of time to realise that the “munmun” of the title is money, although that was because I wasn’t pronouncing it, only reading it at first). It’s like all those cutesy words like ‘preloved’ and ‘choccy’ and all that stuff which, for some reason, is considered as witty, but just falls flat as far as I’m concerned. After a while, I lose interest.
More like 1.5 stars for me, however, I do acknowledge that there are good ideas in here.
February 14, 2018
*An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I love Jesse Andrews for writing this book. While it has Andrews signature wit and humor, it's also completely unique and unlike anything else you'll find in YA. The premise, the method of storytelling, the characterization, and the language and syntax are ridiculously clever and all of it together creates a pretty epic picture of a "Yewess" that is terrifying. A must read, most definitely.
I love Jesse Andrews for writing this book. While it has Andrews signature wit and humor, it's also completely unique and unlike anything else you'll find in YA. The premise, the method of storytelling, the characterization, and the language and syntax are ridiculously clever and all of it together creates a pretty epic picture of a "Yewess" that is terrifying. A must read, most definitely.
May 28, 2018
This is finally the book to break me out of my reading rut! For the past year (thanks to my own choice to upend my life) I haven't really been able to concentrate on anything I read. In general, I liked nothing except re-reads. (Thank you Grasshopper Jungle and Eleanor & Park!) Even audiobooks were not a pleasure; I had too many voices in my head that another voice was just too much.
But this book! Thank you Jesse Andrews! He is clearly a man with too many voices in his head as well. I am so glad that Warner was able to bring his voice to the page. One does not often get to hear the voice of a littlepoor so clearly.
Munmun is an allegory. In a world where physical size is determined by the size of one's bank account, the division of classes and their relative power is clear and unmistakable. Frequently funny and often heart-wrenching, the novel follows an unpredictable path as Warner makes incredibly bad decisions repeatedly. No! Don't stay at that bee bee cue and smoke those weeds! What can you expect from a barely literate littlepoor? Sometimes learning from his mistakes and sometimes doubling down and making even stupider choices, the reader can never predict where this story is going.
The language is a particular joy. Initially I assumed that the odd words were part of the world building. By the end of the book, I was wondering if they were just Warner's illiteracy bleeding into how he heard the world and represented it mostly phonetically and with phrases squished together into singlewords.
The last sentence slayed me.
Overall: humorous, unpredictable, unflinching critique of modern capitalist society with interesting word play. I highly recommend this for 8th grade and up.
But this book! Thank you Jesse Andrews! He is clearly a man with too many voices in his head as well. I am so glad that Warner was able to bring his voice to the page. One does not often get to hear the voice of a littlepoor so clearly.
Munmun is an allegory. In a world where physical size is determined by the size of one's bank account, the division of classes and their relative power is clear and unmistakable. Frequently funny and often heart-wrenching, the novel follows an unpredictable path as Warner makes incredibly bad decisions repeatedly. No! Don't stay at that bee bee cue and smoke those weeds! What can you expect from a barely literate littlepoor? Sometimes learning from his mistakes and sometimes doubling down and making even stupider choices, the reader can never predict where this story is going.
The language is a particular joy. Initially I assumed that the odd words were part of the world building. By the end of the book, I was wondering if they were just Warner's illiteracy bleeding into how he heard the world and represented it mostly phonetically and with phrases squished together into singlewords.
The last sentence slayed me.
Overall: humorous, unpredictable, unflinching critique of modern capitalist society with interesting word play. I highly recommend this for 8th grade and up.
May 19, 2018
Three stars for execution, infinite stars for ambition, so we're averaging, kind of. (This kind of work would not enable me to pass the Mathy exam.)
The concept is beyond brilliant: in the world of Munmun, a person's physical size is directly related to how much money they have. So the poor are rat-size and trying to not get murdered by animals or stepped on, and the rich are monstrous giants who gobble down whole herds of cattle and roasted hippopotami. Oh, but if the poor just worked harder, they could afford to size up!
*Poor people scurry and hide to avoid being mauled by a cat*
So lazy!
