Every decade, there are cries that the end of the world is right around the corner. This year alone has seen its share of premonitions with new wars, political uprisings, and climate disasters across the globe. Even recently, high magnitude earthquakes have rocked countries in South America, the United States, and Asia. Not only are natural disasters raising concerns, but war on multiple continents is causing unease across populations. Additionally, political tensions sore in countries between government officials/ agencies along with rising public distrust of these entities. Needless to say, the world is looking bleaker than ever!
While it seems like reading would be the last activity on everyone’s mind considering the state of the world, the authors of the past and present can give a cathartic warning for the future. From known greats such as Ray Bradbury to new names like Laila Lalami, here are some top five dystopian books to prepare you for the end as these authors know it!
1. Julia by Sandra Newman
Based on the classic story of 1984 written by George Orwell, Julia by Sandra Newman follows a woman mechanic named Julia Worthington who acted as the counterpart to Orwell’s Winston in the original novel. Newman places Julia front-and-center in her feminist retelling as she breathes new life into a character that was often placed to the side in terms of development. In a totalitarian society that is constantly surveilled, Julia uses her quick wits and astute mind to navigate the unforgiving boundaries of Oceania placed on its citizens by The Party. Julia speaks to a time where surveillance is increasingly growing and political tensions brew over how power should by wielded by governments.
2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
An ironically prevalent title on multiple “Banned Books” lists, Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1953 follows Guy Montag. Working as a fireman, Montag resides in a future where his role constitutes the burning of forbidden books rather than saving people from burning buildings. Fahrenheit 451’s society constitutes of the avoidance of deep thought or feeling, with large televisions and fast paced lives aiding in such efforts. Montag grows to want more from his life, finding depth in reading forbidden books causing him to question the society he is a part of. In a time where censorship is gaining traction, Bradbury’s novel applies an opportunity for deeper thinking to readers about the importance of critical thinking amidst our own society’s rapid mass media and the forces which control it.
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Gaining traction from recent spin off books turned movie adaptations such as The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping, the young adult novel The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins is the first of a prolific trilogy. The story places us into the shoes of Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl living within the oppressive government that rose from the ashes of the United States known as Panem. After volunteering to take her younger sister’s place in an annual survival arena where teens from around the nation fight to the death, Katniss is pulled into a larger scheme than she could have ever imagined. Desensitization through media, authoritarian governments, and wealth disparity reflect the worst of Panem as Katniss fights to return home.
4. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
A story spurring the Emmy and Golden Globe winning Hulu Series of the same title, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a different take on a dystopian society within the United States. Taking on the name of Gilead, a totalitarian theocracy is born after an upheaval of democracy. Atwood takes us through her tale as Offred, one of the many women suppressed underneath Gilead who serves as a “handmaid”, an unwilling surrogate, for the elite. Offred has been stripped of her freedom and identity as she mourns her past life but regains semblances of power through her own acts of small rebellion. In a nation where religious extremism is the foundation of government and society, autonomy is taken from those deemed unworthy of it by the small ruling class.
5. The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
The most recent publication on this list, Laila Lalami’s novel The Dream Hotel delves into the story of Sara Hussein, mother and museum archivist, set in a future United States. Under high surveillance from the government and tech corporations, citizens are constantly assessed for their level of potential risk. Sara is detained after returning home to Los Angeles, having been deemed an imminent risk and placed into nearly a month-long confinement. Working alongside other imprisoned women against algorithms and authoritarian governments determining their fates, Sara perseveres to return to the family she was taken from.