Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1) by Paolo Bacigalupi

BookTalk

Nailer is part of a ‘light crew’ based in abandoned ship yards of the Gulf Coast. He spends his days stripping old oil tankers of their precious copper crawling around in spaces almost too tight to breathe praying to make a lucky strike by finding the rare oil deposit. To Nailer finding even a few gallons of oil could mean the difference between life and death.

You see Nailer’s time is almost up as part of the light crew. He’s becoming too big to easily fit in the tanker’s crawl spaces. After years of starvation Nailer has very little hope of becoming big enough for heavy crew duty…and no one, not even his best of friends, his crew can do anything for him. He’ll be left with the killer that is his father…a man who would ‘cut’ his losses rather than support a son.

But then it happens. A “city killer” storm blows into Nailer’s beach bringing with it an elusive “Lucky Strike”. Nailer and his best friend Pima are the first to happen upon a shipwreck. A valuable shipwreck. A wealthy boat filled with china, silver, and gold has crashed into a deserted inlet. Even the few pieces Nailer and Pima can carry off the ship would be enough to set them up for life. But in their ransacking of the ship they find that not everyone has died. A girl, a young, beautiful girl has survived…Nailer must decide save her life and risk losing the haul that will save his life…or turn into his father, slit her throat and walk off with her goods…Remember Nailer has no hope for the future…what would you choose?

Review

The world building of this novel was impeccable. Easily my favorite part of the book. I love it when an author is able to ‘show’ without ‘telling’. I could perfectly picture this dystopian society without knowing the entire structure of the new country. The characters aren’t aware of what lies outside their beach world. That’s the beauty of it all. Nailer and his crew really wouldn’t know about the rest of the country. And it turns out the rest of the country is just as ignorant of this small area. You spend the better part of this book enmeshed in the world of Nailer only to find that it’s such a small ‘town’ no one has even heard of it. It’s not important in the least. When you begin to understand that in the book it’s just mind-boggling.

I also loved how, again without ‘telling’, the reader could see how the novel was influenced by Hurricane Katrina and the destruction it caused. This entire world/novel was built off this event. The author is imagining a world after we’ve been hit by a climate change caused in part by other major hurricanes that follow in Katrina’s footsteps. I loved that it used such a timely issue in an original way.

And the characters…I loved Nailer, seeing this world through his eyes is a treat. You’ve found him on the cusp of change. Nailer is primed to view more of the world, to hopefully escape the difficult life he’s been born to. At the end of his time as ‘light crew’ and with little hope of becoming big enough for ‘heavy crew’ he’s a smart and lucky character to begin finding a way out. That way out might be Nita.

I’ll admit that I didn’t like Nita as much as the other characters. She’s not as fleshed out for the reader. I think that Bacigalupi had his reasons for withholding information on Nita, this book is the start of a series. In this first title Nita is basically a standard of comparison to Nailer and his world. Wealth held up to the extreme poverty Nailer and his people live in. It also makes you think about our society today. How even bad luck for the moderately well off is good luck to the poor.

This novel is at once thought-provoking and at the same time a plot driven ride. And it’s just so, so well written…One to enjoy.

Rating: 4.5/5 A well written start to a series I’ll be following

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Dark Parties by Sara Grant

BookTalk

“so long as we know we’re trapped, we still have a chance to escape.” (67, Galley ed.)

Neva is hosting a ‘Dark Party’. She’s planned the details with her best friend for weeks. They’ve snuck her father out of the house. Being he head of rewriting the Protectosphere’s history makes him a figure most teens want to avoid. Neva’s mother thinks this ruse is about a graduation party…one last hurrah before a lifetime of work and baby-making that follows adulthood at age 16. Neva has spent hours tapping up plastic bags over windows, shoving cloth in door cracks. Finally, she’s achieved it: Total darkness. A place where you can lose yourself, where you can forget what is expected of you, a place where in a crowded room you can be alone with another. But Neva isn’t here to mess around with her boyfriend. This party isn’t about one last wild night of love and laughter. Tonight is about the beginning…The beginning of a revolution.

Review

What’s sad is that I really did want this story to work. I liked the plot, I liked the foundation of this dystopian world, the characters could have had potential. But I didn’t understand the plot because the author was very weak in her world building. Yes, logically I knew that these people were in a bubble of sorts, closed off from the rest of the world, because a past generation had wanted to maintain a culture rather than lose a heritage to mass globalization. But I figured this out way past the time I needed to, to feel the motivations of the characters.

