# Reading Suggestion - 14 year old girl - SciFi/Dystopian **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269 "2017-03-15T22:47:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/41 "2017-03-17T20:53:10Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Hmmm. I see movie of that On Demand. I’ll have to take a look. I didn’t know they made it into a movie. Now I’ll have to see if Netflix has it. StG ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/42 "2017-03-17T20:54:48Z")
I really liked [Emergence](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2300.Emergence) by David R. Palmer. It’s a dystopian future tale about the world after a disease has killed off 99% of mankind. One of the few survivors and the heroine is an eleven year old girl, who has a pet parrot. It’s written in a unique, shorthand kind of style. I could read this one again, if I could only find it. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/43 "2017-03-17T21:48:17Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > _Stranger in a Strange Land_ isn’t a dystopia Ah, but perhaps stranger in a strange land (the e.e. cummings novel) _is_. 😉 > [@](#): > > _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ is a pretty weak book–a rare case where the movie is 37,923 percent better than the book. Dick is an acquired taste, and I say that as a long-time fan. Maybe _A Scanner, Darkly_ would be easier to take, seeing as how it’s based on a true story (and not a pink laser God-thing true story, either). I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned _The Giver_ yet, but I came in to suggest some old-fashioned Cold War post-apocalyptic novels. _Earth Abides_ is a good one, in that it’s focused on a plague-caused apocalypse (it isn’t yet another nuclear holocaust) and it’s more focused on the society than most of these apocalypse survivor novels are. But to get a handle on just what people were afraid of, you should look up _When The Wind Blows_, a harsh, uncompromising look at a limited nuclear war and the aftermath. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/44 "2017-03-17T22:04:37Z")
And no one’s mentioned Stephen King’s The Stand. StG ---
**Author:** ![MrLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@MrLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrLee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/45 "2017-03-17T22:52:53Z")
[Oryx and Crake](https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Oryx-Crake-Margaret-Atwood/1844080285) is pretty sci-fi and pretty dystopian, although it has some dark content that I am sure not all parents of 14-year old girls would approve of their daughters reading. It is also more of a straight-up _story_ (as opposed to Fahrenheit 451, 1984, etc… which are all dripping in socio-political commentary and subtext). If she likes a good yarn with no profound subtext, and wouldn’t be put off by side-stories involving paedophilia, then that might be for her. [The Road](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Cormac-McCarthy/dp/0330468464/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1489790415&sr=1-1&keywords=the+road) is about as dystopian as it gets, although while ‘futuristic’ it is only nominally sci-fi. The Road is one of those stories that affected me for a good while after reading it, as it brutally demonstrates how fragile society and humanity really are. A more gentle option would be [Exodus](https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Exodus-Julie-Bertagna/033039908X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1489790569&sr=1-2&keywords=exodus) - it is written for teenagers (and has a 15-year old girl as the protagonist), and only faintly touches on risque themes. There is a lot of topical relevance too (global warming, refugees, etc…). If she is already hooked on hard ‘adult’ sci-fi, this might be a little tame, though. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/46 "2017-03-17T23:28:21Z")
If she’s willing to read about a society on the edge of becoming a dystopia but isn’t quite there yet, Cory Doctrow’s **Little Brother** and it’s sequel (third book coming soon) are there. It’s not quite a dystopia yet, but it’s so very close. It’s also great. ---
**Author:** ![krisolov](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krisolov/32/3724_2.png) [@krisolov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krisolov)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/47 "2017-03-17T23:57:44Z")
I’d also recommend [Wool](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silo_(series)) by Hugh Howey. Should be right up her alley. Post apocalyptic dystopia, strong heroine and a great story. Adult without anything graphic. I loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/48 "2017-03-18T01:16:04Z")
> [@krisolov](#): > > I’d also recommend [Wool](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silo_(series)) by Hugh Howey. > > Should be right up her alley. Post apocalyptic dystopia, strong heroine and a great story. Adult without anything graphic. I loved it. I agree so much I said so ten posts ago! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/49 "2017-03-18T03:36:27Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > _Stranger in a Strange Land_ isn’t a dystopia, and _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep_ is a pretty weak book–a rare case where the movie is 37,923 percent better than the book. > > (eta: and any parent that would subject their child to _anything_ by Ayn Rand doesn’t deserve to be a parent.) stranger may not be as dystopian as others listed, but its one of the best and most important novels ever written. most of the other books mentioned would never even exist without it. as **derleth** says, dick may take some time to get into but electric sheep is not weak, and comparing it to blade runner is not apt as the movie just used the book as a starting point! and, no matter how you feel about rand (and i have mixed feelings) the importance of her work in american culture cannot be dismissed. and anthem is a pretty fun read. mc ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/50 "2017-03-18T03:40:07Z")
