This is a dystopian novel written in 1985, but has been given new life with the TV series. It is a disturbing look at what could happen if the world was ruled by a totalitarian religious cult. Women lose their freedom and rights and some are delegated to only making babies, a group known as “handmaids”. It is a complex look at gender roles, relationships and the dangers of religion interfering with government.
Category: ENG4U Reading List
Recommended reading for grade 12 students who love really good stories.
Seveneves
The moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason it was waxing, only one day short of full. The time was 05:03:12 UTC. Later it would be designated A+0.0.0, or simply Zero. Read the first 26 pages
The very beginning of an epic novel that explores what the human race would do if the moon exploded and world had to scramble to survive. Don’t choose this book if you are not a techy sci-fi geek, as there is plenty of technical scientific strategies and processes. It describes in detail what the people do and how they do it and the science behind it. But, it is a fascinating read and it stretches your imagination. The characters are deep and plausible and drive the story forward. This book is well worth the investment.
Feed
M.T. Anderson creates a future dystopian world in FEED. People in this world have their brains altered to accept a chip that feeds them a constant stream of information, games, shows and advertisements, much like an internal internet. But, not everyone is happy with this arrangement. How can you rebel against this when it is done at birth? How can you turn off this noise in order to actually think for yourself. The book focuses on a group of teens that push the boundaries of their feed.
The book was the winner of the LA Times Book Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award. M.T. Anderson is a prolific writer and especially loves the world of the fantastic.
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel‘s novel is about a travelling Shakespearean theatre company in a post-apocalyptic North America, with much of the story taking place in Canada. It is also about friendship, memory, love, celebrity, our obsession with objects, oppressive dinner parties, comic books and knife throwing. We get to know the characters in depth: famous actor Arthur Leander; Jeevan — warned about the flu just in time; Arthur’s first wife Miranda; Arthur’s oldest friend Clark; Kirsten, a young actress with the Travelling Symphony; and the mysterious and self-proclaimed ‘prophet. Well worth the time.
How to Set a Fire and Why
Jesse Ball is an American poet and writer. There is much buzz about this new book, some comparing the protagonist, Lucia, to a female Holden Caulfield. She is an outsider who is comfortable in her own skin and not afraid to take risks. The book is written as a manuscript to the reader where we are in Lucia’s mind each moment. She attends high school and becomes intrigued by the Arson Club and gets involved with both the characters behind the club and the idea of total destruction. There is much philosophizing about life and is a very good read indeed.
Digitizeme 