s/o Must read dystopian fiction (for junior high or high school)

[cintinative]

What books do you consider "must read" dystopian fiction?  At what age do you/do you plan to introduce them? 

[8filltheheart]

Since I am such a diehard CS Lewis fan, the Space Trilogy is a must read for my kids.  They do not necessariy fit the classic definition of dystopian fiction, but they do force you to think about humanity's role in the universe, paradise and sin, and the evil man is willing to engage in in the name of progress. 

[PeterPan]

Well I don't consider any must read. My dd went through a stage and found it herself, and I just tried to make sure we debriefed and discussed it. 

There's so much out there worth reading, I wouldn't bother if the dc isn't hankering for it. Especially during covid, mercy. This age tends dark and the mood of quarantine is depressed. Have you read any Patrick McManus? He has tons of great stuff for boys at this age. The BJU 7 or 8, I forget, includes some of his short stories. Funny, not dystopian. But if they're hankering for dystopian, sure, do whatever you want. I even ready scary short stories to my dd around that age, doubling down on the whole introspective, dark thing. Shirley Jackson, the Monkey's Paw, etc. I just found the book I used and was thinking I could use it with ds, hehe. 

For dystopian lists, have you done a google site search? Put "dystopian site:welltrainedmind.com" into your google bar.

Edited June 5, 2020 by PeterPan

[Guest]

I would also add Walden two. Although it makes more sense after taking psychology. 

[Momto6inIN]

Not "quality literature" by any stretch of the imagination, but some of the few books I require in high school are The Hunger Games trilogy in 12th grade. Reading level is waaaaay low, but the themes of why we choose the entertainment we do and what effect it has on the rest of the population and how do we effect societal change are very mature and we've had some great discussions. There's also a surprising number of allusions to Greek history that we found fascinating. I'm always cringe a bit when I hear people say they let their kids read them in middle school, but that's just me.

I also loooooove the CS Lewis space trilogy (well, the first 2 anyway, the 3rd one is just meh) but I don't require it. There are very few books I absolutely require in high school. There are simply too many great and good books to get hung up on completing any certain "must read" list. I have a list of great and good books I either have read or am willing to read and feel I am able to discuss intelligently and they choose whatever they want from that list.

I do assign books in elementary and middle school (including The Giver in 8th grade as mentioned in the other thread). But that's mostly because my kids would choose to re-read the same 10 easy books over and over and over again if I didn't at that age😉 By high school they are better at branching out and choosing more difficult books.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Space Trilogy for sure, with the 3rd book being key to taking it from fantasy to dystopia.  

Brave New World

1984

Hunger Games

The Giver

Anthem (Ayn Rand)

Handmaid's Tale

Fahrenheit 451

Wool (and sequels)- These are a bit weird, probably wouldn't assign them, but for a teen looking for my dys, they would be great.  

Canticle for Leibowitz 

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I wonder about adding Lewis's The Abolition of Man to any dystopian booklist?  

[8filltheheart]

19 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

I wonder about adding Lewis's The Abolition of Man to any dystopian booklist?  

I read it more as a philosophical view on education/morals type of book than fiction.

[Lori D.]

Sci-Fi, yes, I see as a must read a few for exposure to the genre, which explores a lot of great ideas about the nature of man, technology, etc. Dystopia is a sub-genre and focuses on some very DARK themes, usually about government and human choices, so it's not for everyone. That said, if looking for some dystopia that is "discussion-able":

grades 5-6
- City of Ember; People of Spark (du Prau)
- Shadow Children series (Haddix)
- Below the Root; And All Between (Snyder)

grades 7-8
When the Tripods Came (Chistopher)

grades 8-9 
House of Stairs (Sleator)
The Giver, and sequels (Lowry)
House of the Scorpion (Farmer) -- a hot-mess writing-wise, but has some interesting ideas for discussion

grades 9-10
Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury)

grades 10-12
Shades of Gray (Fforde) -- NOT the sleazy s*x book which has a similar name
Lord of the Flies (Golding)
"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" (LeGuin)  + "The Ones Who Stay and Fight" (Jemison) -- 2 short stories

grades 11-12
Nineteen Eighty-Four (Orwell)
Brave New World (Huxley)

"pop" dystopia with a good dose of teen relationship angst mixed in
Hunger Games trilogy -- the first book is worth reading and discussing for the themes it introduces
Divergent series
Maze Runner series
 

NOT dystopian, but sci-fi that slightly brushes the edge of dystopian:
- C.S. Lewis' space trilogy
- A Canticle for Leibowitz -- which, btw, is fun to follow up with Neal Stevenson's Anathem, which is straight-up fun sci-fi
- War of the Worlds (Wells) -- read this and then follow up with When the Tripods Came
- The Time Machine (Wells)

Edited June 5, 2020 by Lori D.

