I thought I would take a detour today from my regular book reviews on this blog. I just read read an AP article online about the decline of the Monarch butterfly population. What does this have to do with YA dystopia fiction? Well, many of the post-apocalyptic worlds of these novels involve an environmental or natural disaster and makes references to the struggle to survive by both people and animal populations. I remember learning in my biology class in school about interconnected ecosystems, that a change to one species can also affect another species.
For the past few years I have been following news reports of the decline of the honeybee population because if these pollinators die out, the effects on our food supply could be drastic. I have actually done more than read news and watch documentaries, I have had a hive installed in my backyard for a few years. What I wasn’t aware of until this article was the ominous drop in the number of Monarch butterflies making their annual migratory trip: http://news.yahoo.com/monarch-butterflies-drop-ominously-mexico-023630858.html
While perusing the responses to the article, someone wrote, “The Indians said that whatever happens to the beasts will eventually happen to us” which I decided to use as the title of this post. Do you agree with that statement?
What environmental news are you aware of that you think a dystopian author could incorporate into their next books?
YA Dystopian Fiction 