Karenciavo Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 My oldest son and I have found ourselves on a dystopian lit binge. We've recently read old favorites such as Brave New World, 1984, Anthem, The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, Harrison Bergeron, and have The Haidmaid's Tale in the queue. What are some of your favorites? We're not afraid of mature subject matter, although I'm not sure how much Vonnegut we'll read because he can be exceedingly vulgar at times even though he was my favorite author when I was my son's age. I'll have to reread Player Piano at least. Has anyone read The Road? How was that? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 I also have a fixation with this sort of literature. If you've read The Giver - you may find reading Plato's Republic and then comparing the two quite enlightening. Also - as for the Road - VERY graphic about some disturbing topics that I don't even want to mention here. It is an excellent book - but far darker than any you've mentioned. I don't censor my DS's reading much at all, but this one I've kept away from him for now (he's 13). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Forgot to add, Harrison Bergeron was made into a short film recently... 2081 http://www.finallyequal.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 The Hunger Games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted June 11, 2010 Author Share Posted June 11, 2010 Forgot to add, Harrison Bergeron was made into a short film recently...2081 http://www.finallyequal.com/ Thanks for the link I wasn't aware of this film. Looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) I'm reading the Gone series by Michael Grant. They are modern YA books. Very interesting reads. Also, Tomorrow when the War Began is the first book in a great series based in Australia. The author is John Marsden. Also YA books. Edited June 11, 2010 by Kalah Wrong title Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 The Hunger Games Yes, for modern YA :iagree:. I enjoyed this one too. Another I really like is Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Books you don't have listed that I enjoyed (all YA) Declaration and Resistance by Gemma Malley. I don't know when the next book will be coming out. Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman. I don't know when the next book is coming out. This one reminds me a lot of This Perfect Day by Ira Levin, but without the adult content. This Perfect Day has a LOT of adult content. The Sky Inside and The Walls Have Ears by Clare B. Dunkle. These two reminded me a lot of The Giver, but with an ending that made sense. My 14yo and I liked these two books a LOT better than The Giver. I liked The Giver up until the ending. I liked Gathering Blue until the ending. I didn't think Messenger made any sense at all. I was highly disappointed with the series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 The Hunger Games :iagree: And then the sequel, Catching Fire. I enjoyed it even more than the first. But they are both cliff-hangers and the third book in the trilogy doesn't come out until August. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 It's not exactly dystopian, but I liked Lord of the Flies. I really liked Alas, Babylon and had ds read it instead of Brave New World. I liked The Giver, but not Gathering Blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 I love Alas, Babylon. My dh and I have worn through 3 copies of this book. I re-read it at least 1x/year. I would put it in the apocalypse category rather than dystopia though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Yes, of course you are correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted June 11, 2010 Author Share Posted June 11, 2010 Yes, of course you are correct. You know what though, I bet my son will love this book. Thanks for reminding me. Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Besides what's on the list already. I've recently started reading some classic sci-fy that might fit. Starship Troopers The Forever War Forever Peace but Fahrenheit 451 is my favorite dystopian additional books that are dystopian The Time Machine by Wells The Martian Chronicles by Bradbury Feed - is a very modern YA book. It isn't good literature, but it is a good dystopia. The Running Man I think everything by Vonnegut is dystopian. :) but thats just my opinion. The Sirens of Titan probably fits best here. While I'm giving more philosophical authors that can probably all just be thrown into some form of dystopian world together (although he's really an existentialist ) how about Camus? Probably the The Plague although I thought The Stranger was a better book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 One persons utopia is another persons dystopia :D But if I were exploring the genre I might include Thomas Moore's Utopia and Voltaire's Candide. Maybe even B F Skinner's Walden Two. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rookie Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Not to hijack, but if you had to choose one of these as THE Quintissential Representative for the genre, which would it be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) My oldest son and I have found ourselves on a dystopian lit binge. We've recently read old favorites such as Brave New World, 1984, Anthem, The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, Harrison Bergeron, and have The Haidmaid's Tale in the queue. What are some of your favorites? We're not afraid of mature subject matter, although I'm not sure how much Vonnegut we'll read because he can be exceedingly vulgar at times even though he was my favorite author when I was my son's age. I'll have to reread Player Piano at least. Has anyone read The Road? How was that? Thanks You probably aren't looking for books this young but I really enjoyed The Gammage Cup, and The Twenty-One Balloons. Your younger child might get something out of them. I've read The Road, I wouldn't classify it as dystopian. I personally did not care for it and didn't think it lived up to it's reputation. James Hilton's Lost Horizon might be considered dystopian in a way. It is an excellent book. It definitely gives you food for thoughts about utopias. This is where the term Shangri-La Came from. I didn't see Animal Farm mentioned. Edited June 11, 2010 by Virginia Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 You really ought to read Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy as well. It is an actual utopia rather than a dystopia. It's completely clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 I've read The Road, I wouldn't classify it as dystopian. I personally did not care for it and didn't think it lived up to it's reputation. . :iagree: and I disagree with his personal views on punctuation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Well, there's A Clockwork Orange, but I don't know if you want to go there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 ...and no one has mentioned the novels of William Burroughs, so I won't either :tongue_smilie: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 The Maerlande Chronicles (aka In the Mother's Land) by Elisabeth Vonarburg is one of my favourite books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 11, 2010 Share Posted June 11, 2010 Already mentioned, but I love: 1984 Fahrenheit 451 Kurt Vonnegut's books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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