My Debut Author Challenge #11 came from the library.
It's ARTICLE 5 by, Kristen Simmons
In a country fallen apart, the Bill of Rights has been revoked. Instead there are Moral Statutes.
Ember's mother has been arrested for the crime of having a daughter out of wedlock, and those who are arrested are never seen again. Ember has become a ward of the government. Can she escape and find her mom?
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This is one of a handful of Dystopians I've read lately where loss of Human Rights, especially women's rights, is the focus.
As a mom of a daughter, especially, this possibility is daunting. Women have come a long way in the last one hundred years. We still have a way to go...women still don't receive equal pay (overall or w/in fields), are all too often victims of rape and domestic violence, and still do almost all of the housework and child caretaking even in households where they earn more money than the man...but I hate to think of any turmoil we could face in the future that would take away what hard-earned progress we have made.
I think appreciating where we've come from as females is part of why I love reading Historical Fiction so much. I see that the oppression of women in a possible future is realistic, and that it would be a beneficial theme for young readers, but it's hard for me...I find it hugely depressing and scary.
What about you? Read this one? Noticed this loss of women's rights trend in Dystopian? Any other debuts to recommend?
I haven't read this one yet, but the prospect of loss of women's rights makes me shudder. Especially after everything it's taken to get to the point we're at now. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.
ReplyDeleteLovely post Jennifer, I have not read this-- but it makes me think of a classic of women's rights/dystopia: The Handmaid's Tale, which really blew my mind the first time I read it. Such an important topic that makes for exciting (albeit scary) reading.
ReplyDeleteKat- You're right, I shouldn't see this as a trend...Handmaid is classic Dytopian. I think it was getting hit with three or four of them in the last month...it felt overwhelming.
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