Face

Product Information

As much as I adore Benjamin Zephaniah's poetry and his presence when he reads, I'm not as certain in my feelings towards Face. Face by Benjamin Zephaniah is an interesting, compelling and emotional story that tackles social problems about physical disfigurement. This book will not only be enjoyed by teen readers for its entertaining story, but also for its statement about prejudice.

Benjamin Zephaniah and Richard Conlon deal with issues such as prejudice, drugs and disfigurement in this vibrant, gritty adaptation of Zephaniah’s bestselling novel for young people. Zephaniah shows the different ways in which the society/world reacts to huge physical changes and how difficult it can be to cope with it. Also, Martin has to learn to deal with all the different reactions of ordinary people to his terrible injuries. The ending didn't really feel like an ending to me, and I would have liked to see this book expanded.While the sentiment of the story is nice enough (I really could not think of a more fitting word than 'nice'), the prose was a little stilted for me and there were some odd moments of characterisation that didn't endear me towards anyone in particular. Critical reception for Face has been mixed to positive, with Booklist saying "Martin's personal growth may lack literary finesse, but his struggle to overcome adversity will still involve some readers". I just read it, then at the end, when I found out it was Benjamin Z and he was only 'up the road' in Birmingham, I loved it more. Being a short novel, I think everything was carefully played out and I very much enjoyed the contrast between what Martin had been before and after the accident.

This would be an excellent prompt for discussion about prejudices regarding appearance and our reaction to those less fortunate than ourselves. I read this book ages ago but I remember that it scarred me for life (but in a good way) and made me appreciate things more. This book is amazing and i would recommend it to 12-15 year olds, it has comedy, romance and lots more. Even once I’d been absorbed into the story line, I didn’t enjoy it much, although I did appreciate that the large print made it easy for me to power through it. The other characters are additionally well written - with their portrayals remaining relatable throughout, thanks to Zephaniah's realistic youth dialogue.Fortunately, the burden helped Martin find his voice of reason and uncovered who his loyal and faithful friends really were. It follows the story of Martin, a British teenager living in east London, and how his and his friends and family’s life changed after a horrific car crash. When he finds out that his girlfriend and bestfriends had moved on, he realises that for some people life isn't always easy. The pacing is excellent as well, with events naturally following on from one another - whilst never lingering on certain situations for too long. It also shows us a strong young protagonist who is able to deal with the situation maturely and learn as it goes on.

This is definitely an important book and the writing is quite simple so I'd recommend it to younger kids and adults as well. It's all a bit different being on the receiving end of other people's prejudices, about disabilities, or race, or anything else.And then there was the part where Zephaniah said it was a Friday, and in the following scene it was “the next day” and still Friday, somehow.

While they seemed like they could have been more interesting it also seemed as though they were assigned one character trait and that was the whole basis of who they were. It perfectly executes a change in character for Martin, who you go from having a distaste to, to supporting every step of his lifechanging journey. The holidays have started, he's got a gorgeous girlfriend and everyone agrees he's the coolest dancer around.Fleshing out a very clear world these young characters live in, with the change in dialogue between speaking with their child counterparts and adults conveying an accurate fictional narrative, within a non-fictional setting. Brilliantly written with a real ear for dialogue, this is Benjamin Zepaniah breaking new boundaries. Plot-wise, it follows the story of a kid who gets into a car accident and who badly injures his face. Having listened to (and loved) another of Zephaniah’s audiobooks (also narrated by Bailey Smith) I was really looking forward to this one, and I was not disappointed.