Dystopian

Jan

2023

Three books I read recently and why I liked them

I was asked about some books I read recently on a high school application. Here are my answers:

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I read this dystopian novel and three other books in the series for literature class this semester. The story was surreally close to our world right now. It describes a lockdown triggered by a natural disaster. The characters’ experiences and emotional reactions were very relatable. A lesson I learned is that even when the entire world is bleak and desolate, you can find a community that accepts and helps you. Another lesson I learned from one of the characters is that if you are bold enough to persevere, then everything will work in your favor.

Educated by Tara Westover. I first read the book a couple years ago and recently reread it as I am thinking about my own education going forward. Initially, I was shocked by the “weirdness” of Tara’s family and impressed by how she broke the boundaries and escaped. Then I started to realize that choices all have consequences. It taught me to value every opportunity for education and do my best.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. I’m reading this novel right now. The story is very captivating as it is told from multiple perspectives over thousands of years from ancient Greece to the space age future. I learned that knowledge is precious. It takes a lot of low-probability events to line up for knowledge to survive history. The book touches on many issues concerning our world today, like climate change, poverty, virtual reality and AI, and social isolation. I haven’t finished the book yet, but I look forward to seeing what happens at the end.

Jan

2023

Life as We Knew It

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I read a dystopian novel series recently, called Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I thought it was very interesting because it is very close to our world right now. It’s about a girl living in the present day Earth, and an asteroid knocks the moon off course. This causes abnormal tides and tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Everyone stays at home since the ash from the volcanoes is filling the air.

I found these books interesting because this was very much like our life during the pandemic, when we had to quarantine. Clouds of ash block the sun, and Earth is thrown into an early winter. Electricity is down, crops die and diseases spread. Miranda’s friends either leave their Pennsylvania town, hoping to find a better life by heading south, or die of starvation. As snow comes early, the family eats one meal a day, trying to conserve their decreasing supply of canned foods until things improve.

I think that this book is very good because it examines the human spirit during humanity’s lowest. There’s no happy ending, but there is a glimpse of hope which makes me want to read the next one. I believe the lesson we can take from this is maturity, growth, hope and family are the ingredients to survival.

Overall, this was a very good book. The next ones in the series are too.

Oct

2022

Akira Book 1

by Katsuhiro Otomo

A classic manga that sparked the sci-fi genre internationally, Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo is set in Neo-Tokyo (a futuristic Tokyo set after world war III). The story revolves around Kaneda and Tetsuo, two 15 year old childhood best friends. When Tetsuo starts exhibiting paranormal powers, he is taken in by a mysterious secret group of the government. At a bar, Kaneda meets Kei, a member of the Resistance. The Resistance is an anti-government terrorist group that works to free the Espers, a group of psychic children cared for by the government. After Kaneda steals one of the Epser’s pills, he is officially a criminal, with the entire military looking for him. At the end of book one, Tetsuo escapes and confronts Kaneda, concluding the book with a huge battle.

I really liked this book because I have never read anything like it. This book has a unique plot, unlike anything I’ve heard or watched. The characters’ personalities are all very different, which adds a lot more diversity to the book. The characters don’t change much during this first book, but I am excited to get my hands on the second volume to see what becomes of them.

Another thing I liked was the inclusion of character flaws. Many authors leave out the imperfections of the characters to make it easier for the story to flow but I like how Otomo added in many flaws to make the story more realistic. It also made it harder for the reader to predict the story so I felt more surprise and thrill with the story development.

The style of the art in this book is unreal. I was shocked to see how well it was drawn. The author included every single detail in each frame. I really enjoyed taking time and looking at everything on each page. There was a slight problem though, several of the characters looked alike due to the manga style and in some scenes, I couldn’t tell who was who or what side was fighting whom.

Overall, I think this was a great book, and I would recommend it to ages 12 and above, but there is also a movie version that is unfortunately rated R.

