We Are the Ants: Shaun David Hutchinson

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Hutchinson has crafted an unflinching portrait of the pain and confusion of young love and loss, thoughtfully exploring topics like dementia, abuse, sexuality, and suicide as they entwine with the messy work of growing up.” As the story unfolds, readers learn that Henry has lost his boyfriend, Jesse, to suicide, has an extremely complicated and dysfunctional home life, is having a secret affair with his most vengeful bully, and has had the fate of the world placed in his hands. The aliens, that Henry calls sluggers, have revealed that the world will end on January 29, 2016, and he has the power to stop it by simply pushing a button. Condemned to daily suffering, will Henry save the world? …show more content… in many ways, this reminded me of hutchinsons other book, ‘at the edge of the universe.’ they were different where it mattered, but the structure and overall basis of the books were quite similar. so much so that i could probably copy my review for ATEOTU and paste it here and it would work just fine. Needless to say, it's a massive responsibility to put on the shoulders of just one high school boy. Is the world even worth saving? Should he just end it all now and save everyone from their misery?

Henry's character is actually very hilarious and charming, but there is also sadness and guilt in him which makes him question his existence and if the world should be saved or not. Depression isn't a war you win. It's a battle you fight every day. You never stop, never get to rest. It's one bloody fray after another.”This story is truly holds such an important discussion about mental illness and how it is something that you have to always manage and keep up with, because it never goes away, no matter how many alien abductions happen. And I’m going to leave some numbers here: Henry is bullied by his fellow classmates—particularly Marcus—and it makes his life miserable. Do you have an anti-bullying initiative at your school? If so, how can you support these efforts? If not, come up with a plan to combat bullying and propose it to your counselor or principal.You asked for a story, so here it is. I’ll begin with the night the sluggers told me the world was toast, and when I’m finished, we can wait for the end together. On November 4, 2021, the Keller Independent School District in Keller, Texas unanimously decided to the book would only be available in the high school. [15] Can I gush about the fact that everything is beautifully crafted, every event way more complicated than it first appears? Forget the blurb and your - well-deserved - doubts : although Henry's journey is freaking weird, it works wonderfully.

That's not to say that the book is a total downer. There were many moments that made me smile and laugh, and moments that touched my heart and made me even cry good tears (as opposed to the ugly ones I cried at other times). I haven't ever read anything that Shaun David Hutchinson has written before, but after this, rest assured I will. This is such an inventive, moving, beautiful book I feel utterly privileged to have read. I won't soon forget it.The stalk-eyed, variably tentacled sluggers' repeated, humiliating abductions and habit of dumping Henry in strange places with minimal clothing make Henry's life tough, but the focus here is less on the aliens and more on the button. Bullied at school, pushed around at home, and reeling from his once-boyfriend's suicide, Henry doesn't think he wants to press it. "If you knew the world was going to end but you could prevent it, would you?" becomes a sort of refrain throughout, and each character who answers not only reveals his or her own carefully imagined depths, but also sheds light on Henry's existential dilemmas. Whether Henry is hooking up in secret with the popular golden boy who torments him in public, watching his beloved Nana lose her memories, or being physically and verbally assaulted at school, at parties, and online, he maintains a biting, vulgar wit. There is both a budding romance and, via Henry's older brother, a baby on the way, but the novel meticulously avoids easy fixes for Henry's nihilism. Instead, his journey is subtle and hard-won, with meditations on the past, the present, and the future that are equal parts sarcastic and profound.