Dry

Shusterman, Neal. Dry. Simon & Schuster BYR, 2018.

California's drought has continued for years now, and when neighboring states block access to the Colorado River, suddenly everyone's water is gone. No water from the tap. No toilets. No showers. And inevitably people begin panicking. The government and the talking heads on the news assure Californians that they will be fine, that help is on the way, but it is taking a very long time for that help to arrive, and in the meantime, this crisis is bringing out the worst in people.

I lived in California for three years near the beginning of the real drought, and this story is terrifying in how true it reads. I could see things developing in a manner very similar to what is described in this book, and all I can say is that this is exactly why I no longer live in California. This is a compelling page-turning story filled with plenty of action. I can highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy survival stories or dystopian tales that focus on the creation of the dystopia rather than the "tearing down the corrupt government" a la The Hunger Games. Highly recommended.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, violence, a character is threatened with rape on at least one occasion
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Life As We Knew It, Ashfall, Hungry