Four Books To Read If You Loved This Zaum 29 Short Story
If you loved "Somewhere Far Away," then you might enjoy these four books!
The story “Somewhere Far Away” by Latriva Pierce follows four friends who escape their home—a place where when transitioning to adulthood, people are forced to “burn” away their uniqueness and individuality.
The piece has sci-fi elements yet the style is also reminiscent of classic literature. The mood reflects the themes that Pierce explores, most centrally the way that we conform to fit into social norms, and lose a sense of our true self.
Reading the piece, I was reminded of Henry David Thoreau’s seminal work Walden wherein Thoreau goes to live in the woods. Here, he proves that one can live beyond society’s means, and beyond a traditional, successful life. Like Walden, Pierce’s piece offers us the idea that we can live outside of society's norms and expectations, but only if we resist the parts of life that don’t allow us to be who we are.
If you enjoy stories exploring themes of growing up, running away from adulthood and leaving childhood behind, themes present throughout “Somewhere Far Away,” you might like these books too!
Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie The boy who refused to grow up: A well-known tale about a boy who escapes to a land full of magical creatures, wild adventures and never ending childhood wonder.
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger Sixteen-year-old Holden, holds tight to his childhood innocence and rejects the corruption he perceives in the adult world. He wants to be the "catcher in the rye"—someone who saves children from falling off a cliff, losing their innocence and being forced to enter adulthood.
The Giver - Lois Lowry Set in a world stripped of all uniqueness, emotion, color and individuality—a boy is given the responsibility of holding all the memories of the past. This forces him to confront the horrors of reality that the world has kept hidden, and the joy and beauty that was lost to the Sameness.
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L’Engle While traveling through an alternate dimension, a girl finds herself in a repressed world controlled by IT, a “being” that forces everyone into compliance. The piece examines the dangers of heedless conformity, and the power of individual thought and emotion.
Post courtesy of Zaum staff.
Cover art, “Sterling,” courtesty of Kirah Van Horn
If you’ve read and enjoyed any of these books, but haven’t gotten the chance to read “Somewhere Far Away” yet, then check out Zaum 29!
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