Glory O'Brien's History of the Future

by A.S. King

When Glory O'Brien is transformed by a power to see a person's infinite past and future, she's bombarded with visions of a terrifying world: a second civil war breaks out, and girls vanish daily. And even though Glory may not see a future for herself, she'll do anything to make sure this one doesn't come to pass.

• ISBN10: 0316222739
• ISBN13: 9780316222730
• Publish Date: 25 June 2015 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 August 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: Little, Brown Young Readers
• Format: Paperback (UK Trade)
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I have not devoured a book as hungrily as I devoured Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future in a LONG time. Especially a hardcopy book.

There are a couple kinds of book reviews – ones that break down the mechanics of a book and offer a stiff, analytical perspective… and ones that unapologetically gush over a book because the story was just that good. I love the latter, and that’s what this review is going to be. I unabashedly loved Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future and I’m not sorry.

First, a note: this book is a bit odd. I mean, it starts off with two seventeen-year-olds ingesting a mummified bat, so… you know, life choices. I absolutely adore books with characters who are not the type of people you would normally pluck off the street in a Disney movie, so Glory’s tragic past and Ellie’s uncomfortable present appealed to me immensely. Glory’s a sort of no-nonsense kind of girl. While she’s bitter and jaded, she’s not cookie-cutter sarcastic-broken-contemporary-protagonist. The supernatural elements were great. Subtle, but great. They made the story, but also didn’t get in the way of the story. And the girls handled things in such a realistic way. No dramatic reactions, no over-the-top superhero antics. I loved the realism in it, all the while acknowledging that this was not your typical situation and not your typical cast of characters.

There were so many raw moments and quotes I jotted down because they were honest and relatable.

I rooted for the subtle but rewarding, slow burning, slightly unresolved love story. Relationships progressed naturally, and for once, it felt like a healthy YA relationship. Glory’s, not Ellie’s. Ellie’s love life was a heap of burning garbage.

I liked the messy, confusing friendship. Friendships, especially long-standing ones, are complicated and not always pretty. Ellie and Glory’s back-and-forth made so much sense to me. Friendship isn’t always bubbles and mani-pedis. A lot of them are complicated and the power shifts all the time and you can love one of your friends but discover you don’t really like them.

Themes and messages woven into Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future were so fantastically good. Feminism, politics, human interactions, moral dilemmas, empowerment… all were interesting and nothing felt preachy. I was a thing that was happening and that was that and at no time did I feel like this book existed to drive action. At the end of the day, it was a novel that gave a nudge at a little more awareness, a gentle reminder not to be a crappy human.

Also. I love a protagonist who is a photographer, I really do.

I’m blabbering and rambling. I really, really enjoyed this book. Because of the bit of oddity to it, it reminds me of books like Special Topics in Calamity Physics and because of that, I know that Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future will not be for everyone. I loved it. I loved it so much. But it’s not your typical YA and is best for readers who like low-key slow burn stories with intellectual puzzles, untraditional characters, and strange elements. The writing was really good, but the topics and their presentation would probably turn off readers who have gotten used to the sort of style most YA comes in these days. It just felt so much more earthy and raw than most of what I read and what I see. I repeat: there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s really good. But it is so different that it stands out.

Good for fans of John Green and Marisha Pessl. Maybe. I don’t know. I really liked it. Try it if you are feeling brave or want something a little different. It’s a little dark and gritty, it has the edge of an incoming dystopia. It’s so good. But I can’t promise you’ll like it as much as I did.

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

This book was weird and wonderful and I loved it! A.S. King is one of my favorites when it comes to magical realism. The magical elements are always incorporated so well into the story, and I loved how these "visions" helped Glory work through her personal crisis. And the future visions were incredible! There was a lot of food for thought there. So many things were explored - family relationships, friendships, being a woman. My mind was overwhelmed with all the things King was throwing at me. The writing, the characters, and the ideas presented in this book combined with the magical elements amounted to an incredible reading experience for me.

[Joséphine]

Initial thought: Weird can't get weirder. I didn't care for the history of the future, the sections after which this book was titled. Minus those sections, Glory O'Brien did have its moments. It was introspective and grappled very well with what friendship means as well as what comes after graduation.

[Angie]

When a book starts off with two girls drinking a bat--not bat blood, the actual bat--you know the book is going to be something special. And Glory O'Brien's History of the Future is exactly that. Glory is a few days from graduating high school and has no idea what she's doing with her life. She has no plans for college, or a job, or even a graduation party. She's just taking pictures, and wondering if she's going to turn out like her mother who committed suicide. Then, she and her best friend drink the bat, and both girls now have visions whenever they look someone in the eyes. They see the past and the future, but Glory can't see her own, and she doesn't see herself when she looks at her father's. But even more concerning is what she does see.

