AFTER THE FIRST DEATH: Amazon.ca: Robert Cormier: Books

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Product Description

Who will be the next to die?

They've taken the children. And the son of a general. But that isn't enough.

More horrors must come...

Ingram

Events of the hijacking of a bus of children by terrorists seeking the return of their homeland are described from the perspectives ofa hostage, a terrorist, an Army general involved in the rescue operation, and his son. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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First Sentence
I keep thinking that I have a tunnel in my chest. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt

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Customer Reviews

63 Reviews

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (63 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, Jun 9 2007

By	Jacqulyn Sanford - See all my reviews

This review is from: After the First Death (Paperback)

I read this book back in high school and was not very interested in it. A couple of years after high school, I came across this book and decided to read it. I found it to be a great book. I cannot ever remember the name of the book. But I do remember it was a great book. Even though I've read it before, I just might read it again. It seems to get better each time I read it. Would HIGHLY recommend.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Keeps you reading until the end!, May 27 2004

By	Ferdi und Manuel (Viersen,Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: After the First Death (Paperback)

Robert Cormier's Thriller "After the first death" is dealing with a problem that is even more topical today as in the days Cormier wrote it 1979: terrorism.
He writes about the hijacking of a bus full of children on an old railway-bridge and the consequences for all people who were involved in it. The plot is described out of different perspectives in different times which could be a little bit confusing at the beginnig, but this style of writing later makes it easier for the reader to understand the actions of both sides, on the one hand the actions of the terrorists and on the other hand the reactions of the victims, esspecially Mark and Ben, a General and his son, whose relationship is very problematic, and Kate, the driver of the bus, who tries to fight against the threat of the terrorists.
All in all, Robert Cormier's style of writing and the detailed description of the inner selves of the characters who all undergo a certain development keeps you reading to an Hollywood unlike ending.

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5.0 out of 5 stars a diverting political novel, May 26 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: After the First Death (Paperback)

Review: After the first death - Robert Cormier

The book "After the first death" by Robert Cormier is about events of the hijacking of a school bus in the USA and the relationships of the involved characters.
Four terrorists kidnap a bus full of children and a young female driver. Also involved are an army general and his son who is tortured by the terrorists.
The atmosphere of the book is very dark and there are shown a lot of scaring feelings, so for example about committing suicide or about not having any positive feelings for any human being.
The events of the hijacking are described from different perspectives, the perspective of the hostages, Miro's one, the perspective of the general and his son. The chapter in which the situation in the bus is described are written in the third person, but you see the thoughts of Kate and Miro. The relationship of the general and his son Ben is described first by Ben and then by his father, in each case it is written in the first person.
Cormier writes predominantly in short sentences and switches often between the characters. This style of writing makes the book thrilling and confusing at the same time.
I liked the book very much, because it is the first book I had to read in school that was not boring, but really thrilling. In none of the chapters you can foreknow how the book ends or how the relationships of the different characters change. Every time the relationships change and you get to know new sides of a characters mind, your own emotional mood changes. You go from hating characters to sympathizing with them, then back to hating them.
For me the most interesting point was that I could get into the mind of a terrorist and see how their minds work and how they feel and think. I think to know this point of view is so important, because terrorism and not understanding the other cultures is one of the hugest problems these days.
So, altogether Cormier was able to give a good impression of this problem, but though it is not a dry book with political themes, but an interesting and diverting novel.
(jp)

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrorism from two points of view
The book "After the first death" by Robert Cormier is about two completely different young men and an incident on a bridge concerning Terrorism. Read more

Published on May 19 2004 by Jimmy

3.0 out of 5 stars review of after the first death
The book consists of two different stories. The first tells us about Ben, a boy who is almost living a normal life: going to school, having friends and problems with his parents... Read more

Published on May 19 2004 by Geraldine and Carla

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling story
This book by Robert Cormier contains two different stories which first seem to have no connection to each other, but in the end we see that the two stories come together to be one... Read more

Published on May 19 2004 by Sarah Salami

4.0 out of 5 stars Da review
"After the first death" written by Robert Cormier, recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award, in 1991 is about a hijacking of a schoolbus. Read more

Published on May 19 2004 by Tobias and Claudia