Verify by Joelle Charbonneau

 

I bought this book at an antique mall. It was wrapped and advertised as a "blind date with a book." So all I had of the description was what genre it was. I thought it was a clever idea and the packaging was so fun!

Seriously, how could I not be intrigued after seeing this? So kudos to the person that put this together. My blind date with this book was off to a good start!

I was explaining the storyline to a friend and she mentioned that "It sounds like Fahrenheit 451 and 1984." Well, that is exactly how it is described on the front cover by author Michael Grant. I have never read either of those books(which I hope to remedy this year), but I can tell you that I found Verify thrilling and believable. 

Book Description:

Meri lives in a society where the use of paper is considered extravagant and selfish. Where TV channels are reduced to a few stations rather than many to choose from. And where the government would never lie to citizens. 

Meri soon learns that her mother may have been involved in something she chose not to share with her husband or daughter. Meri soon questions her mother's "accident" and finds herself learning of a history that was never taught in school. Soon Meri starts to question the "truth" that the government has slowly changed over many years. Meri is shown words that have been eliminated from the dictionary in order to get a more compliant citizenship. When Meri starts questioning the circumstances surrounding her mothers death her life is changed forever and sets her on a course to a modern day revolution that will once again change history. 

Favorite Quotes:

        "Tablets are just as easy to write on and writing on paper is not only extravagant and unnecessary, it's         selfish. It means you don't are about fresh air and the environment. "

        "Words have power. They are the way we pass along history and knowledge and thoughts and ideas.         Sometimes conflicting ideas about the same subject."

        "He warned my grandfather before he died about the danger of destroying books, because, no matter         the justification the action is always meant to eliminate the ideas and the history those books                        contain."

        "History can only be rewritten if no one remembers the way it existed before."

        " Words have power. They change minds. They inspire and create fear. Words shape ideas--they                 shape our world--and the words down here will someday be the ammunition we need to change it all         back."

        "But if everyone believes in something, isn't that just another kind of truth? Who's to say your version         is better?"

        "People deserve to hear the truth. If we aren't willing to risk everything to share it with them, I don't             see how we are any better than the ones who took it away."

My Take:

I think that if we aren't careful we can slide down this slippery slope any time. The rhetoric is already out there. If we aren't careful we will lose our ability to "verify" facts and start believing whatever we are told. It is easier to go along with the crowd rather than question and think for ourselves. Our history books are already being rewritten!

My Review:

I enjoyed reading Verify. After getting halfway through the book I ordered Disclose because I knew I'd want to continue Meri's story and find out what happens to she and Atlas. There were exciting parts to the story as well as a bit of romance between Meri and Atlas. I love a story where the characters are wanting to take a stand for freedom and the ability to think for themselves. I rarely find passages that speak so loudly to me, but look at all of the quotes that I thought were so profound. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next! I think Verify will be one of those books that sticks with me for quite a while.