"Taken" / By Edward Bloor / Knopf Books for Young Readers / 9 October 2007 / 247 pages / $8.99 paperback
"Once you've been taken, you usually have twenty-four hours left to live. By my reckoning, that meant I had about twelve hours remaining."
From the first two sentences of "Taken" (printed above), readers are thrown into the action, as the novel begins with Charity Meyers, the protagonist, who awakens to the startling image of being strapped to a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. Charity quickly deduces that she has been "taken"—kidnapped for ransom—as her father is a wealthy dermatologist.
The story is divided between what is happening in the present, with Charity in the hands of her captors, and Charity's memories, some being kidnapping protocol which is taught to children in schools, as well as other memories which are pertinent to the story. Charity forces herself to relive good memories of the past in order to remain calm and sane in the face of tragedy.
The novel takes a turn when Charity meets her captors and an unexpected twist which is revealed. This twist catches Charity, and the audience, completely off-guard.
Society is separated rather drastically; you're either wealthy or poor. There's no in-between. If you are wealthy, you receive an education, you have medical care, you experience not just the bare necessities, but the luxuries of life. If you are poor, you have to find alternative ways to gain education; life is fragile and oftentimes medical attention comes too late.
There are many reasons for the kidnappers to grow angry toward the wealthy. Albert and Victoria are members of the RDS, which is the organization in the novel which supplies help to the families of the upper class and the wealthy. A member of the working class or poor person has very few choices, and employees of the RDS must follow very strict rules, such as they may never talk about their lives before joining the family, and the RDS even supplies their employees with false names, which they are instructed to use with the family.
"Taken" is a young adult novel but should not be written off by those who think they are above young adult novels. "Taken" also highlights an important fable, meaning that the novel may make readers evaluate how social stratification and the gap between the lives of the wealthy and the lives of the poor affect their own lives. "Taken" offers a look into the future and warns against an increasing level of social stratification.
Edward Bloor is the author of seven novels, including "Tangerine," "London Calling" and "Story Time." He focuses on satirical writing, satirizing the modern educational system and standardized testing ("Story Time") and features many engaging and relatable characters and bizarre plot twists.