Anyway, the social commentary is razor-sharp, and Andrews moves imaginatively through the world he's created. However, the book suffers from having almost too many ideas at play: the characters all inhabit a shared dreamworld, which could pretty much sustain a whole book on its own. There's so much going on that some character moments don't quite land -- Kitty, for example, the protagonist's wealthy benefactor, comes across much more odiously than I think she's meant to. I loved that Andrews in no way paints her motivations as pure, or her as a saint, but the fact that Warner, the main character, still sees so much more in her than the reader makes some emotional moments not quite land. And if she's meant to be the unworthy Daisy to his Gatsby, that doesn't fully work either.
It's possible the narrative is trying to have it both ways. That seems to be the case with the question of whether this is meant to be a dystopia that evolved from our world, or an alternate universe. There are a frustrating amount of hints at the former without the point ever truly being made. I also really wish that Andrews hadn't copped out and made the skin tones of everyone in this world rainbow-hued -- as in literally, some people have purple skin or yellow skin or grey skin or orange skin (good throwaway Trump joke there though). I'm sure race just seemed like another complicating element in an already overly complicated book, but I'm sorry, ignoring it is a cop out when economic disparity is so tightly tied to racial inequality.
But despite its flaws, this remains a book that posits literally eating the rich as a real, viable option. I can't help but appreciate that -- in a big, big way.
The concept is beyond brilliant: in the world of Munmun, a person's physical size is directly related to how much money they have. So the poor are rat-size and trying to not get murdered by animals or stepped on, and the rich are monstrous giants who gobble down whole herds of cattle and roasted hippopotami. Oh, but if the poor just worked harder, they could afford to size up!
*Poor people scurry and hide to avoid being mauled by a cat*
So lazy!
Anyway, the social commentary is razor-sharp, and Andrews moves imaginatively through the world he's created. However, the book suffers from having almost too many ideas at play: the characters all inhabit a shared dreamworld, which could pretty much sustain a whole book on its own. There's so much going on that some character moments don't quite land -- Kitty, for example, the protagonist's wealthy benefactor, comes across much more odiously than I think she's meant to. I loved that Andrews in no way paints her motivations as pure, or her as a saint, but the fact that Warner, the main character, still sees so much more in her than the reader makes some emotional moments not quite land. And if she's meant to be the unworthy Daisy to his Gatsby, that doesn't fully work either.
It's possible the narrative is trying to have it both ways. That seems to be the case with the question of whether this is meant to be a dystopia that evolved from our world, or an alternate universe. There are a frustrating amount of hints at the former without the point ever truly being made. I also really wish that Andrews hadn't copped out and made the skin tones of everyone in this world rainbow-hued -- as in literally, some people have purple skin or yellow skin or grey skin or orange skin (good throwaway Trump joke there though). I'm sure race just seemed like another complicating element in an already overly complicated book, but I'm sorry, ignoring it is a cop out when economic disparity is so tightly tied to racial inequality.
But despite its flaws, this remains a book that posits literally eating the rich as a real, viable option. I can't help but appreciate that -- in a big, big way.
March 12, 2018
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.
This was a wildly imaginative book! Author Jesse Andrews creates a world of the absurd that is sagely mirrors the current state of inequity in America, today. This book is alternately strange, funny, and ultimately, quite moving.
This was a wildly imaginative book! Author Jesse Andrews creates a world of the absurd that is sagely mirrors the current state of inequity in America, today. This book is alternately strange, funny, and ultimately, quite moving.
March 30, 2018
My review of this book will be available at the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the NCTE website under "ALAN Picks" for February, 2018: http://www.alan-ya.org/alan-picks-feb....
April 15, 2018
I really enjoy getting ARCs of new books and I always try to do them justice by giving them as much of my attention as I can spare. There are very few books that I can’t finish, but unfortunately, this is one of them.
This is such a good idea for a book, it really is. Set on the premise that your monetary wealth directly determines your physical size, the protagonists are littlepoor, meaning that they are around the size of a rat. After their father is tragically crushed and their mother breaks her spine, Warner and his sister, Prayer, devise a plan to ‘scale up’ and increase both their wealth and size.
