All That's Left in the World by Erik J Brown

 

All That's Left in the World

April 15th, 2024

All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown, Dystopian, 338 pages

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard, 2023 Yoto Carnegie Award nominee, and UK reader's Choice Books Are My Bag Award Winner

A super flu spreads across America and kills almost the entire human population in a mere seven months. In All That's Left in the World, Jamie and Andrew are two teens who have miraculously survived this superbug, although all of their loved ones weren't so lucky. Andrew, a gay teen with a passion for films, finds himself maimed after getting his leg caught in a bear trap. By pure chance, Andrew spots a cabin in the distance that will ideally have medical supplies for her seriously injured calf. Little does Andrew know, there is an inhabitant already living there: Jamie. Jamie, a default optimist, has been slowly counting down his food rations after witnessing the horrible death of his mother. After helping Andrew recover from his injury, Jamie and Andrew's paths are forever tied. Through sheer determination, trust, and undeniable love, Jamie and Andrew must work together to overcome their own pasts--and survive just one more day as they seek safety.  

All That's Left in the World caught my eye because I am quite a sucker for dystopian books. I initially thought the plot of this book would be about a zombie apocalypse, but the more realistic take on the end of the world (after Covid) made me intrigued. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am not a huge romance novel person and I haven't read all too many novels with a LGTBQ+ romance plot line. I decided to go outside of my usual picks, and boy am I glad I did! This book took me on a absolutely suspenseful, heart-warming adventure. 

Teaching and Content Considerations:

I would suggest this book to both middle school and high school readers. Although there is the occasional swear word, I believe there is nothing too scandalous that should deter middle school students to enjoy this book. Students who like dystopian/end of the world themed novels, LGTBQ+ characters, friendship that develops into romance, and fast-paced action are definitely this book's ideal audience! 

Instructional Ideas

Types of Conflict: Despite living in a world that has been decimated by the superflu, Jamie and Andrew still face many other conflicts other than person versus nature. Both boys are plagued by inner conflicts, as well as a apocalyptic pockets of communities that will judge them for their feelings for one another. While reading, students could fill out a conflict tracker for the beginning, middle, and end of the book for person v person, person v self, person v nature, person v technology, and person v society conflicts. The goal would be for students to explain how conflicts continue to develop and impact the character over time, or explain how other conflicts are resolved. 

Movie Posters/Google Map Reviews to Track Plot Events: One of Andrew and Jamie's favorite ways to pass the time is to have film fanatic Andrew explain a movie's entire plot in extreme detail. In an effort to capture the novel's most impact plot events, students could create a series of movie posters for a film adaptation of this book! Students could either draw or use AI to create an image for a specific scene in the book and include a quote that captures each heart-thumping moment. An alternative way for students to recount plot events, as well as a bit of character development throughout the book, would be for students to create a custom map on Google Maps will pins of locations the boys visit. For each location, students could leave a review from the perspective of Jamie and Andrew, diving into the conflicts each boy faces in the different stopping points of their journey. 

Possible Read Aloud Passages

• Pages 141-143: "I scan the streets again, my eyes wide in terror. The birds all died off because the virus transferred from them to us, but the other animals remained immune. The Smithsonian National Zoo is just a few blocks away. The animals could have escaped their enclosure, or someone let them out. If we believe Darwin, it means we're right in the middle of the fittest's hunting ground. Clang. Clang." 
• As Jamie and Andrew are walking through Washington D.C., Jamie notices that there aren't any dead bodies on the street like other towns and cities they've walked through. They also know one of their latest acquaintances, old Henri, says she has to battle monsters trying to crawl over her gate each night. Then Jamie realizes: they are being hunted by predators from the zoo. This would be a great passage to read to get students interested in reading the book!
• Page 166: "I feel safe when he's with me and I want him to feel safe, too. Andrew's breath continues its steady rhythm across from me on the couch. I want to tell him but I don't know how. How do I explain it when I don't understand it myself?
• Jamie finally takes the time to reflect on his protective actions towards Andrew: what do they mean? Jamie realizes that he has, in fact, developed feelings for his end-of-the-world companion. While Jamie is not scared of these feelings, he tries to understand them better and realize he actually might be bisexual. Teachers can use this passage to dive into the character development and internal conflicts we see in Jamie.
• Pages 213: "And then everything clicks and I feel light-headed. What's off about this place--it's the people. They're all relatively young, the oldest I've seen either being Danny Rosewood or one of the men by the manhole, who was in his early fifties. I haven't seed anyone on crutches or in a wheelchair. There were no sick people in the hospital...and then there's the look that Harvey Rosewood is giving me. The look that says, you don't belong here. And he's right. 
• Initially, Andrew and Jamie believe they have found a community that will actually provide them safety. However, during a tour of the town Andrew begins to notice something peculiar: everyone in the town in young, healthy, and seemingly white. Harvey Rosewood gives Andrew a look her has experienced before as a young gay man. Andrew suddenly has a bad feeling that this town is a lot more sinister than meets the eye, and is determined to get out of there. Fast. Students can predict the reasons behind Andrew's observations before reading on and seeing how this person v society conflict will play out for the boys.

Thoughts and Reflections

I thoroughly enjoyed reading All That's Left in the World. Andrew's goofy character provides comedic relief during some of the darkest moments of the novel, and witnessing the boys' growing friendship and relationship is heartwarming. Despite all of the loss Jamie and Andrew suffer, all of the danger and trauma they experience, Jamie and Andrew are eventually able to find solace within each other. I also loved how this book wasn't simply centered around surviving a super flu. Jamie and Andrew still face many problems that they would have to endure in a apocalyptic word. Brown makes this book multidimensional, really developing a survival story that displays the best, and worst, aspects of humanity. 

Now that I have read All That's Left in the World, I would love to explore Brown's other titles. I'm also hoping to read an article about what inspire Brown to write this book. I'm intrigued to hear if his own Covid experience inspired aspects of this story!