From the book jacket:

An audacious and powerful debut novel: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle—a story that asks what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons upon itself.

Sarat 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, that unmanned drones fill the sky. And when her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she quickly begins to be shaped by her particular time and place until, finally, through the influence of a mysterious functionary, she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. Telling her story is her nephew, Benjamin Chestnut, born during war as one of the Miraculous Generation and now an old man confronting the dark secret of his past—his family’s role in the conflict and, in particular, that of his aunt, a woman who saved his life while destroying untold others.

My review:

I’m pretty sure the last dystopian novel I read was Animal Farm by George Orwell, and that was either in grade 10 or 11 English class. Let me just say that American War is no Animal Farm, with no offence to Orwell. 

American War, written by Egypt-born, Canada-based author Omar El Akkad, is an eye-opening idea of what the future of global politics could very well turn out to be. With everything already on its way to going to hell in a hand basket, El Akkad does an incredible job painting a vivid picture of what the world may very well be like in 50 years from now; climate change and earth’s diminishing resources are something that we are perhaps not taking seriously enough. 

While it may seem like the United States is being “picked on”, it only makes sense as the country is generally viewed as one of the biggest leaders in all things economical. It’s an interesting thing to see what it would be like if it reverted back 100 years and another Civil War broke out. What would be devastation look like? Who would be affected? If race is what drove the last war, what would propel this one? Natural resources seems like an obvious choice.

Two of the three Chestnut children, Sarat and Simon, are examples of how war robs children of their youth. When war is the only thing you seem to know growing up, it is seems only natural to join the fight for one reason or another. The third Chestnut child, Dana, is the sole family member who doesn’t seek out revenge for what has happened to her family, perhaps as an example of preserved innocence.

I tried to dig deep and find something that I didn’t like about American War, and quite frankly, I really enjoyed every bit of it. While a bit dense and containing some slight adult content, I really think it should be a required read for high schoolers. It’s eye-opening and thought-provoking.

My rating: ★★★★★/5