and every phone rubber should read terminal man by michael crichton mc ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/51 "2017-03-18T03:44:18Z")
> [@G0sp3l](#): > > Thanks for all the suggestions, I’m compiling a list right now. > > The stories don’t HAVE to be dystopian but that’s what she was asking about. I gave her _Ender’s Game_ to see how she likes that but she hasn’t started it yet. Because it’s a great story. The _Enders Game_ where actual children murder each other? I’d suggest _The Postman_ by David Brin, _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ by Walter M Miller, and some of H Beam Piper’s short stories. Also, _Ready Player One_ by Ernest Cline is excellent too - I would have loved it when I was 14. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/52 "2017-03-20T11:00:07Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > stranger may not be as dystopian as others listed, but its one of the best and most important novels ever written. most of the other books mentioned would never even exist without it. cite? > [@](#): > > as **derleth** says, dick may take some time to get into but electric sheep is not weak, Okay, maybe not “weak” but very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very dated. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/53 "2017-03-20T11:45:25Z")
To an already impressive list, I’d add Max Hasting’s _World War Z_, a ‘reporters-eye view’ of the Zombie Apocalypse. Written in interview style, it has some strong female characters and a world-wide outlook, and should be accessible to a 14 year old mind without being too depressing. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/54 "2017-03-20T12:56:52Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > cite? ok. **IMHO** , but i’m not alone. from wiki: > [@](#): > > Stranger in a Strange Land won the 1962 Hugo Award for Best Novel, and became the first science fiction novel to enter The New York Times Book Review’s best-seller list. In 2012, it was included in a Library of Congress exhibition of “Books That Shaped America” mc ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/55 "2017-03-20T13:04:51Z")
If I might be permitted a slight off-topic remark here, but I’ve never understood why _Stranger in a Strange Land_ is seen as this landmark classic. I read it as an adult and was unimpressed; it probably would have bored the hell out of 14 year old me. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/56 "2017-03-20T13:28:20Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > If I might be permitted a slight off-topic remark here, but I’ve never understood why _Stranger in a Strange Land_ is seen as this landmark classic. I read it as an adult and was unimpressed; it probably would have bored the hell out of 14 year old me. I’m with you on this. I didn’t read SiaSL until when I was a freshman in college and the expanded edition was published in 1991. It was an okay SF book, but doesn’t stick out from any number of other SF books I’ve read. Really, it’s only special significance to me is providing the word “grok”, which I can occasionally trot out (like the word “cromulent”) when I want to signal my nerd cred. I have a hard time believing a book about 1960s hippies meeting a spaceman is going to have much of a relevance to a modern teen. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/57 "2017-03-20T13:28:31Z")
A lot of great science fiction suggestions, but she might really enjoy **The Dark Tower** series by Stephen King. More bent toward the fantastical, but there is sci-fi elements, strong dystopian landscapes, and a wonderful cast of characters and storytelling. I ate the early books up as a teen. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269/58 "2017-03-20T14:39:15Z")
+1 on A Canticle for Leibowitz and a few short stories to recommend. [I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream](https://www.amazon.com/Have-No-Mouth-Must-Scream/dp/1497643074) and [A Boy and His Dog](https://www.amazon.com/Boy-His-Dog-Harlan-Ellison-ebook/dp/B01G4MZ6YW/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490020809&sr=1-2&keywords=a+dog+and+his+boyhttp://) by Harlan Ellison. Also, [The Cold Equations](https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Equations-Tom-Godwin/dp/0743488490/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490020599&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Cold+Equations) by Tom Goodwin. It may be worth looking into [A Wrinkle In Time](https://www.amazon.com/Wrinkle-Time-Quintet/dp/0312367546/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490020709&sr=1-1&keywords=a+wrinkle+in+time+by+madeleine+l%27englehttp://) as well, I still enjoy it after all these years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-suggestion-14-year-old-girl-scifi-dystopian/782269.md?page=2)