The main problem here is that I just don’t know who it was written for. It is supposedly a YA novel but the author appears to have fallen into the trap that throwing in a few swear words, sexual references and some colloquial language means that it will instantly appeal to the youth. There was just this huge gulf between the language used and the complex idea it was conveying. It just didn’t work at all and gave the story a really irritating and frustrating quality. I couldn’t actually get into the story, I didn’t like the characters and the fact it was littered with really basic spelling mistakes really didn’t help the situation either.
Not for me at all unfortunately. I really wanted to finish it but I just couldn’t find the will!
Thank you to NetGalley, Atlantic Books and Jesse Andrews for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is such a good idea for a book, it really is. Set on the premise that your monetary wealth directly determines your physical size, the protagonists are littlepoor, meaning that they are around the size of a rat. After their father is tragically crushed and their mother breaks her spine, Warner and his sister, Prayer, devise a plan to ‘scale up’ and increase both their wealth and size.
The main problem here is that I just don’t know who it was written for. It is supposedly a YA novel but the author appears to have fallen into the trap that throwing in a few swear words, sexual references and some colloquial language means that it will instantly appeal to the youth. There was just this huge gulf between the language used and the complex idea it was conveying. It just didn’t work at all and gave the story a really irritating and frustrating quality. I couldn’t actually get into the story, I didn’t like the characters and the fact it was littered with really basic spelling mistakes really didn’t help the situation either.
Not for me at all unfortunately. I really wanted to finish it but I just couldn’t find the will!
Thank you to NetGalley, Atlantic Books and Jesse Andrews for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2018
Warner's life has been rough since his father was squished and his mother was mauled by a cat. These are the risks faced by littlepoors, people so broke they are no larger than rats. Billionaires, on the other hand, are as big as skyscrapers. Only in dreams are all people the same size. Desperate to scale up, Warner and his sister make an epic trek to a nearby law school so she can snag an enormous husband. Naturally calamity strikes, and never stops slapping Warner around. Wildly inventive and generally insane, but in the best way. Warner is a fierce and funny narrator, and his patois is really pretty catchy. Thanks, Netgalley
December 12, 2018
Jesse Andrews’ newest novel, MUNMUN, is set in a thinly veiled alternative America called the Yewess. In this world, a person’s physical stature is directly influenced by the amount of munmun (money) in their bank accounts. There are people the size of skyscrapers, people the size of rats and people of all heights in between.
Our narrator, Warner, is a littlepoor --- that is, the income class which are the size of rats. Being a littlepoor means worrying about things that no one else even thinks about. They’re in constant danger of cat attacks and being stepped on. Hospitals and doctors are too big to help a sick or wounded littlepoor. They are uneducated because there aren’t schools small enough for them. There aren’t many well-paying jobs for these littlepoors, making it near impossible to scale up in the world.
Knowing this, Warner’s mother --- who was paralyzed in a cat attack --- sends Warner and his older sister, Prayer, off to law school to find Prayer a rich man who will marry her and give her and the family a little extra scale, so they can live a life that maybe doesn’t suck so much. Warner and Prayer set off with friend Usher, and from then on nothing goes right. They are yelled at, fetishized, ignored, assaulted and discriminated against. They get knocked down time and time again. Every time something is going well, it immediately goes horribly wrong. But Warner and the gang are determined to live a life of quality and equality or die trying.
MUNMUN is a novel of made-up words, phonetic spelling, and themes relating to our fixation on wealth, family and trying to rise above in a world that’s structured against you. It is a story that flashes a funhouse mirror at our current state. Jesse Andrews will make you laugh, cry and do a lot of much-needed thinking.
Over the years, Jesse Andrews has established himself as an auto-buy author for me. But when I heard about MUNMUN, I couldn’t contain myself. Jesse Andrews writing a satirical look at our current world (especially in relation to socio-economic status/class) in his comical and distinct narrative? Yes, please!
