What do readers think of Vox by Christina Dalcher? Write your own review.

I LOVED this novel! A big part of what made the story so great is the characters. Jean, a Ph.D and mother of four, is tasked with working on a solution for the brother of the president - a man who placed strict limitations on the rights of girls and women. Jean is relatable, even though I'm not married or a mother. It seemed like I would feel the same way she did about the politics in the country if I was in the same situation. Jean's husband, Patrick, is frustrating but slightly mysterious. Scientist Lorenzo is a great opposite to Patrick.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend it.

This book was very disturbing because I can visualize it actually happening. I hated the story but I could not put the book down.
The premise of the book is that a radical arm of the religious right has taken control of our country and the laws of the land greatly restrict what females (regardless of age) are allowed to do. As a result, women are not allowed to travel or be employed. They also cannot have any access to books (even cook books) or any kind of written communication and they cannot watch TV or listen to the radio. School age females attend separate schools where they are taught to cook and keep house while being given zero academic training. Worst of all, all females are only allowed to speak 100 words a day with their speech monitored by an electronic bracelet capable of counting the number of words they utter and of administering a painful electric shock when the speech limit is exceeded. Females who violate these laws or who engage in appropriate behavior are imprisoned and forced to endure brutal living conditions.
The story line focuses on one wife and mother who had been an accomplished PhD scientist and her frustration and pain in living under such conditions. She suffers as she watches the life of her family become shattered. She also realizes that eventually for females the part of the brains which control language will most likely cease to function due to non-use.
The author did an awesome job of making the story line so authentic that I had to keep assuring myself that this was a tale of fiction.
The author explains two things in a foreword. First, she wrote this book as a cautionary tale about what could happen if we allow our Government to take away personal liberty bit by bit. Secondly, she hoped to make her readers aware of how blessed we are to have the gift of language.
Well, for me, she succeeded on both counts. I am glad I read this book and I recommend that everyone read it. I think you will be as disturbed by it as I was but it will make you aware of what could happen if our freedoms are not protected.

This book presents an intriguing view of the future in this country. It immediately grabbed my attention and held it till the end. Imagine that men have taken control of the United States and in doing so have displaced all women, young and old, from any occupations other than child bearing and home making. All females wear bracelets that confine their speech to 100 words a day; anything over that, and they receive electrical shocks in increasing severity the more words they speak. That is the basis of this story, and it is very well told. Big Brother has indeed taken over and is watching every move that everyone makes... thought provoking to say the least. This is an important book, to be read by everyone - the message is clear: do not be complacent, your inaction and disinterest may cost you your lifestyle, indeed it may cost you your life.

Vox is a work of dystopian fiction that takes place in the not too distant future. Jean McClellan is a linguist who, like all American women, has had her speech allowance limited to 100 words a day by the government, that is, men. We watch as Jean's family begins to fall apart under the stress. When she gets the opportunity to go back to work temporarily, it leads her right into the inner workings of the oppressors. I found this book frightening, mostly because the events that take place in it seem all too possible in America's current political climate. To quote Jean's graduate school roommate, "Think about what you need to do to stay free."

I read Christina Dalcher's book "Vox" in one sitting. This dystopian novel relates an eerily believable story of how women and girls lose their right to speak. Although a work of fiction, the author creates an environment, born in a time of conflicting values that results in a country taken over by a religious fanatic and how rights are slowly taken away. A great story for everyone, not just women. Book clubs should look to put this book on their must reads upon it's release. Christina Dalcher is a master storyteller. I loved this book.

I found Vox to be a riveting, tension-filled read about the United States after a presidential election has put fundamentalist religious ideologues in power. Women's rights are eliminated and they are relegated to the sole roles of wives, mothers, housekeepers. How to resist when cameras are everywhere and all females must wear a counter on their wrists that gives electric shocks if one utters more than 100 words a day? Dalcher is an efficient writer and tells a story of those who fight back that is very suspenseful. It's also a lesson for those who are apathetic about politics and governance-voting matters. This was an excellent book. My only observation is that it ended perhaps a little too abruptly--but maybe I just wasn't ready for it to end.

After finishing Vox by Christina Dalcher I was left speechless, which is pretty ironic, considering it is a story entirely about language. This is a cautionary tale about a U. S. society in the near future in which women and girls are limited to one hundred words a day. It is horrifying, suspenseful and all too realistic. I loved it. This would be a great book club selection with plenty of fodder for discussion. I also recommend this timely novel to those who enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale, When She Woke and Red Clocks, but especially to those who think it couldn't happen here. Think again.

First instinct would be to compare Vox to Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, because it mirrors similar themes: male dominated society comes back to power as a reactionary backlash to women's growing power, tamping women down by controlling what is vital to freedom--control over your body or control over your speech. I would also say that it has similarities to Sinclair Lewis' It Couldn't Happen Here because it mirrors its themes: the fragility of women's freedom, the fragility of democracy itself, how easy it is to believe that the world could ever spin backwards until it does. How just a few charismatic men can marshal enough support to change everything we take for granted. And think, I am already out of words. I would have already been brought down by electric shock, and I haven't said even half of what I could say, what I want to say. If you are a woman and can read this book without feeling edgy, then you might be part of the problem. In these harrowing times, complacency is akin to complicity.