Downsiders

I love what Neal Shusterman wrote in this book. The details he wrote, the time he took, even to the very map he drew of the downside, makes a person wonder about the amount of effort and thinking it took to it. He creates a world impossible, yet completely capable of existing. Such richness in a world would make any Topsider want to go visit the Downside instantly. Best of all is the perspective within the story. In a pair of human eyes, humanity is the opposing force, not evil. Though Shusterman claims that his "Shattered Sky" was the best piece of fiction he has ever written, I believe "Downsiders" is as equally a great accomplishment, if not far better. If you're a teen who hates books, read this before you give up on fiction altogether!!!

The book Downsiders by Neal Shusterman is a fabulous tale of secrets, lies, and the fear of the unknown. A teenage boy named Talon was out on a mission with his friends completing their first few tasks in order to enter adulthood. They were patrolling the underground tunnels that they live in, looking for fallers. Fallers are people from the topside who the dowsiders save and make them convert into downsiders and vow to leave their other world behind. Including thier names, clothes, and memoris. During this task, Talon meets a topsider named Linsay and they become very close. Unfortunately, thier frienship seems to cause thier two worlds to collide into what the downsiders called a "war", in reality Lindsay's father was drilling into Talon's world and both their lives seem to crash and burn, until Lindsay comes top the rescue.

Neal Shusterman crafts an unclassifiable book: It's not really fiction, juvenile or adult, fantasy, science fiction, or even satire. Rather it seems to mix in a little of everything, with a dash of social commentary and a little comedy as well. Fourteen-year-old Lindsay is not pleased to be living in an under-construction house in New York, with her brat brother and distracted father. But her life takes an unexpcted twist when a strange boy appears in her house during a party, claiming that he needs medicine for his baby sister. Talon is a Downsider, from a primitive civilization that lives in New York's sewers, believe that they have always lived there, fear the sun, disdain the "Topsiders," and have their own culture and hierarchy that is unaffected by the world above.Lindsay is intrigued by Talon's world, as he is with hers. But when Lindsay ventures down into the world of the Downsiders, Talon's friend Railborn reports that Talon has committed treason. At the same time, the very world of the Downsiders is threatened with destruction when a new aqueduct is dug -- right through their secret underworld. The Downsiders declare war on the Topsiders, and Lindsay seeks out the truth about their mysterious past.This is one of those books that could have been botched so easily. But Neal Shusterman manages to not make the Downsiders cliched or stupid, nor does he make their culture too alien. An old theater with prismatic earring decorations, the vow that all "fallers" take, the different hairstyles and clothing styles, and the hunter-gatherer lifestyle (no more alligators in NY sewers, now they have herds of light-sensitive cattle). Shusterman reserves his literary skill for when it's needed. New York "topside" is paid almost no attention, detail-wise. But he takes great care in his crafting of the strange civilization below the streets, and describes everything in it with loving care. Similarly, his idea for the Downsiders becomes a little too evident too early on the book, but is well-done also. Humor is sprinkled throughout the book when needed; one of the funnier moments has Talon commenting on how amusing H.G. Wells' "Time Machine" is, as it has savages below ground and beautiful creatures above -- unlike his view of the world. The finale screams for a sequel, after a surprisingly pulse-pounding climax.Lindsay has enough wit and brains to almost instantly endear her to readers. Talon is a fully believable young boy who suddenly has everything he was taught challenged -- and not just little things either. His anger and fear and dwindling prejudice are skillfully drawn. I'm not sure what purpose Lindsay's obnoxious brother served; he appears briefly and then vanished. The father is a poignant figure; his life is going down the drain (literally), and his loneliness is the base of his persona. The scene-stealer is Champ, a sharp old homeless man who lives in a luxurious home in a swimming pool. (His cryptic hints seem a little needlessly mysterious,

It was a stumble though the first few pages of THE DOWNSIDERS for me. I couldn't bear not knowing why everything was happening the way it was. But as the story progressed, a real treasure of a book emerged from the pages. Hopping from Talon's to Lindsay's worlds became a pleasure, and I the differences between the two lives was a wonderful backdrop.Reading THE DOWNSIDERS, I lost track of time completely. But, after all, Talon said that "time is of low importance." That is entirely true in reading this book. You'll never want to put it down for the night when you begin to realize that any world, above or below ground, has something to share with all of us.

In The Downsiders, Neal Shusterman once again takes a major social concept and turns it into a remarkable story. (As in The Dark Side of Nowhere.) Lindsay is not your typical New York girl; she's part of the scene, but not really. What's more, due to some major bungling on the part of her engineer-father, she occupies a home that has, literally, a hole-in-the-wall. Her half-brother is simply a bane to her existence, her father barely even part of it, and so Lindsay is ripe for a good adventure. And she definitely gets it--with Talon, a boy she meets who lives in the Downside, an underworld that is simply out-of-this-world. Where is that? In the long forgotten, unused tunnels of the New York subway system. There is an entire society down there, comprised of humans who have built a life entirely different from that of the "Upsiders" but from their "garbage." (Oddly reminiscent of some otherworld... the ice-age? Refugees? Hmmm...) I found Shusterman's rich and fasinating description of this world and its people to be the best part of the book...followed closely by a terrific stampede scene. One thing for sure, the book is riveting...But as you put the book down, finished, you begin to think... We all want the world to be "ONE." But can two opposite sides of a coin meld together? What would happen to the coin? Should all the societies of the world combine? Would it be worth losing all the "richness" of the poor cultures...would it kill them off or help them survive? Another insight from this book: you really see how people in an impossible situation can improvise, and even create magic, in a time and place other people would consider "the dredges of the earth" and the end of life...the Downside. Read this book.