Review: Generation Dead

Generation Dead
by Daniel Waters

May 6th 2008
400 pages
I enjoyed it:

Description: Phoebe Kendall is just your typical Goth girl with a crush. He's strong and silent... and dead. All over the country, a strange phenomenon is occurring. Some teenagers who die aren't staying dead. But when they come back to life, they are no longer the same. Feared and misunderstood, they are doing their best to blend into a society that doesn't want them. The administration at Oakvale High attempts to be more welcoming of the 'differently biotic." But the students don't want to take classes or eat in the cafeteria next to someone who isn't breathing. And there are no laws that exist to protect the 'living impaired' from the people who want them to disappear for good. When Phoebe falls for Tommy Williams, the leader of the dead kids, no one can believe it; not her best friend, Margi, and especially not her neighbor, Adam, the star of the football team. Adam has feelings for Phoebe that run much deeper than just friendship; he would do anything for her. But what if protecting Tommy is the one thing that would make her happy?

My Thoughts: "Generation Dead" really wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting more action, suspense, and maybe a few faces being ripped off occasionally... I mean, it is a zombie book after all. However it was not like any zombie tale that has been told before. The zombies in this book are not violent, it's the living that proved to be the violent beings in this story.

For some reason, teens are not staying dead. They are getting back up soon after they've died, and try to go back to "living" the lives they had before their death. Some families welcome the "living impaired" teens back into their lives, while other families abandon them. The living impaired struggle to fit into society. While a few people have an open mind, most are still closed minded and unwilling to accept the living impaired. The undead are discriminated against and are victims of hate crimes.

I often forgot that there were even zombies in this book, because it lacked that supernatural element that I had hoped that it would contain when I originally picked it up. Instead I picked up a story that contained struggle, racism (er, bioism?), and the need for acceptance towards those that are different.

I look forward to picking up the next book in this series, because I am interested in seeing where the story goes from here. I feel like the story was just getting started!