Next week, our students begin
a dystopian book unit —
tales of a world gone awry,
government control,
and teen protagonists challenging power.
Today, Russia violently invades Ukraine,
Australian towns are underwater,
fire ravages the west,
cities in Africa thirst for drinking water,
books are banned and burned,
some young people destroy
school property
at the command of a social media platform.
There is hope,
students calling on everyone
to wear yellow and blue for Ukraine,
Greta Thunberg and others
speaking up for the planet,
voices of children
crying out against gun violence.
I wonder if my student’s new book unit
should instead be called non-fiction?
A Reading Life 
Our world does increasingly feel like a dystopian setting, yet there is hope, and many are working to deliver the good and defeat the bad. I joined the Climate Solutions Book Club this year and find it offers much needed hope and ways forward.
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Thank you for the suggestion of the book club!
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I believe in young people. I believe in kindness. I believe that many wise and caring people are finding solutions. Without this belief the world affairs would be too much to bear.
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Thank goodness for the kids or it would certainly feel hopeless!
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Across the county, we are of one mind. My 10th-grade dystopia deep dive is not so different from yours. Let’s talk!
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Your last line is perfect! “I wonder if my student’s new book unit should instead be called non-fiction?” BTW-I’m rooting for teen protagonists challenging power!
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