What would you do if the United States ran out of fossil fuels? What if the price of gasoline went up to $80 per gallon? What if the supermarket shelves were empty? This is what happens in Suzanne Weyn's dystopian novel, Empty.
I have been teaching at a public high school in Central New York for many years.
This district is rich with diversity. About 60% of the students here are classified as minorities, and approximately 10% of the students speak a language other than English at home. Although the poverty level here is high, many of the students I teach have big dreams for the future and plan to attend college.
My Project
As cliche as it sounds, these students I am teaching are our future. They are going to join the workforce, create inventions and cures, vote, and ultimately make decisions that will impact our nation and our place in the world. It is because the fate of our country is in their hands that I would like them to read Empty by Suzanne Weyn, a bestselling author who has written more than 50 novels. Empty, told from the perspective of high school students, takes place ten years in the future when the country is very low on fossil fuels. Here is a sampling of the editorial reviews for Empty: The School Library journal says, "Weyn's future has a grimly plausible feeling to it that will draw in readers" and according to Children's Literature, "...the characters are believable and there are timely and important topics for discussion offered here."
Your help will enable my students to read literature that interests them and will give us an avenue to begin our discussion on making informed choices when faced with difficult decisions.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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