Ship Breaker

In Short 

Ship Breaker by Paulo Bacigalupi is a dystopian novel set in the American Gulf Coast. It was published in 2010 and has 336 pages. It won a Printz Medal and was a National Book Award Finalist.

Summary  

Nailer's life is a constant struggle for survival as he and a small group of teens work to gather and sell scraps from old, abandoned oil ships. After a huge hurricane, he discovers a wrecked clipper ship and its sole survivor: a rich and beautiful girl. He has to chose whether to claim the ship and all its wealth or take a chance and help the girl.

My Take 

Ship Breaker is a fast-paced book that will appeal to fans--especially male fans--of other dystopian novels. It's well-written with lots of action and many unexpected twists and turns. I personally would have preferred more romance and a little less violence, but not every book can be The Hunger Games.

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Feed

In Short
Feed by M.T. Anderson is a dystopian novel that satirizes America's media-obsessed and corporation-driven culture. It was published in 2004 and was a National Book Award finalist. It has 199 pages.

Summary
Titus lives in a dystopian world where most people have a "feed" of constant media (radio, tv, texting, commercials) implanted in their brains. He never thinks to question his world until he meets Violet. Unlike his other friends, Violet is  home-schooled by her academic father, and she asks hard questions about the effects of their excessive consumption.

My Take
Though I wasn't very intrigued by the storyline, I can't stop thinking about the points this book is trying to make. Where is our obsession with media leading us? Should today's consumers be more mindful of where their products come from and what happens to them when they are discarded? How can corporations  and governments be held accountable by the public? Is Titus and Violet's world more possible than we might think?

*Warning: This book contains excessive language and some sensuality.

Have you read this book? What did you think? Please post your comments.