American War

Books | Fiction / Literary

3.6

(393)

Omar El Akkad

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle—this gripping debut novel asks what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons upon itself. From the author of What Strange Paradise"Powerful ... as haunting a postapocalyptic universe as Cormac McCarthy [created] in The Road." —The New York TimesSarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, and that unmanned drones fill the sky. When her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she begins to grow up shaped by her particular time and place. But not everyone at Camp Patience is who they claim to be. Eventually Sarat is befriended by a mysterious functionary, under whose influence she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. The decisions that she makes will have tremendous consequences not just for Sarat but for her family and her country, rippling through generations of strangers and kin alike.

Science Fiction

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Author

Omar El Akkad

Pages

352

Publisher

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Published Date

2017-04-04

ISBN

0451493591 9780451493590

Ratings

Google: 4

Community ReviewsSee all

"This book was heavy but so worth the read. "

tamia jordan

"This book is profound and gulp-worthy. I can not recommend it enough! "

Juliet Morning

"I am really enjoying this book! Feels like America is heading this direction. 😪"

Christina

"The audiobook was very well done! Great story here, well thought out."

Kenton

"DNF at 65%"

Sarah Trubee

"Amazing prospective that i have never before explored. Really opened my mind to a differnt side of a story. "

Emma Gjerset

"A gritty, unsugarcoated look at what a modern civil war in America would look like, following climate crises and new government-enforced regulation and rationing of fossil fuels. Secessionist states refuse to abandon gasoline and oil, and question the validity of American democracy and the concept of national solidarity. Coasts reclaim previously dry land as ocean levels rise. American citizens are displaced within their own country, faced with political disbalance in their own country, as well as growing resource wars and power games playing out around the globe. War crimes are committed, innocents die and families suffer, children are manipulated to commit atrocities, and enemies of "state" are tortured as prisoners of war. In between the darkness, though, humans still find ways to love each other. They build shaky friendships. They support their families, even as they fall apart. They fight not for morals, but for survival and happiness and safety. They fight for the hope of living another day."

Liz

"The way it felt so real. This could very much be our future. It didn't depict on side worse than the other. War is hell. And this book showed how hellish it can be."

Hannah Sorber

"One of my favourite reads in a long time. "

Veronica

"Whew it’s the end of the school year, so I’m just about to dive into a pile of reading. I did recently read American Dirt and loved it. Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer was also fantastic. I’m just starting the third book of Eden Robinson’s Trickster series and highly recommend. "