The book Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is a young adult dystopian novel which follows Juliette, a girl whose touch can kill. She’s locked away in prison and is suddenly needed by the Reestablishment who fear war. She doesn’t know how to control her power, or her curse, which is what she thinks. She doesn’t know who to trust either. Now Juliet must make her own choices, and make sure she makes the right ones.
The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu is the second book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Set during an alien invasion, the book explores humanity's response to the Fermi Paradox, proposing the "Dark Forest" theory as a solution: the universe is a dark forest where every civilization is like a hunter hiding in the darkness, seeking to survive while avoiding detection by conflict.
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank is a post-apocalyptic novel set in the small town of Fort Repose, Florida, following a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The story revolves around Randy Bragg, a former army officer, and his community's struggle for survival in the aftermath of the devastation. As resources dwindle and societal structures collapse, Randy must navigate challenges of leadership, morality, and resilience while forming alliances and facing threats from both within and outside the town.
Following a second US civil war between the pro-choicers and the pro-lifers, the process of “unwinding” has been legalized, in which a child’s body parts are harvested for others to use. Parents may opt their child up for unwinding between the ages of 13 and 18, and because their body is fully used, they are considered not dead but alive in another form. Unwind follows three teens, Connor, Lev, and Risa, who are all put up for unwinding for different reasons. As they try to run away from choices they didn’t make, they find their paths to cross, uncross, and cross again.
Summary: An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon is a compelling work of fiction set on a generational spaceship, the HSS Matilda, where society is divided by race and class, echoing the injustices of America. The story follows Aster, a dark-skinned healer who discovers secrets about the ship's past while navigating a hierarchy that mirrors the worst aspects of slavery.
Summary: 1984 follows Winston Smith, a party member living in the dystopian future of Oceania. Through Winston’s perspective, we learn the government has full control over everyone and everything. Led by Big Brother, the government not only controls what people experience, through government-made media and propaganda, but also controls the people themselves, through surveillance, language, and the absence of individuality.
Summary: After escaping the terrible maze trials, they ended up being rescued only to find themselves in another simulation, designed to rule out the weak kids in the lot. Thomas is confused on what to do next and doesn’t even know if he can trust his own friends in the process. Join them on the journey they will take filled with mysteries, hideous creatures, and some of the deepest and darkest secrets about the situation of humanity and what’s to come in this dystopian novel.
The once wealthy Snow family has fallen on hard times but Coriolanus Snow is set on changing that by mentoring a winning tribute for the tenth annual Hunger Games. The problem is he gets paired with the female tribute from District Twelve, which puts the odds against him. His only shot at fame and fortune is to win over the public and train his tribute to survive the games. This proves difficult when he faces complicated feelings for his tribute and has to decide between what’s right and his survival.
After her sister is chosen to compete in the annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her place. The Hunger Games consist of two teenagers, from each of the twelve districts of Panem, entering the games where they fight to the death until there is one survivor, who becomes the victor.
After escaping the terrible maze trials, they ended up being rescued only to find themselves in another simulation, designed to rule out the weak kids in the lot. Thomas is confused on what to do next and doesn’t even know if he can trust his own friends in the process. Join them on the journey they will take filled with mysteries, hideous creatures, and some of the deepest and darkest secrets about the situation of humanity and what’s to come in this dystopian novel.
