Letters about Literature

Dear Paulo Bacigalupi,

I write to you after just having read 'The Ship Breaker' as preempted by the Read for a Lifetime program at our school. I must say that 'The Ship Breaker' was a very entertaining read, and the characters and relationships between said characters really made it shine for me. The bleak dystopian world that you portrayed as evidenced by the fallen skyscrapers and the multitudes of beached ships, drew me in, and the trials that Nailer had to undergo, while he being about the lowest rung of this future society, hooked me.

I feel that the book follows in the of many that successfully paint a picture of a world that could be our future that is not all sunshine and butterflies. I know that humanity is not the perfect society unlike others would make it out to be, and I feel it is important to show the young mind that, without those who constantly fight for good, where would we be today and where will we be tomorrow? This is why dystopian sci-fi interests me. The book manages to often remind you how different this world is, from the apparent poverty to fallen cities, and yet to prevent completely alienating the reader, there are these interesting characters we can connect to.

Nailer of course is a very intriguing case, as he seems to be a lucky one of the populace to have a heightened sense of morality, in a place where survival has overcome such thoughts. An important part of literature I find is the challenge of creating a varied character and having that character connect with the reader in some way, if you would pardon the pun Nailer pretty much hit that by the nail. Everyone else seen in this world is focused on their own survival, and occasionally the survival of friends and family. That Nailer was willing to rescue someone he didn't know, and risk giving up a very lucky 'strike' he had come across, and go on a grand adventure to return her home, abandoning all his friends in the process really speaks to me. Even with morality being as it is in the story, now compare this to real life, would you go out of your way to rescue someone you didn't know and risk leaving all you know behind? I doubt that I could. Yet what really fuels his desire, is it his selflessness, blind love, hope for a new future, or just fear spurned by his father? Nevertheless Nailer manages to make all the right decisions in tough situations, and is really a character that I said is very easy to relate to.

How I most connect to the book is really based on morality. I may not be the biggest samaritan in the world, yet I try my best to help those around me, friends, family, and strangers alike. I can see where Nailer is coming from when he deals with these issues, for once and awhile my view of morality can conflict with my friends, yet I always strive to do what's best. So in a final word, thank you Bacigalupi for this great read, it really touched me on multiple levels. Should I ever get into writing, I can call you one of my inspirations.

Sincerely,

Nick Moreno