(Book Cover compliments of Titlewave.com)
Bibliography
Bacigalupi, P. (2010). Ship Breaker. New York: Little, Brown. ISBN 0-316-05621-9
Plot summary
Set in a post-oil, global-warming-wrecked future, Nailer, a fifteen-year old child laborer on a ship breaking crew on the Gulf of Mexico experiences betrayal, loyalty, despair, and hope for a better future when he spares the life of a wealthy girl on a hurricane-battered, high-tech clipper ship.
Critical Analysis
In the dirty waters of a future Gulf of Mexico not far from Orleans II, Nailer and the other young members of the ship-stripping “light crew” struggle to “make quota” and survive in a dirty, dangerous occupation that is certain to end their young lives early. After miraculously surviving a near drowning in a hidden chamber of oil inside a tanker ship, Nailer begins to dream of finding his own “Lucky Strike” that will get him out of reach of his drug-addicted, physically abusive father and the dirty, broken world in which he barely survives. When a hurricane destroys the beach community and maroons a high tech clipper ship, fate offers Nailer a way out. Fortified by his true friendship with crewmate Pima and her mother, Nailer decides to risk his life to save “Lucky Girl” Nita, the wealthy “swank” and sole survivor on the clipper ship. Barely escaping being murdered by his father and other dangerous men and half-men bent on salvaging the clipper, Nailer pledges to protect Nita and begins a treacherous journey to the flooded city of Orleans to find her family leading them into the path of violent criminals, perilous sea storms, and repeated tests of loyalty.
Filled with details that make readers wince, Bacigalupi’s dark, raw writing holds no punches. But Nailer’s complex commitment to family, determination to do what’s right, and unwillingness to embrace revenge balance the grim tone of the story. His journey to find a better life for himself and others in the face of impossible odds will resonate with readers. The authenticity of the characters draws us into the story and makes Bacigalupi’s nightmarish details and surreal landscape believable. Readers will finish the book wondering about their own future when cheap energy is gone and they are forced to face the uncertain sustainability of life.
Reviews and Honors
"The characters are layered and complex, and their almost unthinkable actions and choices seem totally credible. Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi." -Booklist, Starred Review
"Bacigalupi's novel vividly depicts a bleak vision: a ‘whole waterlogged world...torn down by the patient work of changing nature.’ This thriller will grab readers' attentions as Nailer and Nita ‘crew up’ to survive." –Horn Book, Starred Review
ALA 2011 Notable Children's Book
Michael L. Printz Book Award winner 2011
A Junior Library Guild selection
National Book Award Honor for Young People's Literature, 2010.
Starred reviews in Horn Book, Library Media Connection, Booklist, and Publisher’s Weekly
Positive Reviews in School Library Journal, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and Wilson’s Senior High School
Connections
- Collaborate with the social studies and science departments to create a unit that studies societies today that discarded ships/tankers similar to the “ship breaking” industry in the book. (China, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh comprise over 80% of the world-wide ship breaking market.) Look at pros and cons of “ship breaking” and explore ways to dispose of ships and other petroleum-related equipment while protecting human workers and the environment. Begin by showing students the photo essay on the ship breaking yard at Cittagong in Bangladesh. http://www.jirirezac.com/stories/shipbreakers/
- Invite students to form an on-line book club blog and read additional utopian/dystopian future novels with a sci-fi bent such as:
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games.
Farmer, Nancy. The House of the Scorpion
Grant, Michael. Gone.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver.
Westerfield, Scott. Uglies.
Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game.
Westerfeld, Scott. Leviathan.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Shadow Children series.
- Have students explore the background, travels, and writings of Paolo Bacigalupi. Start with his blog site at http://windupstories.com/ and then watch his interview on http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/teens_books_9780316056212.htm. Discuss his environmental concerns and inspiration for writing Ship Breaker.