But it sounded interesting right? I haven’t seen this reasoning before. Very cool that the segregation of this nation happened out of a mass science experiment rather than a massive war or famine. So it’s just too bad that Grant never made me understand what it felt like to be in this world. I feel like this story started in the middle of something…and I’m walking around a little confused. Neva looking for what she lost with Ethan, The quick attraction to Braydon…I feel like I wanted to walk in on this group about 3 months before I did. Like I missed a whole chapter of the book. I think that the revolutionary aspect would have felt more like a group rebellion if we had seen them pre-dark party. Post-dark party it really begins to be just Neva working alone. Thus, less of a revolution and more of a single person against the government.

So while I liked Grant’s plot points, I felt like I was arriving at them either blind or very rushed. The story quickly built momentum but it was too fast for me to understand where everything was coming from. This appears to be a stand-alone. The ending is one of those “open to interpretation” types. Suitably vague for a world as hazily explained.

I don’t know that I hated this book. I finished it and I wanted to see what happened to Neva. But if you’ve got a long list of Dystopian TBR (Delirium, The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games) read another first. This one really isn’t worth it.

Rating: 4/10

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Feed by M. T. Anderson

BookTalk

When was the last time you left your house without your phone?

I’ll turn around halfway to work if I don’t have mine. I feel so disconnected if I don’t have it.

This chilling novel imagines a society dominated by the “Feed” a next-generation Internet/television/smartphone hybrid that is hardwired directly into the brain. Teen narrator Titus never questions his world, in which parents select their babies’ attributes in the conceptionarium, corporations dominate the information stream, and kids learn to employ the Feed more efficiently in School. But everything changes when he and his pals travel to the moon for spring break. There, Titus meets home-schooled Violet, who thinks for herself, searches out the truth, and asserts that “Everything we’ve grown up with, the stories on the Feed, the games, all of that it’s all streamlining our personalities so we’re easier to sell to.” Violet is not afraid to question things and is determined to fight the Feed…for a tragic reason she keeps to herself. Titus finds himself falling for Violet and awakening to the scary reality of his world. This satire offers a thought-provoking and scathing accusation that may prod readers to examine the more sinister possibilities of corporate and media-dominated culture.

Review

The scariest thing about this novel is how close to our reality it comes. Written in 2002 this story becomes ever more apt as the years pass. The citizens of Anderson’s world have a Feed inserted in their brain as babies creating a constant connection to society, practically from birth. Invasive as this may have sounded almost 10 years ago, we’d all have to admit that our own society is just as connected…if not in such a physical way.

In the book everything from entertainment, to social interaction, to sex is performed through the Feed. Not too different from the prevalence of YouTube, Facebook, or sexting. I’m sure there are people in our own society who would sign up in a heartbeat if someone offered to rid them of that pesky, and often lost item, ‘the cell phone’ for a more permanent direct connection. This novel hits hard the theme of corporate dominated culture. Showing how as a society we’re all trained to want the latest and best trends whether they be technological or a new hair style. The obsession with following these trends serving to limit our own free thought and creativity.

Anderson also includes an environmental aspect. The Earth of this novel is dying. Oceans have become inhospitable to life, women can no longer conceive naturally turning instead to in-vitro fertilization, and clouds can no longer form in our atmosphere. Again, the parallels of today’s world are scarily similar. While the environment is a secondary theme in this book it makes for great discussion given the Green trend that has formed in recent years.

What drives the reveal of these themes is the romance between Titus and Violet. Because of this Titus ends up dealing not only with the ramifications of his first true relationship but his own burgeoning awareness of the society he’s been trained to follow. He’ll deal with the loss of friendships and the weight that knowledge and adulthood bring. Titus does not end this story as a finished person. Instead the end only serves to bring Titus to his beginning as someone ready to fight the Feed.

Worry not, this book was published before the advent of the YA-series-explosion. It’s actually…gasp…a stand-alone novel, and a very good one at that. Again, the timelessness of this tale lies in it’s ever more accurate portrayal of our society. Take away the space-age setting and the physicality of the Feed and you’ll see a story too chillingly close to our own for comfort.

Rating: 9/10

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Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Booktalk

“You have to understand. I am no one special. I am just a single girl. I am five feet two inches tall and I am in-between in every way.

