Veracity

A true indicator of how good a book was is how hard it is to pick out where to start a review on it. A really good one will have oodles of facets rising to the surface eagerly competing for the first praise. It is perhaps telling that nothing stands out to be said first about this novel. In short, the entire array of factors are all "medium good". Not meh, not great; just good.Harper is a type of telepath that works for her government, a dystopian one, of course. As a monitor of others, she is the governments eyes, ears and mind into the populace. Her daughter, named Veracity is just about all she has that she still cares for and now, the government she works for has banned the word that is her daughter's name. Red listed words are words that are banned and the list changes frequently. But how do you know people are saying them? In Harper's world a device implanted at a young age monitors your speech and delivers a painful lesson when one is spoken, regardless of your knowledge of the word being banned or not.So begins Harper's exodus into rebellion and the main crux of the story.Synopsis aside, what does the reader get from the novel? Just a story, really. The characters aren't very fleshy, the action somewhat predictable and the end flat and hurried. By the same token, the characters aren't flesh-less, the action is fairly well written and the ending one you want to occur. So the reader isn't glued to the book, but isn't repelled either.If you need a book to read and not get too engrossed in and are a die-hard fan of the dystopian genre, then this might be just the book for you!

In 2012, a virus terrorism attack annihilated a bout half the American population. A new government with martial law enforcement is forged out of the abyss. The Confederation of the Willing implant an electronic device in the necks of all citizens that so that if a person utters any of the red-listed words, they trigger the slate gizmo and die as the Blue Coats police are everywhere sadistically relishing punishing felons.In 2012 Harper Adams was a little girl when she survived the disaster. She is careful not to activate the slate in her neck. In 2026, Sentient Baumfree selects her as a Potential because she has paranormal skills. Harper works hard to be the best Monitor until 2045 however, when she has an apostasy when her daughter's name Veracity is added to the death list of banned words. The resistance movement guided by the pre-doomsday pandemic tome, The Book of Noah, recruits Harper to join their counterinsurgency from within a corrupt system.This is an exciting 1984 type futuristic thriller that grips the audience from the onset with its word list and never slows down as ban has new meaning. The story line is driven by Harper who will do anything to be able to say her daughter's name with impunity. Although the Confederation of the Willing never seems quite as nasty as say Big Brother except when the tall eerie Baumfree recruits twelfth graders, fans will appreciate this dark post apocalyptic future.Harriet Klausner

Very good picture of what could be. I I felt for the characters and the constant looking over one's shoulder. An interesting use of a supernatural talent, putting this into the speculative fiction category.

I enjoyed this book. Her writing was descriptive and beautiful. I thought the world she described was a bit extreme but she made it believable. Believably scary. Great book.

She mentioned it in conversation that it was a book she wanted to read. She was delighted when I gave it to her and enjoyed reading it.

Such a great book! I've read several reviews that compare it to Orwell's 1984, but I think that it reminds me more of "Ella Minnow Pea." Regardless of the possible sources of inspiration, this is a great debut for Ms. Bynum. It's a riveting portrayal of the loss of person freedoms and how society allows it to happen. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.

What would our world be without words? This taunting tale takes us to a future where words can get you killed. A slip of a word like: gas, car, veracity, all bring about an electrical jolt to melt down the brain. If you like futuristic sci-fi, you'll enjoy this book!

Veracity is a well crafted story that is entertaining and thought provoking. I had a hard time putting this book down. It is a story about relationships, the power of words and how small compromises lead to a larger loss of freedom. Written in the future but written for today. This is a "can't put it down" read.