Synopsis
In fifteen year-old Adrian Havoc's world, Homestate rules every aspect of society: identity cards need to be carried at all times, evolution is a forbidden topic of discussion, and religious education is enforced in daily "rapture" doses. If life weren't hard enough, now come the threats that the end of the world—SHIFT—is quickly approaching. But Adrian refuses to accept things as they are. He sets out for the toxic Deadlands on a trip that may very well alter the course of the universe.
In this powerful, thought-provoking and by turns humorous novel, Charlotte Agell uncovers the painful consequences of war and uncertain governments in an imagined—yet disturbingly realistic—world.
Children's Literature
In the spirit of such well-known classics as George Orwell's 1984, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and Lois Lowry's The Giver comes another futuristic, altered-reality story of resistance to conformity and control and pursuit of a free thinking world. Adrian Havoc is a teenage boy whose world has changed drastically around him since he was a child. When a massive disaster leaves part of the U.S. in ruins, the government is taken over by Homestate, an organization that uses religion to control its citizens, not just to comfort. Adrian has reason to believe that his mother may be in danger due to her involvement with Homestate, and sets off, with the help of a friend and his very wise-for-her-age little sister, to find the truth, and possibly change the future of the entire country for the better. Though the concept of rebellion against a manipulative, controlling government is not unique, Agell manages to make the concept her own with intriguing visuals and a beautiful, straightforward writing style that provokes thought and flows naturally. A warning of what could happen if the lines between church and state continue to blur over time, the message of this book is clear, and the conclusion is satisfying. This is a story of teenage emotion, overpowering politics, and the strength it takes to rebel against the norm, which could be just as easily be integrated into high school classrooms on varying subjects as it could be found on any young adult's bookshelf at home. Reviewer: Carly Reagan