But I have a secret. You can build walls all the way to the sky and I will find a way to fly above them. You can try to pin me down with a hundred arms, but I will find a way to resist…I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.”

(Pause)

Proverb 42 of “The Book of Shh” claims that “the most dangerous sicknesses are those that make us believe we are well.“

(Pause)

In a future post-dystopian America the disease Amor Deliria Nervosa has almost been eradicated. At the age of 18 every citizen is given a procedure to prevent the illness. Sure, some people succumb to the disease before their 18th birthday but after going through the procedure their time with the disease will be relegated to a hazy memory. Amor Deliria Nervosa i.e. Love, was the cause of all trouble in the world before they began to rid the population of the disease. Now there is little war, stress, mental illness, etc. all because no one loves anymore. Lena is counting the days till her procedure. She’s spent her life waiting to be rid of feelings, of the pain that led her mother to suicide. But life can’t be that simple…with only days to go Lena has been infected…and Alex is worth all the pain.

Review

It’s shocking to see how logical this seems. On the surface it would appear as if love causes just as much trouble as it does joy. How many violent acts are committed, both big and small, in the name of love? Would we be a more peaceful society without our stronger emotions? Remember without love, there is no hate. I guess the theory is that we’d end up living in some type of utopia…we’d also all walk around like we’d been lobotomized, or were psychopaths.

That ends up being the result of the operation. Either you walk around in a haze of neglect. Visiting family and friends only when you remember it’s appropriate. Feeling a connection to no one. Or you end up somewhat psycopathic…manipulating people with ease due to your lack of emotion. A lack of connection to anyone or anything. People in this society are able to hear a child cry and do nothing about it. A mother rocking her child receives dirty looks. It’s no way anyone would want to live if they knew the alternative…but I suppose without those emotions you wouldn’t know what you were missing.

Lena wishes for the cure because she’s spent her whole life under the memory of her mother committing suicide in the name of love. Lena doesn’t want emotions that could drive her to do something like that. In the beginning it’s her beautiful best friend Hana who toes the line, listening to forbidden music, sneaking out after curfew. But then Lena meets Alex, a member of the resistance. A man who is blending in with the monotony of society while working for the resistance. It takes Lena quite a bit of time before she gives into her feelings for Alex, though there is a definite spark from the beginning.

Her cousin Gracie ends up being one of Lena’s strongest supporters. Gracie is troubled by her own history, mute after the death of her mother, she and Lena share a bond that is only deepened as the novel goes on. I’m hoping that Gracie remains a part of the series, fleshing out her own story.

At times I found the plot of this story to move a little slow. Lena takes quite a while to build up enough guts (or emotion) to take the plunge. Granted, it’s a huge risk in this society to love someone. Punishments include an early cure operation, life in prison, or death. Up until this point Lena has been a perfect citizen so while I know logically it would take her time to risk love, I wished she would have moved a little quicker.

I liked Oliver’s society. YA does a ton of futuristic societies and it was kinda cool to see one limited by lack of emotions, most specifically love, rather than war or violence. It’s amazing to see how controlled the society was. There was a bit of “Big Brother is Watching” happening, but it seemed as if most people were simply content to live these very narrow lives. I will admit that the slowness of the plot did allow the evil or violent aspects of this society to appear slowly for the reader as well…A dog beaten during a raid, a child crying in the street, the utter abandonment of humanity. It was terrifying to see how tightly boxed in the members of this society were. Between all the rules that pop up (from the book of “shhh: the Safety Health and Happiness Handbook) within the text and at the start of every chapter, as well as the heat of summer that pervades the bulk of the novel. The reader soon feels like they’ll never have relief from the strain.

I’m not sure where Oliver is headed with the series. Because the control is based on an operation on your brain…literally removing the brain matter connected to these emotions…so it’s not the same format as other YA novels where the fight is against a corrupt society, or a war-like state. The members of this society have been changed, and I don’t know that they can be changed back. I’ll be disappointed if Oliver creates a way to give these people back their emotions. I think it would weaken the realism she has created within her novel.

In the end I liked this book. I didn’t love it…I think I was expecting more from it. I thought it was slow to start, but the characters ended up being very valiant, and the premise is extremely original. I’ll definitely be sticking around for book number 2. Since the plot finally has momentum, I hope Oliver continues the speed in the next book of the series.  

