Review of "Article 5: Compliance is Mandatory"

"She's going into rehabilitation."

     Kristin Simmons' Article 5: Compliance is Mandatory takes a close look at the admittedly extreme results of shoving morals down others' throats. In Ember Miller's future United States of America, the Bill of Rights has been removed from the national vocabulary. A state-enforced religion has been in place for years. Students must dress according to gender roles--a collared shirt and slacks for boys, and a skirt and button-up shirt for girls. Now, in an attempt to further clean up the apparently immoral state of the country, the Federal Bureau of Reformation has altered Section 2, Article 5, of the Moral Statutes to include children born out of wedlock before the Statutes were instated five years ago. That includes Ember, who is quickly shipped off to a brutal "rehabilitation" camp where disobedience results in painful punishments. Ember has no idea where her mother is, but she's determined to break out and save her from an unfair trial. Her only ally? Chase Jennings, the boy responsible for her arrest--the boy she once loved.

    Article 5 is very different from other books in its genre. The dystopian government branch, the Federal Bureau of Reformation, came into existence at the end of a long war, not a series of natural disasters, bombings, or nuclear strikes. Ember is neither a hardened survivor nor the sole provider of income for her two-person family. Her only act of defiance is putting up with her mother's illegal pirate novels and prewar fashion magazines. Still, she is a sympathetic character with plenty of spirit, and her journey from compliance to rebellion is fascinating to watch. It is especially interesting to note that Ember's story includes features other authors might have saved for later installments, which strengthen the narrative and lend the novel a unique, refreshing atmosphere.

      This story plays host to a relatively small principle cast that is remarkably realistic. Rebecca doesn't get a whole lot of page time, but she is a complex person who fits her role in the narrative well. Then there is Sean, who is a marvelous character in his own right; Chase, who does some horrible things, though he is, at heart, a genuinely good person; and Ember herself. Ember is strong-willed, feisty, and, at times, a little too emotional for her own good. She makes some pretty stupid mistakes as her story progresses, though with all the pressure to conform and, alternately, rebel, that is not entirely unexpected. Still, while some of her actions are questionable, most are actually rather smart. It helps that her mind is so easy to sink into, her character and emotions so authentic.

     There are a couple potential flag-raisers in Article 5. One is language--characters tend to curse as a matter of habit, possibly because it is illegal and possibly because that is just who they are. While the F-bomb is never dropped, "a--" is a common insult, and other unpleasant terms are applied slightly less liberally. Crudeness is not quite as common, but crops up every now and again. Violence is also quite present, from knuckle-rapping to throat-punching to a few somewhat gory deaths. Thankfully, the author does not top this off with an exceptionally steamy romance, though what is there is a result of an "in love since childhood" backstory that eats away at the realism a little too much.

     I would recommend this book to mid- to older teens interested in a dystopian tale featuring a strong female protagonist in an anti-feminist world. Ember must battle fear, unpleasant "Moral Militia" officers, and looters if she is to reach her mother in time. Here is an example of a good character living in a great, delicious-to-read world that is very, very possible. Kristin Simmons' Article 5: Compliance is Mandatory sets itself apart from its counterparts with an unapocalyptic setting, a single love interest, and a journey that spans acres of the protagonist's character arc in a single book. Though Ember makes a few less-than-genius choices and the violence and language could be more pleasant, Article 5 is a great book fully deserving four stars and a trip to the library.