I found myself immediately infatuated with MUNMUN. It’s everything I wanted and so much more. I can’t compare it to Andrews’ other works as MUNMUN plays by different rules, but I can say that this is Jesse Andrews at his best. MUNMUN is technical and passionate, and the first of his books that almost made me sad cry. He takes a multitude of tough topics (prejudice, income inequality, sexual assault, an unjust justice system and government) and writes them in a way that remains sensitive, but also doesn’t pull any punches. That’s a relatively impossible combination, but somehow that’s what he accomplished.
The characters of MUNMUN will steal your heart. Warner is a call-it-as-he-sees-it kind of guy. He does what he believes is right, even if that means sacrificing himself. He is full of love but also holds a lot of resentment. Warner is a character who acts in ways that may be seen as less than ideal but are always justified if you just think --- thinking, reflecting and understanding are a huge part of reading this novel.
Whilst MUNMUN is Warner’s story, his big sister Prayer stole the spotlight for me. Her character arc as a secondary character was better than most main characters get. She is a beacon of hopefulness and can-do attitude, I would think it impossible for a reader to not love her. But none of the characters in MUNMUN are perfect. They don’t always do or say or think the ideal things. That’s what made them better. Andrews wrote MUNMUN in a way that makes you not only think about the characters and their actions in relation to the world they’re in; he made it impossible for the reader to not be able to think of how that parallels to our world. MUNMUN is perfectly executed satire.
Andrews’ previous works are easy to read and comprehend. They are fast-paced and compelling, perfect for any reader, but especially reluctant ones. MUNMUN is no different. I think that a more reluctant reader might even find themselves more drawn to this world and writing style than the savvy reader. The way Andrews plays around with word formatting and blunt dialogue is refreshing and will certainly keep a readers’ interest and attention.
The only negative I really found with MUNMUN was also the thing that I just praised for setting it apart from every other book. The dialect and syntax were very different and going into the book, I expected this, but I didn't know the extent. I figured it would be a weird word or phrase sprinkled in every couple of pages like most books are wont to do. But Jesse Andrews goes all in. The writing style of MUNMUN was the traditional Jesse Andrews writing that I know and love, but it was then combined with Orwell's doublespeak on drugs, being spoken by a parroting eight-year-old. For the most part, it's easy to get acquainted with. However, if you take multiple breaks while reading, it can get a bit confusing and hard to get back into. So, as much as I loved the dedication and extra dimension that this element added to the story as a whole, it was also the only thing that ever irked me.
Overall, though, this unique component contributed to one of my favorite things about the book: MUNMUN is truly evocative of Jonathan Swift’s A MODEST PROPOSAL. The two are similar not just in that they are both wonderful pieces of satire and feature quite similar ideas, but in the indescribable rhythm they both have. This rhythm is maintained by Andrews breaking all sorts of writing rules --- not my favorite thing, but worth it in this instance. That said, I highly recommend readers set time aside to read MUNMUN. When you read large uninterrupted chunks, you can truly feel the book’s unique heartbeat.
MUNMUN brings satire --- a genre that has been severely lacking --- to young adult books. Come to think of it, MUNMUN is the only explicit political satire young adult book I've heard of. It offers a gateway to younger readers into satire, a very interesting genre. MUNMUN would be an excellent addition to school libraries, or even as further reading for classes that discuss satirical and political dystopias in literature.
Reviewed by Olivia W., Teen Board Member
Our narrator, Warner, is a littlepoor --- that is, the income class which are the size of rats. Being a littlepoor means worrying about things that no one else even thinks about. They’re in constant danger of cat attacks and being stepped on. Hospitals and doctors are too big to help a sick or wounded littlepoor. They are uneducated because there aren’t schools small enough for them. There aren’t many well-paying jobs for these littlepoors, making it near impossible to scale up in the world.
Knowing this, Warner’s mother --- who was paralyzed in a cat attack --- sends Warner and his older sister, Prayer, off to law school to find Prayer a rich man who will marry her and give her and the family a little extra scale, so they can live a life that maybe doesn’t suck so much. Warner and Prayer set off with friend Usher, and from then on nothing goes right. They are yelled at, fetishized, ignored, assaulted and discriminated against. They get knocked down time and time again. Every time something is going well, it immediately goes horribly wrong. But Warner and the gang are determined to live a life of quality and equality or die trying.