[cintinative]

6 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

- War of the Worlds (Wells) -- read this and then follow up with When the Tripods Came
 

We just read this! I will look up the other one.

[Lori D.]

Some past threads:
"Great Dystopian and Utopian Works of Literature by Great Courses" -- lists the works in this TC series, and adds more title ideas
"Dystopian Books" -- asking for titles for gr. 7-8
"Dystopian books" -- a different thread, asking for titles for a 12yo



ETA -- And... copy-pasting this list from the past thread "Science Fiction--classically?"

book list idea threads:
"Classic science fiction recs -- Wells, Verne, etc."
"Need suggestions for clean sci-fi books/authors"
"Narrowing down a Sci-Fi list"
"What is your favorite political Sci-Fi type books"
"Dystopian novels"
"Utopian and Dystopian literature"

making a DIY study:
"Dystopian society or sci-fi literature study for middle school?"
"Science Fiction unit"
"Science Fiction"
"Roots of Steampunk literature"
"Anybody know of a Fantasy and Science Fiction literature course?"

book list idea for tweens/younger teens
"Sci-Fi theme for 8th grade literature?"
"Book suggestions for Science Fiction for 12yo"
"Science Fiction recommendations" (for a 13yo girl) -- a number of classics AND casual reading titles
"Science Fiction for a 14yo boy" -- more ideas of titles for just for fun reading

Great Books Sci-Fi and Dystopian lecture series:
Chrysalis Academy has been working through one of those two Great Books courses (How Science Fiction Works, and, Great Utopian and Dystopian Works) -- here's a thread from last spring with some interesting discussion about it, and more book ideas: Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature by the Great Courses. In that thread she links to her Good Books list of Sci-Fi titles and list of Dystopian Lit., so that might be another good list to look at. 😉 And here's a thread with a review: "Great Courses How Science Fiction Works".

Edited June 5, 2020 by Lori D.

[Lori D.]

2 hours ago, Momto6inIN said:

... I also loooooove the CS Lewis space trilogy (well, the first 2 anyway, the 3rd one is just meh) but I don't require it...

Gah! Yes, the third book is not set in space, but it really is the capstone of the trilogy with such powerful themes!! You can't be "meh" about it! LOL! 😂

[Sammish]

Side note: I recently came across this story about a real life "Lord of the Flies." Spoiler: it did not go as William Golding predicted. (I've got it saved for when we do LotF in high school.)

https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months

[Lori D.]

2 hours ago, Sammish said:

Side note: I recently came across this story about a real life "Lord of the Flies." Spoiler: it did not go as William Golding predicted. (I've got it saved for when we do LotF in high school.)

https://amp.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months

I shared that with my class once we finished Lord of the Flies this semester. 😄 What a difference an active faith made in the lives of these young men as they pulled together to survive!
 

Actually Golding has said he was writing about what he knew, and extended it a bit into the "what if" realm. He was a naval office for 6 years during WW2 and saw the ugliness of human nature there, but even more, he says he was writing about the real life things school boys did to one another that he saw firsthand as a teacher at a boys' boarding school, as well as his own bullying acts towards others when *he* was a boy, saying "“I enjoyed hurting people.”

About his wartime experiences, he said: “I began to see what people were capable of doing. Anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey, must have been blind or wrong in the head.”

😞

Edited June 6, 2020 by Lori D.

[Terabith]

I read 1984 and Walden Two at least a dozen times each in middle school.  I have often said in the last few years that it was preparing me for these days. 

[Terabith]

Honestly, though, I really WOULD like communities to look a bit more like Walden Two.  It does a great job at looking at “what is the line between utopia and dystopia?”   I think it’s seriously understudied.