Although Pauline and Arlene are twins, they lead very different lives.  Pauline goes to work in the cotton mill with her family every day.  Arlene has a crippled foot, which has left her unable to work in the mill.  Instead, Arlene takes care of the family home.  The girls each imagine that the other sister has the easier, more enjoyable life.

While the setting is similar to that of Counting on Grace, the subject of child labor isn’t as much in the forefront.  Boling instead focuses on a more universal theme of “the grass is always greener,” and effectively uses an American family in 1905 to tell her story.  This would be an excellent book to spark a discussion about putting yourself in someone else’s place.

Anaximander is undergoing her final entrance exam for the elite Academy, a small group of thinkers who guide her isolated island community. For the subject of her exam, Anax has chosen to extensively research a hero from the past, Adam Forde. But as Anax dives deeper into Adam’s past, the questions become more difficult, and soon she is questioning everything she ever thought to be true about humanity.

I almost set this book aside, but I’m so glad I didn’t. I have to admit that during the middle section, I did some skimming. The conversation between characters seemed to drag on, and I felt like the book wasn’t really moving forward. But I stuck with it, all the way to the end, which completely took me by surprise, and had me re-thinking the book in a whole new light.

This is definitely a good addition to any dystopic reading collection. Also, it would be a good read for an intro philosophy class, as it contains many illusions to Plato, and covers basic debates about what it means to be human, be conscious and have a soul.