Book Title: The Young World (Young World Trilogy, #01)
Author: Chris Weitz
Number of pages: 384
Synopsis:
After a mysterious Sickness wipes out the rest of the population, the young survivors assemble into tightly run tribes. Jefferson, the reluctant leader of the Washington Square tribe, and Donna, the girl he’s secretly in love with, have carved out a precarious existence among the chaos. But when another tribe member discovers a clue that may hold the cure to the Sickness, five teens set out on a life-altering road trip to save humankind.
The tribe exchanges gunfire with enemy gangs, escapes cults and militias, braves the wilds of the subway and Central Park…and discovers truths they could never have imagined.
(re: Goodreads @ The Young World by Chris Weitz)
Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr spoiler-less review:
– Diversity in character casting despite continual stereotyping (Asian, Caucasian, African-American, LGBTQ, nerds, martial-artists, homelessness, and many more) and discrimination (skin-colour privileges, gender and racial inequality)
– Alternating POV between male/female protagonist with a variance in written portrayal (one reads like a default first-person account and the other feels script-like)
– Overbearing pop-culture references that may or may not add value depending on the reader’s propensity to understanding them
– All-inclusive action sequences which incorporate harsh, graphical moments which may not be fit for the younger YA audience (cannibalism, animal harming, blood work, and death)
Initial Thoughts
This is Weitz’ debut novel so take that information with a grain of salt. I feel like readers may be able to distinguish his film background through the writing but I wouldn’t necessarily pigeon-hole him into that category. It is indeed almost as if it was written to be translated onto screen; which in my opinion, would be better presented than on paper—but that’s just how I felt after this read. There is also the possibility that this whole novel could seriously be just a giant marketing ploy. More details on this under the cut.
But I was definitely too transfixed with finding pop-culture references than to earnestly read into some meaningful quotes/excerpts. So I have decided not to include any. And yes, this is a late ARC review soooooo oops.
Full disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy of The Young World through Netgalley for an honest review. I extend thanks to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing me the opportunity to review this book.
Disclaimer: Potential spoilers inherent to this review from here onward.
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thoughts and afterthoughts. 