Empty by Suzanne Weyn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just reread my friend Suzanne Weyn's wonderful book, EMPTY because I am teaching it for a class, and all I can say is WOW! Written in 2010, the book imagines a world in the very near future where gas is running out and there is no oil. Not only does this mean no driving and no heat, but every day necessities-food, malls-the world as we know it no longer exists. Additionally, some terrible storms invade the landscape.

Sound familiar? This world exists right now. According to the January 19th NYT, for the third year in a row a heat record was set, which threatens society and nature. Scientists are alarmed.

The scientists in Weyn's book also knew there would ultimately be a disaster, but they did not think it would come so quickly. The world is in a dangerous place, and what this means for the teens-the protagonists of the book- is they must come up with a plan, using natural sources of food and energy to save them. Can they do it quickly enough?

This book is intensely prophetic, especially at a time when all of the wonderful plans for saving our environment are under question with our new president. Undoing the Paris Accords only spells disaster.

Can the teens save their world? Can we?

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