American War by Omar El Akkad
Moderator: Brad Craddock
Rescheduled for March meeting due to weather
An audacious and powerful debut novel: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle—a story that asks what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons upon itself.
Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, and that unmanned drones fill the sky. When her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she begins to grow up shaped by her particular time and place. But not everyone at Camp Patience is who they claim to be. Eventually Sarat is befriended by a mysterious functionary, under whose influence she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. The decisions that she makes will have tremendous consequences not just for Sarat but for her family and her country, rippling through generations of strangers and kin alike.
Mr. El Akkad will be at SOTA on Wednesday March 27, for a master class with Creative Writing majors.
Ensemble Theatre, periods 3 and 4
I was glad to hear that this book is being used by students, and that they're finding it to be a good read. There was a lot to like about the work - I enjoyed the evolution of the story told through the differing perspectives and what each character was able to bring to the larger tale. I also thought it encouraged a lot of good thinking - be it specifically from a literary perspective (character growth specifically) or from a more "Social-Studies-ie" perspective (political issues/reliance on and impact of fossil fuels/issues surrounding torture).
ReplyDeleteI did find my self wanting more from the writing - it seemed like the work was relatively superficial - I thought there were opportunities to delve deeper into the divide specifically, there wasn't much time or energy dedicated on developing the Northern perspective, also I wanted more context surrounding the environmental issues presented.