Author: Bridget Farr
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Instructions for the End of the World by Jamie Kain
Watch the Sky by Kirsten Hubbard
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): Gut a fish. Rewire a truck. Survive the collapse of the US government. All lessons fifteen-year-old Lark has learned during “homeschool” with her conspiracy-theorist-Doomsday-prepping parents. If only she’d also learned the fundamentals of human biology or even how to read. When Lark gets her first period and realizes how much she doesn’t know, she ignores her fears of everything outside their rural Montana farm and secretly attends school for the first time.
At high school, Lark discovers the world is very different than she has been told, from the basics of the internet to government takeovers that never happened. Lark uncovers the holes in her parents’ beliefs and realizes that she must decide her own truth. But it won’t come without sacrifices.
My opinion: There are plenty of books out there about teens learning to question their parents' views. Many of these books take the approach that adults are ignorant and teens need space to find the truth. I don't think most people will think that Lark's parents got things "right" but Farr's approach is a bit more careful than the standard "you're wrong". Lark doesn't wholesale reject what she's been taught. It's more about the opportunity to ask questions, to explore the world for herself and come to her own conclusions. Her parents, rather than backwards fools stuck in their ways, are portrayed as lost and desperate people looking for answers, doing all that they can to protect their only child. They've gone to extremes, certainly, but they are complex people with clear motivations. There are some elements of the plot that are confusing or never fully explained, but there is enough positives to this book to make it worth a read.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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