Off the Road

The futuristic plot of this book made it difficult to understand at first (I had to read the first chapter twice). At the same time I wanted to keep reading to know more about the society in 2036. By using the idea of two totally different societies which do not interact with each other, the author paints a picture of a cold, harsh future. Tom, an eleven year old boy brought up on the Inside which is a society where children are dominant, people over 65 are "disposed of", and a family consists of a mother and father and only one child, follows his grandfather to the Outside. The Outside consisted of hard working families with lots of brothers and sisters and a society that was mannerly and respected the elders. By using these two contrasting societies, the author seems to be focusing on some of the weaknesses of our society today such as stereotyping the older generation as useless, households in which the children dominate, and the government. I found this book comparable to "The Giver", but intended for a younger audience. The surprise ending made the book a very worthwhile read.