Nailer works on a crew in the Gulf who scavenges parts from rusted out ships along the shoreline. Crew life is difficult. He’s always having to make quota while also making sure he doesn’t get on the wrong side of his superiors. One step out of line and he could be cut from the crew; there really are no other work options. Nailer’s always hungry even with his job because his Dad spends most of his time drinking, doing drugs, and then abusing him. Nailer’s world is cutthroat enough even without his father. Bring him into the picture and it’s even worse. He wonders, too, if he’s like his father or if he’s going to turn into him. Fairly quickly in the story, his fears are severely put to the test.
A bleak book and eerily timely with the Gulf oil disaster, Ship Breaker is probably not too far off from what could happen in the future if we let greed go unchecked.
This book has been getting some really great reviews so I was excited to read it. An additional plus was that I love dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction. I will say it’s a good book, but I was a little disappointed after all the hype. While I liked it and thought the story was good, I wasn’t enamored with the writing. It probably didn’t help that I was reading Charlotte Bronte’s Villette on the same day. Not a fair comparison, but it couldn’t be avoided.
Other bloggers have raved about it, so I would definitely encourage you to check out their reviews as well.
If you haven’t been in a war and are wondering how long it takes to get used to losing everything you think you need or love, I can tell you the answer is No time at all.
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff won the Printz Award and was shortlisted for the Orange Prize for New Writers. I really enjoy ‘end of the world as we know it’ books and this was no exception. However, I did take exception with Daisy’s relationship with her cousin Edmond. Although relationships between cousins used to be acceptable, it just isn’t today. At least by my standards.
Daisy’s father has remarried and she is shipped off to England to stay with her cousins. When her Aunt Penn is away on business, war breaks out and the children are left to fend for themselves, and they survive for awhile admirably. As the war goes on, though, it becomes increasingly difficult for the family to stay together and find the supplies they need. The goal of survival begins to take its toll.
I did enjoy this story, except for the situation noted above. I normally don’t like books written in a run-on, free-form style as this one was, but as it was narrated by a teenager, it didn’t bother me as much as it usually does. I really empathized with Daisy and her situation, and I admired how she was able to see one of her problems in a new light toward the end of the book.
But why did they have to be cousins? The answer isn’t ‘because of the war’ as they began their relationship before it started. I just wish it could have been a friend of the cousins instead.
Wow, The First Part Last is an incredible book! I loved this story so much. I haven’t been so emotionally affected by a book in a long time — probably not since The Book Thief or The Time Traveler’s Wife. This title was definitely deserving of the 2004 Michael L. Printz Award, and I will be strongly encouraging my two teenage sons to read and/or listen to it.
Sixteen year old Bobby is raising his daughter Feather alone — well, primarily alone. Feather’s mother and her family aren’t in the picture and his own mother and father are “grandparents, not parents.” Although it is crystal clear that Bobby loves his daughter, he is exhausted and not prepared for what fatherhood entails. He does the best he can, though, and his character is admirable.
I listened to the audio of this book, and it is sooooooo good. The story is narrated by Khalipa Oldjohn, who did an absolutely wonderful job. It’s only on 2 discs and is 1 hour and 42 minutes long, so I strongly encourage you to take up the audio if it’s available at your library.
Highly, highly recommended for those who love young adult literature or who are participating in The Printz Project.
Printz Award, 2011
Highly, highly recommended for those who love young adult literature or who are participating in 
