Bacigalupi, Paolo. (2010). Ship breaker. New York: Little,
Brown and Company.
Ship
Breaker begins with action as Nailer wrests his way through
the duct work of an old oil tanker, struggling to bring valuable copper to the
surface. If he succeeds, he lives to
labor for another day; if he fails, his life could end abruptly. Despite the bleakness of Nailer’s circumstances,
this novel is not depressing or uninviting.
In some future time, New Orleans has been swallowed by the rising ocean
and Gulf waters that are the result of Polar melting. Past dependence on oil and coal has left the
world depleted of more than energy sources.
Bright Sands Beach, north of what was New Orleans, where Nailer and his “crew” toil, is inhabited by
people of all races, people who own little to nothing, people who barely pause
when confronted with death, people who worship everything from the Fates to the
Scavenge Gods. “Harvesters” badger the
poorest for their organs and the Life Cult preaches a different form of
salvation. Genetically engineered
half-men operate as hired labor and protection for those who possess power and
control.
Nailer
and Pima, his best friend and “crew” mate, find a Lucky Strike—a shipwrecked
Clipper loaded with wealth—after a hurricane devastates the area. Pima, although a loyal accomplice for Nailer,
is a girl of her time. She has no qualms
about cutting the fingers off a dying girl for the rings that glitter
there. Those rings will net her riches
enough to support her mother and to escape the ship breaking work forever. Nailer is not so sure. He has recently escaped death himself which
causes him to reevaluate his actions. The
dying girl is pretty and her eyes captivate him as she wordlessly pleads for
her life. He convinces Pima to save her—arguing
that alive she will bring a great ransom—and almost immediately regrets the
decision. Nita does live and keeping her
alive and away from her enemies results in both adventure and danger for them
both.
Ship Breaker explores many facets of the
future for a world dependent on oil.
Bacigalupi also includes other environmental scenarios that many would
find likely such as “City Killer” hurricanes and polluted coastal waters. The people of Ship Breaker are a motley assortment of nationalities and conditions,
but there is little indication about how we lost our way so profoundly so as to
become such a violent place. This could
open the way for many classroom discussions about what makes us human and
where/when/how we develop empathy and compassion. Nailer serves as an admirable protagonist and
has qualities that encompass the hero yet his conflicting feelings about saving
Nita are completely human and easy to relate to. Boys in 7th and 8th
grades would find the novel very engaging and Ship Breaker would also be a good choice for High School reluctant
or struggling readers. The relationship
between Nailer and Nita develops slowly and has elements of romance that are
realistic for teens. This aspect of the
novel may appeal to some female readers who might be less enthusiastic about
other parts of the book. Others may
wonder if Nailer would have been as interested in saving a less physically appealing
girl or even a man at all. Was his
reasoning based on his own near death experience as he indicates to both Pima
and the reader or was it really based on a long ingrained trait of the species—sexual
appeal? Many readers of both sexes may
find a classroom discussion of this sort to be very motivating. While the story is very engaging, some mature
or accomplished readers of the dystopian genre may find Ship Breaker too simplistic and its ending somewhat predictable. Because of the violent nature of the
encounters between adults and children in the story, especially that of Nailer
and his crystal meth-addicted father, the book would not be appropriate for
many younger readers.
Dystopian novels appeal to readers of Young Adult Literature. Dystopian novels explore a world in which circumstances have changed or fallen from something ideal. Often laden with violence and poverty, these novels hold interest to many students because they can explore dark themes within a structured setting. Many video games mirror this genre; this aspect could be pointed out to readers who prefer gaming to reading. Other dystopian novels and movies to recommend include:
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