OK. I will admit it. I'm currently obsessed with dystopian and postapocalyptic literature (YA Lit. primarily). It all started two years ago when I read Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. The idea of an asteroid hitting the moon and causing various natural disasters to ripple across the world was fascinating. I found myself trying to figure out what I would do if I was in such a situation. Would I be as whiny as Miranda? Would I be as resourceful as Miranda? Would I be as heroic as Miranda? To top it off, gas prices were on the upswing around that time (just as they are now) and I started thinking...what if? What if there was a shortage of water? What if there was a shortage of food? What if I needed to work with my neighbors to make it through the ordeal? Needless to say, I started keeping some bottles of water handy and got to know at least one of my neighbors.
After reading the book, I baited my students with some of the same questions; I introduced the book during a book talk (preceded by a short video I created with One True Media). The kids were hooked; I ordered more books and even selected it as a book club selection. Dangling from a hook without a care, that's what I was:)
As I waited for the sequel to Life as We Knew It, I further entangled myself by reading other dystopian literature such as Epic by Conor Kostick (unexpected and delicious morsel), The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (original, phenomenal and exhilarating bite) and Unwind by Neal Shusterman (satisfying treat).
Currently, I'm attached to a series of books by Michael Grant called the Gone series. In Gone, kids are shocked when everyone over the age of 15 disappears in Perdido Beach, California. Adults. Older siblings. All gone. What remains? Just kids - some who have acquired special powers and some who are afraid to deal with the changes in their environment (mutated animals and an orb that seems to have surrounded the whole county) due to a thirteen years of unknown exposure to radiation.
I'm reading the third book in the series, Plague, and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series. I'm also looking forward to finding more selections to whet my appetite and looking forward to my next bite of dystopian/apocalyptic literature.
What are you reading?
1984 advanced although always brave changes city contemporary controlled depicts disaster dystopia dystopian event exchange experience features future group higher huxley identify if intuitively limited living lower new novel often overpopulation own patterns people place qualities questions reader's reservation revolution society standard story technology terribly than trends typically usually world
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