The Wave

A fabulous book that should be required reading in every high school in America. I'm going to suggest reading it on my FB page and ask others to share that recommendation. It's about a lesson needed in today's America. Also it's a short story, only 138 pages, and well written.

I had to read this on middle school and that was 30 years ago now. I often thought of it over the years, it made such an impression on me. I recently bought it again as an adult. It's a short book, and contains references to smoking (just fyi) but is definitely worth a read. I'm glad I revisited it and will make my kid read it when he's about 12/13 I think.

You don’t have to be the brightest bulb in the box to immediately recognize the implications of the cover artwork of this book. Blank faces, hell… the same faces, standing in a rigid line with armbands that represent a group, in this case The Wave. It immediately dredges up images of the Nazis and the atrocities they and their SS goons forced upon the Jews and any other “undesirables” within their reach. Based on a true story that happened in 1967 (not 1969 as the book would suggest) in Palo Alto, California, this novel(la) is an almost exact play-by-play of the fated week in 1967 where a history teacher’s experiment to help his class understand how Nazi Germany could operate without much push back got out of hand and spiraled into something out of control. There it was called The Third Wave to mimic The Third Reich. Although the author changed the names, and it’s technically a work of fiction, the reality is that it’s an easy guise to fall into—the blind masses. The fictitious Ben Ross recognizes the typical lackadaisical mindsets of his teenagers, but as a good teacher he does his best to engage and employ their interests within the classroom. He, particularly, worries about Robert Billings, a heavyset and heavily bullied kid. As he attempts to give an overview of Adolf Hitler’s time and his subsequent atrocities while he was drunk on power, he discovers that the kids can’t understand how the rest of the Germans could just “go along” with Hitler’s regime. So, Mr. Ross designs an experiment called The Wave. Designed to be just his 30 or so students, responding to regimented and rote responses, complete with a salute, an emblem, and the idea of equality within The Wave, his students surprisingly eat it up! However, within the scope of a few days, lasting a full week, the experiment gets completely out of hand. Recruitment to The Wave outside 30 students in his class happens before Mr. Ross can suggest it. If you weren’t in The Wave, you were wrong. It spread to the football team in a weak effort to get on a winning streak. Its catchphrase and salute echo through the hallways and none of the kids realize it’s a reflection of the Nazi party with the exception of Laurie Saunders, a bright student who, even at first, gets wrapped up in The Wave. For students like Robert Billings, it’s a breath of fresh air. Equality. Family. Loyalty. He belongs. Although the ending seems a bit too tidy, the impact of this story is that it isn’t just a story. 1945 was a long, long time ago to some of us. And in 1967, when my father was seven years old, a mini Nazi party was birthed in Palo Alto. The impact is that it could happen again. It continues to happen again. The comfort of being guided by a stringent, enforcing leader who will take no wiggle room in their policies is seen every day. Whether it’s a strict boss at work or the leader of a nation, it occurs worldwide. That blind madness in any regard, where a human loses their ability to question and analyze, is the most dangerous of all weapons.

The Wave is about an experiment constructed by a high school history teacher named Ben Ross. It was carried out to answer a simple question: How could so many people allow themselves to take part in a the massive genocide during the Nazi occupation in Europe? Mr. Ross didn't have a definitive answer to the question. Instead he started an experiment with the students unbeknownst to the students. It's hard to objectively say whether Mr. Ross' experiment went to far. In the end, people were hurt physically, emotionally and socially. However, the experiment answered their question and they learned an unforgettable lesson: the dangerous imperfections of the human mind. The story isn't incredibly well-written, but it is definitely an entertaining read. The book leaves the impression that there are only three types of people: skeptics, disciples and various degrees and deviations between those two.

Couldn't put it down. The climax begins with a third of the book left, and keeps on rising to the last page. Very relatable to current events. Everyone should read this book.

Based loosely on a true story and now required reading in many middle school classrooms. The original magazine article rang hollow to me, and the book had the same effect. Could this happen? Sure. But in a week? Hardly. It is an intriguing story, but not particularly well written. Good YA lit, in my opinion, should be so well written that adults are drawn in. This does not do that.

A long time ago, my son read this book in 7th grade and he asked me to read it. It's an easy read that tells the story of a real life event - an experiment by a social studies teacher in California. Good lessons to learn. I bought this for some friends to read. They were asking the questions - how could this have happened? couldn't they see what was happening? Here's the answer in a well written story for those who have forgotten and those who never knew.

This book was shipped fast and is in brand new condition. However, the printing is off on every page. I bought this for a teacher’s classroom, so this is unfortunate.