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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
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Terror Kid by Benjamin Zephaniah - review

Terror Kid is not short and sweet. It is short and blunt, to the point and eye-opening.

As a young person, I feel like the issues brought up in this book are particularly relevant to us today. Right from the word go, it hits us with the idea of young people being incriminated due to stereotypical views more than proper evidence.

Also, the theme of terrorism is very well portrayed here. I found myself thinking: what is a terrorist? How can you distinguish between a victim, either of brainwashing or of people around them simply withholding truth, and the mastermind behind a plot?

In Terror Kid, the media have skewed the story of Rico – a peaceful teen cyber protester – out of control, claiming he is working for huge terrorist organisations, even claiming he has converted to Islam. This makes us wonder whether the press, and the police system itself, is reliable.

The writing style was blunt and to the point, which I normally dislike but it seemed to fit in with the novel somehow. In addition, the plot was very centred around one small location, making the book slightly less global but also more eye opening due to the seeming normality of the situation.

Hard-hitting and topical, definitely dive into this briefly brilliant book. 7 out of 10 stars.

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