The Silent Oath is the fourth in The Oath series that depicts life at Blackleigh Public School, and also serves as a stand-alone novel.
1958. Jonathan Simon, 17, is in his fourth year at Blackleigh. Self-conscious about his appointment as one of five Prefects in Trafalgar House, he’s apprehensive as to whether he has what it takes to carry
out his responsibilities.
Jonathan knows: 1) The school code of conduct mandates no snitching on anyone. 2) The student Prefects have absolute power to discipline. 3) Mr. Phillip Temple the new Headmaster is determined
to revise the school admission policy to achieve a more even playing field in education.
The pressure mounts in an unforgettable school trip to Paris, prejudice spreading through the school and to the school’s Board of Governors as they ruthlessly oppose the new Head. They will stop at
nothing to get their way. In his effort to strive to support the Headmaster’s goals, Jonathan will have
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Michael L. Lewis was born and raised in England. After preparatory school in London, he was educated at Stowe School, Buckingham. This is the fourth novel in the Oath series, taking readers on a journey through the lives of three dynamic schoolboys between the ages of 13 and 15. Michael now lives in Los Angeles, California, has a law degree, and writes full-time. He was on the Board of
Trustees for several schools and has been a member of the same book club for twenty-five years.
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My thoughts: returning to this rather awful school where violence and racism seethe behind closed doors and where the teachers seem completely oblivious to the terrible things the boys do to one another, was interesting. Jonathan is now a prefect, and girls have joined the school.
There’s a new Headmaster with a radical plan to make the school a more inclusive place, but a vicious gang of thugs are determined to stop this and get rid of Jonathan too.
Their evil campaign costs one young boy his life, but they won’t stop. The cruelty is random and focused. But Jonathan and his friends, including the clever and lovely Jenny, are willing to fight back.
There was bullying at my school certainly, but nothing like this. I honestly don’t see how the staff remain so ignorant of it. I think they must be choosing to do so. Which is sad and should see more of them sacked. The ghastly Hunter finally gets his comeuppance, though I don’t think he’s quite done with Jonathan yet, especially as his younger brother remains at the school. Intense and shocking, clever and honestly quite disturbing, this series continues to pack quite a punch.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 