The Young World (Young World, #1)

by Chris Weitz

[Angie]

While wiping adults from the face of the earth and having teens be on their own isn't a new concept, I did like The Young World. Just two years ago, the Sickness swept through, killing all of the adults and young kids. Teens only survived because of their raging hormones. Now, at least in New York City, teens have created their own societies and are fighting to stay alive. Then Jefferson and his crew leave their corner of the world to try and find the cure, or die trying. Or just die in a a few years when the Sickness takes them, too.

The world of The Young World is a dark one. It's scary to imagine hordes of teenagers with guns, swords, and bombs defending their territory and meager resources. But that's exactly what's going on. There may be significantly less mouths to feed, but food is still hard to come by when no one is producing anything. Of course, money is also useless, so scavenging and bartering are the ways to go. There are some places where the teens have managed to get electricity going and started farms, but it's still not much. Plus, why bother when you're going to be dead soon?

I did spend a lot of time wondering what's happening elsewhere in the world. We are told that the Sickness started in New York, then worked it's way West. From what I understand, it all happened pretty quickly after that first person showed up at the hospital, quickly infecting everyone around them. But what about outside of North America? It's not hard to imagine that someone infected, or even a teenage carrier, got onto a plane and spread the disease. It's not like either of our two narrators would know that though, since there is no more television or internet. But if that wasn't the case, wouldn't someone in another country have known what was happening, and maybe tried to make contact? I don't know. I just wanted to know more, but the limited perspective didn't allow for that.

The Young World is a diverse read! One of our narrators, Jefferson, is half Japanese. He carries around an ancestral samurai sword and talks about Buddhism (although I don't think he practices, but his father did). Peter is also part of Jeff's group to find the cure, and he's black and gay. Then there's SeeThrough, who the group picks up on their way out, who recently emigrated from China. We also learn about some race wars happening in parts of the city. Even though most of the population is gone, discrimination is very much still a part of life.

The Young World is basically a Dystopian road trip novel. It's fast paced and dangerous. There's a lot of sick stuff happening in the few blocks that Jefferson, Donna, Peter, Brainbox, and SeeThrough travel. In some ways these kids are mature beyond their years, but in others they're just scared and scrambling along in the dark without growns up to help them. Then that ending....WTF? Where did they come from? How is it possible? Is it even what they really think it is? I don't know! I guess I'll have to continue and find out.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.