The Last Book In The Universe

by Rodman Philbrick (2010)



I read about this book skimming through The Book Whisperer, which is next on my I Read, Therefore I'll Get Hired list, and had to grab it off the shelf.  A little dreary and depressing, but well worth it.  A bit freaky to read during our recent rash of earthquakes, but it's just fiction, right?



The world is separated into the protected, advanced, "ideal" people and the struggling, dying, "left overs" fending for themselves in apocalyptic conditions. Of course there is contact, and our narrator/(anti-)hero becomes part of a bridge that might just save everyone.  Discussions on family, personal and societal responsibility, the effect of decisions.  Lots of cool invented vocabulary, some tough to decipher but a good challenge for students, and a timely story with the year 2012 coming soon...