Dec

2021

City of Ember

by Jeanne DuPrau

Have you ever thought of a world with no sun or moon? A world where there is complete darkness with wired light bulbs? Well if not, then I will recommend City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau to you. It is a mind blowing book about two kids that find a way out of the city of Ember. In this essay I will write about my opinions, the plot, and the theme for Ember.

Ember is one of a kind. The setting is a place where two kids (the Pipeworks) find a door to another world with everything they ever dreamed. There are 2 main characters. They are Lina, and Doon. Ember is a city that doesn’t have a sun or a moon and is completely in darkness. Lina and Doon want to escape Ember and find a place that has a sun and a moon. In this book, there is a greedy mayor who would hide everything an Ember citizen needs to be optimistic. However Doon and Lina soon find a mysterious box in Lina’s closet which leads to instructions for a way out of Ember.

The theme of Ember is if you want to accomplish your dreams, you have to persevere. For example, in the part where Lina tells Doon that she thinks it’s a way out, Doon disagrees but Lina hangs on to the idea that there is a way to escape. Finally at the end, they find a way out because Lina does not give up.

In my opinion, Ember is a mysterious, funny, and sad book. It is mysterious because in the scene where Lina found the box, I was asking myself, What’s in the box? Could it be the instructions? It made me keep wondering for a few pages. Then, a few chapters later, I found out that it was the instructions! It is funny because in the part where they described the mayor, I laughed until I couldn’t breathe. It was sad when Lina got caught trying to deliver the letter but overall, it’s pretty good!

After all this writing, my most important idea of this whole essay is that Ember might be a sad, weird, and thick book but it is still an amazing book. I just want to tell you one thing, at first you see the book and think it’s a long and boring book but after a few chapters, you’ll see why it’s so interesting!

Jul

2021

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

Find The Hunger Games at your local library.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a book about a futuristic dystopian society. In what was once North America stands a nation called Panem, consisting of 12 districts and the Capitol. Each year, the Capitol hots an annual murder game, called The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen, the main character, volunteers to be a tribute in place of her sister at the reapings, which is a ceremony where fighters are chosen for the Games. Katniss and her partner Peeta must find a way to kill off the other 22 tributes in the Games and later, one of themselves to win.

One part I liked in the book was how much detail the author put into each moment. Collins would use many types of figurative language and lots of references to the mockingjay, a fictional bird. Whenever Katniss had an injury, major or minor, the author connects her injuries with the bird by saying it was an act of rebellion or it was a sign that the rebels will win.

Another part I liked about the book was how the story was told and presented. It was told in first person by Katniss and I really liked the idea of the story being told from a character’s perspective. I enjoy it more when it’s told from a first person point of view because you get to understand the character’s actions more clearly. You know why they did what they did and you also know how they feel and why they feel that way, an advantage of listening to a story told by a certain person in a book from their point of view. You can tell if a book is told from first person if you hear the words I and me, when describing something not in a dialogue.

One part I did not like was how the author did not reveal secrets or the why in the actions of other characters. Collins decided to choose ignorance as a trait for Katniss which made her mad much of the time and closed the doors to everyone she loves. Little does she know that they are trying to help her. When I was reading, I knew why the other characters did what they did which made the wait for Katniss to know become agonizing.

Overall, I think that this book was extraordinary. Every time I discover a secret, it makes me want to keep on reading to discover the next. I also liked the plot of the story, with the Hunger Games, an idea no one would have thought of if it were not for Collins.

See my review of the second Hunger Games book Catching Fire here.

See my review of the third book Mocking Jay here.

Jul

2021

Catching Fire

by Suzanne Collins

Find Catching Fire in your local library

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is a great book about the continuing adventure of Katniss Everdeen. After the first Hunger Games, President Snow tells Katniss to pretend that she and Peeta are very madly in love or else a revolution will start. Since they both attempted to commit suicide in the last hunger games, they are seen as a sign of rebellion and bravery. Snow decides that since the next hunger games is the 75th quarrel, he would choose two victors from each district and allow them to compete. But in the end of the book, the remaining victors fly into District 13.

