Ship Breaker

Bibliography

Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. New York: Little, Brown, and Co, 2010. ISBN 9780316056199

Plot Summary

Bacigalupi has created a science fiction adventure book set 50 years in the future along the Gulf Coast. There are environmental issues since this world has been destroyed by global warming. The protagonist, Nailer, works with a crew dismantling the wiring from one of the large oil tankers no longer used. Nailer is a small teenager with large responsibilities. He must make his quota while staying alive in his hazardous job and take care of his drunkard and drugged up father. Nailer lives by a code of honor and loyalty. He often dreams of a better, less gritty, life by watching the high-tech catamarans leave the port.

After a large hurricane, what they call a “city killer,” Nailer and his friend discover an expensive beached ship that will forever change his life. Should he strip the ship and leave this hard life, or help the hunted lone survivor and possibly pay the consequences? The thriller of an ending leaves readers guessing. Will Nailer survive? And if he does, will he have the better life he seeks?

Critical Analysis

Bacigalupi does an excellent job of using figurative language to lay the foundation of life on the water and its favela-like living conditions. There are rich characters with flawed backgrounds. The feeling of the harbor city is raw and cut-throat. The cost of a life is negligible. This creates juxtaposition to the better life in another place and makes the discovery of the expensive ship so important. 

The events in the story logically move from one place to another, yet he still throws in some surprises and twists along the way. As the story grows more complex, he keeps the reader engaged through to the conclusion. 

One day at his job, Nailer is in a life or death situation and is dependent on another to save him. This creates a turning point for him when soon after, he has to make the choice to save or kill the survivor. He states to himself that it would have been easy to kill her before and it would have been different, but now he has changed. In the past, he would have outright killed her for the money, but now that he has had to plead for his life, it is not so clear. 

Nailer and his friends form a diverse community, yet they seek the same things typical of any teen: romance, first jobs, futures, and a different life. These are the themes of growing up into adulthood. Of import to this genre, the male and female characters hold equally relevant positions in Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker. 

I personally could not put this book down. It was very exciting, vivid, and full of plot twists. I would highly recommend this book to a YA reader or adult. 

Review Excerpts

This book is a:

  -  National Book Award Finalist

  -  L. A. Times Book Award Finalist 

  -  Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature

  -  Lone Star Book

  -  Booklist starred review

Booklist

“This YA debut by Bacigalupi, a rising star in adult science fiction, presents a dystopian future like so many YA sf novels. What is uncommon, though, is that although Bacigalupi's future earth is brilliantly imagined and its genesis anchored in contemporary issues, it is secondary to the memorable characters. In a world in which society has stratified, fossil fuels have been consumed, and the seas have risen and drowned coastal cities…Clearly respecting his audience, Bacigalupi skillfully integrates his world building into the compelling narrative, threading the backstory into the pulsing action. The characters are layered and complex, and their almost unthinkable actions and choices seem totally credible. Vivid, brutal, and thematically rich, this captivating title is sure to win teen fans for the award-winning Bacigalupi.”

Connections

-  This book would be easily adapted into a dynamic skit.

-  This book could be used as an entry into a writing assignment set 50-100 years in the  

    future.

-  Since this book discussed global warming, it could serve as a starting place for a 

   discussion about the future effects of global warming and/or be paired with a research 

   assignment about climate change.