The Future is Bleak: Dystopias

To borrow from Robert Burns, "the best laid schemes of social planners aft gang a-gley." Whenever leaders endeavor to prevent pain, hunger, civil unrest, inequality, there is a danger of oppression and scapegoating. Dystopian literature reflects this reality. The appeal of these books is that they let us explore different societal norms and what happens when pushed to the extreme. In all of these books, a teenager sees through the adult curtain of reality, and through a test of courage or morality, becomes the catalyst for change.

The classic is, of course, The Giver by Lois Lowry. It is now an assigned reading in high school (not sure if that's a plus or not).

At the Ceremony where each 12-year-old is given their career assignment, Jonas has been chosen for something special. He will be the next Giver, who makes this perfect society possible. Jonas must reach deep inside himself to come to grips with the truths he is being told. Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.

The most popular book at the moment is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It has been number 2 on the NY Times Chapter Books Bestseller List for 52 weeks. The second book of the trilogy has just been released, Catching Fire.

In a society reminiscent of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, each summer in Panem, a boy and girl teenager is selected from each of 12 districts to participate in the hunger games. The survivor is guaranteed fame and fortune for life. The games are said to remind everyone of the realities of war in order to prevent another one. A skilled outdoorswoman, Katniss takes her younger sister's place because she cannot bear to have another loss in her family.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. This book was a Newbery Honor Book for 2003.

In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patron, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States. To most people around him, Matt is not a boy, but a beast. Everyone around him understands the purpose of a clone, but as a young boy, he cannot imagine what it is. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by sinister characters. Around every turn in this vivid, futuristic adventure is a heart-stopping surprise with unforgettable consequences. (book summary)

The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.

Another great adventure story set in a futuristic world of hoverboards and uglies and pretties. The premise of this society is to prevent the excess that led to the end of the "rusties". Just before their sixteenth birthdays, when they will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally's best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all. Until the end, when she must choose her path, Tally's choices belie her stated goal of becoming "pretty".

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs--and, perhaps, save their own lives.