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CORINNA TURNER
Age Range: 16 and up
Reading Level: High School and Adult
In Margo’s world, the ‘imperfect’ are recycled. Literally.
Margaret Verrall dreams of marrying the boy she loves and spending her life with him. But she’s part of the underground network of Believers – and that carries the death penalty. But before she can be unmasked as a Believer, she fails her Sorting and is reassigned as spare parts. Bane swears to rescue her before she can be dismantled, but a chance to take on the system ups the stakes beyond mere survival. Now she has to break out of the Facility—or face the worst punishment of all: Conscious Dismantlement.
I always thought the Hunger Games would be my favorite dystopian book, but that all changed after I read I Am Margaret! Corinna Turner is a fantastic writer, and it shows in her work. I Am Margaret was exceptionally well written with a great storyline combining the Catholic, dystopian, and romance genres into one excellent novel!
Margaret is an 18-year-old who fails her sorting because she can’t do math and is sent to be dismantled. There she meets new friends and plans her escape with Bane! I loved the main characters, all in their own way. There is also a little love triangle thing going, which for some reason, I also liked. Unlike most novels, the entire story drew me in and was funny enough at times that I laughed out loud, so I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
Their society is interesting and almost feels like what our world would be like to an extreme. I have always been a fan of dystopian worlds like this, but Margo’s world felt so real. I Am Margaret is the first really good dystopian Catholic book I read, adding another element to the story. It gives what they are doing meaning, unlike other novels.
The first time I read I Am Margaret, I was 15, and I thought it was disturbing how Corinna Turner described dismantling and some other elements, so I do not recommend you read this book if you are 15 or younger. I just reread this novel now, and I am 17 and thought it was clean enough and age-appropriate enough to read. Although some parts of this book were a bit graphic, it had an amazing Catholic theme throughout the whole. Margaret is on fire with her faith, which shows in her strength and faith in God throughout her trials and her constant prayers. She is a beautiful example of what we should do daily (though we might not have trials as great as hers).
I Am Margaret is honestly one of my favorite books, one that I would repeatedly read (I have already read it twice and couldn’t stop until I finished)!
Also I love the book cover!!
Things to Mention: Mention that everyone has a contraceptive in their body, so they can’t have kids. Some kisses with little to no detail. There is a brief mention of how some boys tried to drown another boy twice and hang him once. Margaret and Jon have to pretend to be together sexually so no one suspects they are Catholic. Nothing actually happens, and they just sleep in the same bed with a blanket between them. A guard tries to rape a main character, but the character escapes before he can do any harm to her (this part has little details). Characters get hit, slapped, and kicked. A brief description of some people begging for their lives before they are killed. A few people are killed. The girls at the facility are forced to watch a dismantlement. This is described. A main character is tortured a bit because of their Catholic belief and then is partly dismantled before help comes. Margaret implies that she wants to be married by a priest so she can get in bed with Bane. Implication of couples being together. Some other violence. Mention of how girls try to show off their legs to get guys. Jon and Margaret pretend so make out so they can talk in private.
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I Am Margaret Series:
More books by Corinna Turner:
Catholic Teen Books Anthologies Series:
If you have read I Am Margaret, let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Do you have a book you want to be reviewed? Let me know, and I'll add it to my list! Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you're here.
