Suggestion for liberal viewpoint novel counter for Anthem

[exboyfil]

I need a novel/novella to be used as a counterpoint to Rand's Anthem. It needs to be about the same reading level and length. An eighth grader will be writing an essay comparing the two works. Any suggestions? People of the Abyss by Jack London is just too long.

[ret5hd]

1. there just aren't THAT MANY books of that length written at a 3rd grade level.

[Rabblevox]

2. How about "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis?...

(edited to add Amazon blurb)

Fairly short and simple, it's a "what if" novel about when fascism comes to America. (and should be required reading in high school or middle school).

Novel by Sinclair Lewis, published in 1935. It is a cautionary tale about the rise of fascism in the United States. During the presidential election of 1936, Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor, observes with dismay that many of the people he knows support the candidacy of a fascist, Berzelius Windrip. When Windrip wins the election, he forcibly gains control of Congress and the Supreme Court, and, with the aid of his personal paramilitary storm troopers, turns the United States into a totalitarian state.

[Rabblevox]

3. Or slightly longer, but still accessible to a fairly bright 8th-grader, "The Fifth Sacred Thing"...

by Starhawk. This is my absolute favorite Utopian novel (though it is set in a very dis-topian world.) People, being people, and loving and trusting each other to fight the machine and build something better.

From Library Journal
Known for her works in women's spirituality and ecofeminism, Starhawk has conjured a visionary tale of a multicultural community of witches where poverty, prejudice, hunger, and thirst do not prevail. The surrounding world, set in present-day San Francisco, manifests every 20th-century nightmare: ozone depletion, deadly pollution, a fundamentalist religion-based government, and food and water shortages. The central question haunting a community of well-cast characters is how to resist invading Southern forces without resorting to violence. This strong debut fits well among feminist futuristic, utopic, and dystopic works by the likes of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Ursula LeGuin, and Margaret Atwood. Starhawk is the author of The Spiral Dance ( LJ 11/1/79), Dreaming the Dark ( LJ 9/15/82), and Truth or Dare (HarperSanFrancisco, 1989). Recomended for literary collections.

[Rabblevox]

4. And one more, "Hunger Games"...

Although it's almost 400 pages, it is a very "fast read", and aimed specifically at a young-adult audience. Me and my boss (both in our 50's) absolutely devoured it. It is possibly the most political, subversive novel ever written for YA's. And it's a hella fun read, too. Highly recommended. (either for class, or just for personal reading).

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up -In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Collins's characters are completely realistic and sympathetic as they form alliances and friendships in the face of overwhelming odds; the plot is tense, dramatic, and engrossing. This book will definitely resonate with the generation raised on reality shows like 'Survivor' and 'American Gladiator.' Book one of a planned trilogy.Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

[exboyfil]

5. That book is one of my 8th graders (and 10th graders)

favorite novels - even more than Harry Potter. It is a wonderful book - a modern classic in my opinion. My daughter last year wrote a wonderful essay comparing it with Treasure Island and concluding (with reasonable justification) that it was a superior book. I had her focus more on the coming of age elements in each book.

Thanks for the suggestions. I was looking for a book that might counter a strictly libertarian viewpoint. Most dystopia novels involve (including Anthem) a state which is out of control and running roughshod over the rights of everyone (either a collectivist dystopia like Anthem or Animal Farm) or a fascist dystopia. Strict libertarians are wary of fascism as well and would be quick to argue against the world portrayed in Hunger Games (the state using its power to force contestants to fight as well as enslaving and allocating specific jobs to specific individuals). It may be that a strictly libertarian philosophy will lead to such a world.

In one sense any novel which allows uncaptured economic externalities to run amock (pollution, overfishing etc) is a knock against the libertarian viewpoint. Another would obviously be the fate of the weak in a strictly libertarian economy (ala Dickens).

[skippercollector]

6. perhaps i misunderstood the question

Perhaps I misunderstood the question? Are you looking for a novel in which a government or social service agency helps someone or a group?
There are plenty of post-apocalyptic novels in which an extremist group has taken over the government and is killing anyone who doesn't agree with it: The Handmaid's Tale/Margaret Atwood; Left Behind/Tim LaHaye; The Messiah of Morris Avenue/Tony Hendra; The Guns of the South/Harry Turtledove.
Then there are post-apocalyptic novels in which the government doesn't exist any more at all: The Stand/Stephen King; Alas, Babylon/Pat Frank; Night Light/Terri Blackstock; The Day of the Triffids/John Wyndham; The Disappearance/Philip Wylie.
I can think of one alternate history novel in which the government is heavily involved: The Two Georges/Harry Turtledove. However, this isn't a social commentary, it's a murder mystery, and some of it is funny!
There are a series of PA novels which involve a union: 1632 and its numerous sequels, by Eric Flint. In these books, it's the coal miners' union who end up running everything!
There are also plenty of general novels out there about social workers, government employees, teachers, health care workers, firefighters, police officers, etc. One I can think of is Push, which was made into the movie Precious.

[skippercollector]

7. banking

The only novel about banking that I know of is Arthur Hailey's "The Moneychangers." But like the Georges novel, it's not social commentary. It's just a straight novel/semi soap opera.