Tribes

by Arthur Slade

Book Overview

Percy's father, a famous anthropologist, died in Africa four years ago; and Percy has taken on his father's eyes to see the world as a brilliant Observer. He and his friend Elissa are fascinated by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0006391699
• ISBN13: 9780006391692
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: HarperTrophy
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.4" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Any Highschool any time. Great Insight.

Arthur Slade is one of my favorite children's/teen authors. His books are imaginative, unique and always a great read. I read my first Slade book when Dust won the Governor General's Literary Award back in 2001. I loved it so much I picked up this one, and was not disappointed. This is the story of Percy Montmount Jr. and his friend Elissa who are in their final year of high school. Percy, whose father was an anthropologist, examines the social environment of high school through the eyes and methods of an anthropologist. The names of the tribes, and the social commentary associated with them, is hilarious. Some of the tribes are: The Busybody Tribe The Logo Tribe - exists to only wear name brands. The Digerati Tribe - Worships bytes and silicon Chips. The Lipstick/Hairspray Tribe The Gee-The-Seventies-Were-Great-Even-Though-I Wasn't-Born-Yet Tribe The Hockey Tribe - Subdivided into Canadians, Oilers, Rangers and 32 sub clans. The Jesus Freaks The Madonna Tribe (But in decline and near extinct) Join Percy and Elissa as they navigate their senior year, and as Percy must come to grips with his own anthropological reality. This is a great fun and very enjoyable read.

very good character study

Tribes is about a high school student, Percy, who is trying to cope with the suicide of his best friend and the death of his anthropologist father. Percy wanders around his high school, an observer looking in, classifying his fellow students according to tribes: the Jock Tribe, the Logo Tribe, the Hockey Tribe (the book takes place in Canada, and the writer is a Canadian). Percy cuts himself in the book, but there were few scenes that mentioned it, which is probably why I couldn't find any reference to this book as a cutting book except at my local library's web catalog. There are two things I want to note that make this book differ from the other two books about cutting that I read (Cut by Patricia McCormick and Crosses by Shelley Stroehr) for my project. First, the author (in the voice of the main character) does a pretty good job of describing the origins of cutting without making it seem like a lecture. He takes an anthropological view that cutting is a ritual, more of a rite of passage and that cutting has existed all over the world throughout history. Percy describes his friend Elissa having "engaged in ritual body piercing, not for fashion, but in honor of ancient beliefs. Some African cultures believed that demon spirits fly up a person's nostrils and cause illness. To prevent this, she wore a nose ring." Unlike the cutters of the previous two books I read, Percy practices piercing as a form of self-mutilation. His piercing occurs when he's overwhelmed and can't focus, or when he becomes upset about something. His self-injury is only mentioned four times in the novel, for a total of only several hundred words, but you get the sense it's a routine part of his life. The main protagonist is a male, and that in-and-of-itself is notable, simply for the reason that male cutters are rarer than female cutters. While Percy did not, male cutters tend to also display aggressive behavior-acting out in class, stealing, and fighting-more than female cutters. Percy is as unique a cutter as his story, which I enjoyed very much. I hope that it becomes more widely known and recognized as a part of the cutting genre.

Totally unique and great!

Tribes is unlike any novel I've ever read. Percy's way of scientifically classifying his classmates is funny, yet serious at the same time. I think anyone who has ever pondered the universe or the meaning of life will find Percy's thoughts and the other characters' points of view intriguing. Arthur Slade creates a brilliant blend of light and thought-provoking sections. The twists and turns of the plot are excellent too. I would recommend this book to all teens who like reading.

Fab Book!

it's REALLY fun but no way superfiscial because the narrator is a psychological mess, and as the story proceeds he changes from kooky to a touching, real character. his underlying problem and coping mechanism becomes as the story unfolds, and it's very interesting and different. i think high school flavor is dead right-- the cliques, the animosities between them. i recommend this book VERY highly.