Ah, the future. If the books we set there are anything to go by, it's a uncomfortable place full of things we don't want to happen.
This week's reading challenge was to read a book set in the future, and while there are some books set in "nice" futures, most of them aren't. Or, if the future actually is nice, someone goes and scratches the surface to find out that horrible things are secretly seething beneath.
How about the book you chose? Did it show a future you'd like to live in?
Brenda Carter read The Giver by Lois Lowry.
The Giver by Lois Lowry (c810 LOW) seems to be one of those wonderful books that slipped under the radar of many readers. Although written in 1993, I only discovered it myself a few years ago and absolutely love it. It was adapted for film in 2014 but if you’ve seen the film, put it behind you and read the book instead.
The Giver is set in a seemingly Utopian society devoid of potentially harmful emotions, stress and difficult choices. The Elders select your career, partner and children for you based on objective suitability criteria. The result is a conformist State in which there is no conflict or unhappiness.
The story revolves around 12-year old Jonas, who is assigned the prestigious role of the next Receiver of Memory. He receives his training from The Giver, and is gradually entrusted with the burden of carrying all historical memory. With knowledge comes understanding of the dystopian nature of the Community. He must decide whether to support the continuing conformist social structure and order, or risk his life to restore individual choice and freedom.
The ending is satisfyingly ambiguous. It’s a great book to discuss with friends and at only 180 pages, it’s an easy and thought-provoking read.
Sharon Bryan read Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden.
This is an actual conversation I had with my mother (voracious reader and former English teacher) regarding this book:
John Marsden's book (c820.94 MARS) is set in a kind of future, but a very immediate one. A group of "contemporary" teenage kids (it was written in the 90s) from a country town go camping out in the middle of nowhere to celebrate the end of high school, before they all go their separate ways.
While they're busy being ordinary Australian teenagers on an ordinary camping trip, the Australia is invaded by an unnamed country to the "north", whose tactics seem to involve subduing the country towns. I'm not sure why. I've visited many country towns in my day, and most of them can barely afford to keep a bank open. And yes, most farmers are armed, but the shot guns and rifles they use for killing feral pigs aren't really the biggest threat an invading army is going to face, now, is it?
I have no doubt that Charters Towers or Julia Creek could raise a rag-tag militia to fend of an invading army if necessary, but they probably won't be able to do it quickly, so really you'd be better off concentrating on taking out the places with military bases, rather than the outback towns, wouldn't you?
These particular invaders had different priorities, though, so when our teenage heroes return to town, they find it in a decidedly different condition to how it was when they left it. After some initial "what do we do, now that everything we know and love is gone?" angst, they arm themselves with rifles, shotguns and explosives from the farms (surprisingly useful places, farms), and become rebels, hiding in the bush, running raids on the town and sabotaging the enemy army's efforts.
As you do.
It's actually a really great book and I thoroughly recommend it. It's one of those defining "Australian" books that almost everyone in this country has read in school (at least, since the 90s), so reading it helps you to understand our cultural background a little better.
This week's reading challenge was to read a book set in the future, and while there are some books set in "nice" futures, most of them aren't. Or, if the future actually is nice, someone goes and scratches the surface to find out that horrible things are secretly seething beneath.
How about the book you chose? Did it show a future you'd like to live in?
Brenda Carter read The Giver by Lois Lowry.
The Giver is set in a seemingly Utopian society devoid of potentially harmful emotions, stress and difficult choices. The Elders select your career, partner and children for you based on objective suitability criteria. The result is a conformist State in which there is no conflict or unhappiness.
The story revolves around 12-year old Jonas, who is assigned the prestigious role of the next Receiver of Memory. He receives his training from The Giver, and is gradually entrusted with the burden of carrying all historical memory. With knowledge comes understanding of the dystopian nature of the Community. He must decide whether to support the continuing conformist social structure and order, or risk his life to restore individual choice and freedom.
The ending is satisfyingly ambiguous. It’s a great book to discuss with friends and at only 180 pages, it’s an easy and thought-provoking read.
Sharon Bryan read Tomorrow, When the War Began, by John Marsden.
Me: I'm thinking about reading Tomorrow, When the War Began for my book set in the future.
My Mother: That book isn't really set in the future, is it?
Me: It's set *Tomorrow*.
John Marsden's book (c820.94 MARS) is set in a kind of future, but a very immediate one. A group of "contemporary" teenage kids (it was written in the 90s) from a country town go camping out in the middle of nowhere to celebrate the end of high school, before they all go their separate ways.
While they're busy being ordinary Australian teenagers on an ordinary camping trip, the Australia is invaded by an unnamed country to the "north", whose tactics seem to involve subduing the country towns. I'm not sure why. I've visited many country towns in my day, and most of them can barely afford to keep a bank open. And yes, most farmers are armed, but the shot guns and rifles they use for killing feral pigs aren't really the biggest threat an invading army is going to face, now, is it?
I have no doubt that Charters Towers or Julia Creek could raise a rag-tag militia to fend of an invading army if necessary, but they probably won't be able to do it quickly, so really you'd be better off concentrating on taking out the places with military bases, rather than the outback towns, wouldn't you?
These particular invaders had different priorities, though, so when our teenage heroes return to town, they find it in a decidedly different condition to how it was when they left it. After some initial "what do we do, now that everything we know and love is gone?" angst, they arm themselves with rifles, shotguns and explosives from the farms (surprisingly useful places, farms), and become rebels, hiding in the bush, running raids on the town and sabotaging the enemy army's efforts.
As you do.
It's actually a really great book and I thoroughly recommend it. It's one of those defining "Australian" books that almost everyone in this country has read in school (at least, since the 90s), so reading it helps you to understand our cultural background a little better.
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