MUNMUN is a novel of made-up words, phonetic spelling, and themes relating to our fixation on wealth, family and trying to rise above in a world that’s structured against you. It is a story that flashes a funhouse mirror at our current state. Jesse Andrews will make you laugh, cry and do a lot of much-needed thinking.
Over the years, Jesse Andrews has established himself as an auto-buy author for me. But when I heard about MUNMUN, I couldn’t contain myself. Jesse Andrews writing a satirical look at our current world (especially in relation to socio-economic status/class) in his comical and distinct narrative? Yes, please!
I found myself immediately infatuated with MUNMUN. It’s everything I wanted and so much more. I can’t compare it to Andrews’ other works as MUNMUN plays by different rules, but I can say that this is Jesse Andrews at his best. MUNMUN is technical and passionate, and the first of his books that almost made me sad cry. He takes a multitude of tough topics (prejudice, income inequality, sexual assault, an unjust justice system and government) and writes them in a way that remains sensitive, but also doesn’t pull any punches. That’s a relatively impossible combination, but somehow that’s what he accomplished.
The characters of MUNMUN will steal your heart. Warner is a call-it-as-he-sees-it kind of guy. He does what he believes is right, even if that means sacrificing himself. He is full of love but also holds a lot of resentment. Warner is a character who acts in ways that may be seen as less than ideal but are always justified if you just think --- thinking, reflecting and understanding are a huge part of reading this novel.
Whilst MUNMUN is Warner’s story, his big sister Prayer stole the spotlight for me. Her character arc as a secondary character was better than most main characters get. She is a beacon of hopefulness and can-do attitude, I would think it impossible for a reader to not love her. But none of the characters in MUNMUN are perfect. They don’t always do or say or think the ideal things. That’s what made them better. Andrews wrote MUNMUN in a way that makes you not only think about the characters and their actions in relation to the world they’re in; he made it impossible for the reader to not be able to think of how that parallels to our world. MUNMUN is perfectly executed satire.
Andrews’ previous works are easy to read and comprehend. They are fast-paced and compelling, perfect for any reader, but especially reluctant ones. MUNMUN is no different. I think that a more reluctant reader might even find themselves more drawn to this world and writing style than the savvy reader. The way Andrews plays around with word formatting and blunt dialogue is refreshing and will certainly keep a readers’ interest and attention.
The only negative I really found with MUNMUN was also the thing that I just praised for setting it apart from every other book. The dialect and syntax were very different and going into the book, I expected this, but I didn't know the extent. I figured it would be a weird word or phrase sprinkled in every couple of pages like most books are wont to do. But Jesse Andrews goes all in. The writing style of MUNMUN was the traditional Jesse Andrews writing that I know and love, but it was then combined with Orwell's doublespeak on drugs, being spoken by a parroting eight-year-old. For the most part, it's easy to get acquainted with. However, if you take multiple breaks while reading, it can get a bit confusing and hard to get back into. So, as much as I loved the dedication and extra dimension that this element added to the story as a whole, it was also the only thing that ever irked me.
Overall, though, this unique component contributed to one of my favorite things about the book: MUNMUN is truly evocative of Jonathan Swift’s A MODEST PROPOSAL. The two are similar not just in that they are both wonderful pieces of satire and feature quite similar ideas, but in the indescribable rhythm they both have. This rhythm is maintained by Andrews breaking all sorts of writing rules --- not my favorite thing, but worth it in this instance. That said, I highly recommend readers set time aside to read MUNMUN. When you read large uninterrupted chunks, you can truly feel the book’s unique heartbeat.
MUNMUN brings satire --- a genre that has been severely lacking --- to young adult books. Come to think of it, MUNMUN is the only explicit political satire young adult book I've heard of. It offers a gateway to younger readers into satire, a very interesting genre. MUNMUN would be an excellent addition to school libraries, or even as further reading for classes that discuss satirical and political dystopias in literature.
Reviewed by Olivia W., Teen Board Member
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