Rating: 6/10

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Review

No review for this one. I read it long ago and just wanted to share the BookTalk I use when promoting the series to students. If you haven’t already…read it…it’s amazing and addictive 😉

BookTalk

Imagine “Survivor” but instead of voting people off, you must kill your competitors to win…

North America is long gone. Now known as Panem, the continent consists of 12 districts ruled by a Capital somewhere in the western mountains. Life in the districts is pretty rough, they lack food, money, and have only basic necessities. However, once a year there is a lottery, with a chance for a district to receive extra benefits (like food) from the capital for a year.  It is a competition billed and televised as an exciting contest of strength and skill. In truth it is a dark and frightening contest.  Each year, every family must enter the names of their children between the ages of 10 and 16. If it has been a tough year for a family, they can earn extra money or goods by putting their child’s name in more than once, thus increasing their chance of being picked. It is rumored that wealthy families buy their way out of the lottery, they never seem to be the ones whose names are drawn.  When 16-year-old Katniss’s little sister’s name is drawn to represent their district, Katniss quickly goes forward to take her place. She at least might have a chance; she is strong, and a skilled hunter. Her sister would not last a day. For this is a contest that ends when only one of the 12 is left alive.  Each contestant is immediately flown to the Capital where a crew of fashion designers and groomers make them into stars for the televised promos, Katniss and another contestant, a boy she knows, are played for public viewing as star-crossed lovers. How these two cope with the demands of the game becomes a story which moves beyond brutality and into the role of trust and friendship in the face of survival.

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The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Warning: This book is slow to start.

Warning: This book is confusing for at least the first 30 pages.

Warning: This book will become so addictive you’ll shut out the world to finish it…

Seriously, Think Hunger Games addicting…

Like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner is a dystopian fantasy teen trilogy. I’d recommend it to the same audience with the warnings above.

Because…

It is confusing. The main character of Thomas wakes up in a pitch black elevator…heading to who knows where…with his memory wiped. He’s then spit out into a world completely populated by teenage boys who have their own jargon: “Shank”, “Klunk”, “Shuck” (I’ll give you two guesses what that last word stands for *wink*). If the folksonomy and disorientation weren’t enough, no one explains anything to Thomas (or the reader) well. Thomas is constantly being told to “wait” that he’ll understand “later”, and on top of it all to “stop asking questions”. I had issues with this as a reader. I understand we are to feel as disoriented as Thomas, but I don’t think the author cleared up details through experience fast enough. The result is about 30 pages of confusion.

But I’m willing to overlook this. In fact by page 90 I’d completely forgotten about it…I was hooked.

It becomes obvious that Thomas is not a normal Glade newbie. He becomes aware that he has had prior experiences with this place. Also, he seems to have a connection to the comatose girl delivered by the lift (the only girl, the last person to enter the glade, the beginning of the end). Thomas shares a telepathic link with her. While this would be enough to set him apart, Thomas realizes that he knows the maze. He knows things other Gladers (even those who had been there for 2+ years) don’t know.

Oh, did I not mention the eponymous Maze. The relative safety of the Glade is surrounded by a labyrinth of shear stone walls, filled with creatures called Grievers. The Grievers can kill you, or poison you causing a painful recovery process called ‘The Change’.

It becomes apparent early on that this whole world is more of an experiment than a prison. For two years the boys have been trying to solve the maze…attempting to map its changes and find an exit. With the arrival of the final girl it is clear the experiment is ending. Solve the puzzle or die trying. It makes for delicious reading.

BookTalk:

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by boys who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. The walls being the inner edges of a seemingly unsolvable maze.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Runners trace the changes in the maze endlessly trying to solve the maze’s puzzle. The boys must also outwit the Grievers inside that might kill them. Every night the walls close tight, protecting the Gladers from death by Griever. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. She is the last person to enter the Glade and…that Everything Will Change.

Uses:

This could make decent companion reading for Lord of the Flies as the boys in both books had to create their own society. The difference is that The Maze Runner is based on the idea of a social experiment. By the end of the book not only will the reader be aware of this, but you’ll briefly meet the scientists conducting the experiment, and read a memo. This opens the novel up to a wider range of uses. It could be used in a sociology/psychology class as an example of social experiments or as a jumping point for discussions about them. If the content doesn’t merit enough to be part of a curriculum (and it may not) it would most definitely make for great extra credit.

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