When the president announced that the remaining victors would be playing, I was surprised and happy at the same time. I was hoping for Katniss to become a mentor, but instead, she got chosen to compete again. I wanted her to not have to relive the horror, but at the same time, I wanted to see what they would do this time around, now that only one person is allowed to win. Thankfully, Katniss and Peeta survived, which I was joyful to know.

Also, after the games, when Katniss is in the plane, Haymitch says that there is no District 12 which got me thinking a lot. Was District 12 actually District 13? Later, you find out that District 12 got bombed but that line made me wonder and think more deeply than I usually do. The author wants you to keep on reading, to uncover the unknown within the characters by revealing the secrets later in the book, which is also a reason I enjoyed it.

But, as always, in every book, there is a part people dislike. Personally, I didn’t enjoy the part where Katniss planned to keep Peeta alive and do everything she can for him. I think that Katniss is way better than Peeta and that Peeta should care for Katniss. I don’t like when the boy is weak and can’t protect the girl even though it shows a bit more of something different. It’s always Katniss who has to save and fulfill the quests Peeta fails to do. And that right there just proves that this is not your average fairy tale story.

Overall, I think that this book was amazing, and I would recommend it to readers who are looking for a surprise or adventure. But, be sure to read the first book before the second or else you won’t know what’s happening.

See my review of the first Hunger Games book here.

See my review of the third book Mocking Jay here.

Jul

2021

Mocking Jay

by Suzanne Colins

Find Mocking Jay at your local library

In the last book of the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss finds a way to lead the desperate, solemn people of District 13, to find a path to freedom. When Peeta is taken away by the Capitol, to use as bait, Katniss struggles to decide who to love. Peeta or Gale? After what happened in the last hunger games, Katniss yearns for a life where none of this was ever possible, a life where she won’t have to worry about her future kids becoming a tribute.

The plot had a lot of twists and reversals from the previous two books. Several characters broke the images I had formed in my mind. Peeta, previously described as caring, selfless, and courageous, is now presented as a selfish, scared, and traumatized adult. Even though injecting poison into someone’s body was illegal, the Capitol still tried to do this with Peeta. That’s why he’s so disoriented when District 13 finally retrieves him. Because of this change, Katniss was hurt, for someone she actually cared about thought she was a monster. I was very disappointed since I was expecting that if Katniss was rescued in the Games, so would Peeta. But, that’s not what happened and it broke my heart to see someone’s love hate them.

I don’t think Katniss was supposed to be seen as a woman, or with super heavy makeup, which is why I think no one really saw her as she is, therefore no one really believed in what she was saying. I didn’t like how the author made Gale such an antagonist, for I had thought Katniss would actually spend the rest of her life with him, but after all he did in the third book, I changed my mind. The change in their relationship tells me that not every girl and boy relationship ends peacefully with love. Obviously, Katniss and Gale had different ways of ending the war, and that’s what separated them even further, after the fake dramatic relationship with Peeta

I thought when Peeta started remembering, he would return to himself fully. Sadly, that’s not what happened, though I would have enjoyed it more if it did happen. This shows that hope may not ever match up with reality because when you hope, you are optimistic and think of every possible way for someone to survive. But when you face the harsh reality, the “hope” of what is possible becomes very small and unlikely. In the end, Peeta ends up staying with Katniss, and they have two beautiful children. Even though he did not remember everything, he remembered his love for her, and that she was the one he wanted to spend eternity with.

Overall, this book was amazing. The plot had many twists and turns, along with some cliffhangers, but that’s what makes it fun to read.

See my review of the first book The Hunger Games here.

See my review of the second book Catching Fire here.

Dystopian

Three books I read recently and why I liked them