Generation Dead ~ Daniel Waters

…A Young Adult Challenge Selection

“All over the country, a strange phenomenon is happening. Some teenagers who die aren’t staying dead. They are coming back to life, but they are no longer the same — they stutter, and their reactions to everything are slower. Termed “living impaired” or “differently biotic,” they are doing their best to fit into a society that doesn’t want them.”

Can I just say: Wow.

Generation Dead is Daniel Waters’ first novel, but you’d never know it. From the plot, to character depth and development, to the ease of the story, this novel is a truly wonderful addition to young adult fiction.

I’m still caught up enough in it to wonder if I can do it any justice by writing about it at this point, but, too, I don’t want to lose the moment, the impression it left.

So where to start?

Well, as the snippet of the synopsis above states, Generation Dead is, in part, about teens who come back after they’ve died. The manner in which Waters portrays these teens, the differently biotic, is very affecting. When they come back their responses are slower; they’re allowed to leave class early because it will take them that much longer to reach the bus; something as simple as a blink will take them a minute or more. And I found the way their dialogue was written, with extended ellipses standing in for their pauses, well, it got inside of me and yanked at something. Sympathy, maybe. Or maybe it was a nurturing instinct, the desire to grab on and hug; to tell them that they would get through it, that they could do it. Whatever the case may be, Waters knew which words to separate with the pauses, knew which words they needed to stumble or stutter over, and, with me at least, he got a big time emotional response.

So that, right there, should be enough, right? I’m invested in the story, in these differently biotic teenagers struggling with their new lives. But then, then Waters has to go and create living kids who are just as heartbreaking for their desire to not only tolerate someone “different,” but to also reach out and accept them for who they are, despite whatever fear they may feel. Their voices and motivations were genuine, incredibly so, in fact.

This novel was touching and devastating; it was emotionally rewarding, though by no means easy, and had enough hope to balance the knowledge that still, today, there are so many who refuse to tolerate anything outside the norm. Teens do not want to be force fed stories about tolerance or acceptance. I’ve seen more then a few roll their eyes when an adult started talking about the moral or lesson inherent in the story. So I wonder what they’ll think of this. Because it’s there in spades. It may not be preachy and it may take a different path, but it is most definitely thought-provoking, and I know how it left me feeling.

Since I really loved this book and I know my review didn’t do it justice, I’m going to list a few links to other reviews:

The Story Siren | The Book Muncher | The Compulsive Reader

If this novel sounds even remotely like something you might read, I urge you to do so. It’s an incredible debut from a writer I will now be on the lookout for more from.

Edit 5/17/08: I just found this contest {almost too late} for a Generation Dead t-shirt, which, you know, I totally want. If you’ve read the book and would like to enter you have until tonight. Check out The Ravenous Reader blog for more info.