What has blown me away about my experience of reading this novel is how current it still feels, despite being 17 years old. Will Callum turn his back on his principles and on Sephy to follow in Jude’s footsteps? Tragedy strikes Callum’s family and this leads his brother to become radicalised and join the Liberation Militia, an organisation who launch terrorist attacks against Crosses. This is a negative turning point in their relationship as society judges them for wanting to be together and ultimately this begins to drive them apart. This section is inspired by real events in the Civil rights movement, when black people were allowed equal rights to attend high schools and universities in the Southern states of America.

Their situation gets complicated when Callum is allowed to attend Sephy’s school ( Noughts had previously been banned).

They are pure, idealistic characters, who seem too good for the twisted society around them. Each chapter alternates between the point of view of Callum and Sephy and we get a full 360 degree view of the issues that affect them.

Even as children they find themselves drawn to each other and have a special place by the sea where they meet up secretly. This is the book for you if you enjoy thought-provoking, emotional books : The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas, Divergent by Veronika Roth, Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green are in the same vein.Ĭallum and Sephy’s paths cross when Callum’s mum works as a cleaner for Sephy’s wealthy family. Blackman is examining the white-black race divide but the lessons in this novel could be applied to any community that has divisions of this nature. It is a book that will make you think long and hard about prejudice in the world around you and it will allow you to walk in someone else’s shoes. Noughts are white people with a low position and society and Crosses, who control the society, are black and they lead segregated lives.

This book will move you to your core as you follow the twists and turns of Callum and Sephy’s story.Īt the core of this novel is a simple love story the story of Callum and Sephy, a pair of childhood sweethearts destined to become star-crossed lovers (like Romeo and Juliet but edgier), who cannot enjoy a normal relationship because Callum is a Nought and Sephy is a Cross. This is a rare book that has it all love, dystopia, heartbreak, racism, terrorism and it’s a page-turner too. It is fast earning a reputation as a modern YA classic. If you only read YA book in your life I think Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman could be a strong contender.

Books like noughts and crosses