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future shows an absolutely horrifying future. Women's rights have been completely taken away after they finally achieved equal pay. What should be a future of equality has set the country back so far that it's frightening. Glory sees glimpses of this future as she sees people's grandchildren and children dealing with it. There's another Civil War, the country is split, and women are living in trees to avoid the government. This future felt real. I know there are people who feel the way the people in charge of this future do, and that scares me. A lot.

I was a bit worried that Glory O'Brien's History of the Future would become preachy. Ultimately it is a feminist story, but the author made it work. I didn't feel like this was her shoving ideals down my throat, although they are ones I whole-heartedly agree with. It's not like Glory just magically starts seeing the loss of women's rights. Ellie starts seeing "hippie shit." The girls are shown what they're interested in. It isn't random or pushy. It just is, and I was thankful for that, since it makes the book more approachable, but still meaningful.

In addition to the feminist and political themes, Glory O'Brien's History of the Future also deals with that transitional time between teen and adult. Glory has no clue what she's doing after high school. Ellie wants to get away from her commune, but has no plans beyond that either. It also deals with grief to an extent, and moving on with your life in the wake of misery. And of course, the mark we leave on the world and others. We don't live in a bubble; our actions affect others.

I really enjoyed Glory O'Brien's History of the Future and it's definitely something I think everyone should read. It's messages are important, and it's just a super creative book.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[shannonmiz]

This book is weird. If you don't like weird, then move along, because any book that contains the premise of seeing both the past and future upon the consumption of petrified bat remains will probably not be for you.

Yes, it was a weird book with a strange cast of characters, but it worked. Of course, when I had first heard about the whole "ingesting bat leads to superpowers" thing, I was certain there was no way anyone, even the most talented of author, could make it work. But I have terrible initial impressions, so I was wrong again. Even trying to review and describe it sounds utterly insane, and I don't expect you to buy that this works, if you're curious, you're just going to have to read it.

Let's just move along as though the bat thing was normal, for the sake of the review. So, we have Glory, who is about to graduate from high school. She is a hot mess, and hasn't a clue what she wants to do with her life.  She has her dad, who is basically a shell of his former self, and though it's clear her adores Glory, he is a bit too broken to be of much help. Glory's mom, Darla, killed herself when Glory was three. Glory is still grappling with the aftermath, and the fact that absolutely no one in her life will talk about it makes her ruminate on it even more. Ellie, who is Glory's "best friend" (only Glory kind of can't stand her) lives across the street in a hippie commune and cares mainly about herself. So Glory plods through life, being cynical and obsessed with picture taking (the latter a hobby of her mother's), not knowing if she will have a future, let alone what it will entail.

One night, Ellie and Glory find a bat (Max Black) and they are unsure if he is dead or sleeping. He is dead, and eventually ends up pulverized, and mixed in the contents of a beer and drunk by both girls, who subsequently can see people's pasts and futures. The visions, though I didn't understand their purpose initially, were incredibly interesting. They could see ancestors long passed, or descendants on Jupiter. But one theme sticks out to Glory, and she pursues it, and ends up meeting some interesting characters along the way.

There are so many amazing themes in this book. A lot of people focus on the feminist theme, and it is there, and expanded upon with the future visions, but there is just so much more to the book. One of the things I found so intriguing was Glory and Ellie's friendship. Glory would be so sick of Ellie, yet she would continue to act (and even think) like a friend would. Glory was very judgy of Ellie's behaviors, but I think deep down, she was concerned for Ellie. Ellie was one of those friends who takes way more than she gives, and I think we can all sympathize with having an "Ellie" in our lives. Like Glory, I would basically harbor resentment, but continue to befriend, so I understood why she acted the way she did.

Family is another big theme in this book. I love how Glory's relationship with her dad develops and grows as she pushes him to open up about the past and allow her to discover her mother for herself. Glory is basically terrified that she will be just like her mother, that her cynicism and jadedness has doomed her to the same fate. Glory has to discover her mother and herself to figure out how similar or different they may be.

For awhile, I wondered what all the transmissions (especially the future ones that Glory was borderline obsessed with) had to do with anything, but as the book wrapped up, it all clicked. It was like putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and that last one fits into place perfectly, and you are so satisfied. I am not usually big on symbolism and underlying messages and such, but it worked in this book, because it all fell into place so nicely, but not in some cookie cutter, rainbows-and-unicorns way either. I am being vague on purpose, but if there comes a time while reading that you'd ask why? trust that there is an answer.

Bottom Line: Read this book. Seriously, it is clever, and well written, and amazing. Glory is so far from perfect, but I still found her incredibly likable and relatable. This book made me think, make me feel, and make me laugh. It's so weird, but at the same time so much more than weird. I don't think I can explain it any further, it's just the kind of book you need to experience for yourself.
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight