There are obvious reasons to have dystopia on the brain these days, but dystopian literature has a long-standing popularity I wanted to ask library workers about. I reached out to public libraries across the U.S. and Canada, and I received responses from staffers who shared the various ways they engage with it. I also asked these library workers about their favorite dystopian titles and why they think the genre is so important for libraries to promote.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND EXPLAINERS

Feeding Off of Hunger Games Fever

Sam Ott, teen services manager at Monroe County Public Library’s Downtown Library in Indiana, says that one of the longest-running recommendation lists for teens on his library’s website is the one for young adult (YA) dystopian books. It offers about 30 titles for patrons to check out with the note, “Have you already read all three Hunger Games books and seen all the movies? We’ve got the cure for your dystopian blues.” Ott explains, “A list like this helps patrons who enjoy something like The Hunger Games [series by Suzanne Collins] learn how much more is out there, as well as have a one-stop shop rather than having to explore all over the internet or bookshelves.”

In addition to living on the Staff Picks section of the library website, the list is printable. Ott says the library makes it available in its teen spaces throughout the year alongside physical book displays of the titles on it and as part of a rotation of book recommendations sent to community partners. The list is also a useful tool to pair with promotions for new book releases and movie and TV adaptations of dystopian works.

The release of 2020s Hunger Games content The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping has “brought dystopia to the foreground for teens again, and we are seeing a lot more interest from this audience,” Ott notes. “While it has always been a fairly popular genre, the all-consuming nature of it in popular culture post-The Hunger Games had ebbed so that it was on par with genres like fantasy or mysteries. During that period, I think adults and teens were likely a 50/50 split in terms of interest and checkout.”

Ott’s personal favorite dystopian novel is Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Here’s why he believes dystopia is an enduring genre: “I think one of the reasons it is popular is that often these stories feel like a more intuitive imaginary leap. These dystopian worlds are often very similar to ours, just with a nudge in a few key directions. I think this allows readers to more easily relate to the world and characters, while still being able to explore a different world or reality. It can also be a place where readers can see existing societal structures replaced with something new and a potential for heroes to rise and remake a better world.”

A Dystopian Road Map

Tricia Masterson, digital library services analyst at San Antonio Public Library in Texas, created the Dystopian Novels LibGuide on her library’s website when YA dystopian movies were the big trend in the 2010s. “It’s been one of our more popular guides since I created it, so I have decided to keep updating it after I joined the library’s Digital Services team,” she says. The LibGuide features five sections—Classic Dystopian Fiction, Political Dystopias, Social/Corporate Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, and Graphic Novels—with definitions to know, book and movie recommendations, and a link to the library’s dystopia subject heading so patrons can visit the catalog.

Masterson shares that San Antonio Public Library offers a book discussion podcast called Escape the Earth, noting that while it focuses on general science fiction, some of the books discussed have dystopian themes. Another way the library promotes its dystopian titles is at its annual pop culture convention, Pop Madness, which sometimes hosts creators of dystopian works. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine is Masterson’s current favorite dystopian novel “because it offers a unique view in what a world would be like if books and their content were controlled.” Her take on the importance of dystopian fiction is that it’s full of cautionary tales: “[I]n many instances the dystopian story is often one of a desired utopia gone wrong.”

Staff-Picked Great Titles

Austin Public Library in Texas has a Staff Recommend section of its website with lists on various literary topics, including Dystopia. Adult services librarian Betsey Blanche says that in addition to this list, staffers and patrons can create lists in the library catalog; examples are Dystopia for Teens (YA), Dystopian Books to Movies, and It’s Earth Day and the World Is Ending.

“The popularity of dystopian fiction seems to come in waves,” Blanche posits. “Sometimes political events seem to reignite an interest in the genre or certain titles within it,” along with pop culture events such as the TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, she says. Reference librarian Tina Van Winkle believes it’s important for libraries to offer the dystopian genre because “class (often the silent partner of the race, gender, and class triad) is made explicit, and the distinctions left tacit in daily life are named, critiqued, and viewed by the characters and the reader.”

Blanche loves Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. “Obviously, it’s bleak and is a cautionary tale about how we’re abusing the Earth. But it’s also a great showcase of Atwood’s imagination and shows the creative problem-solving of humans as they deal with the fallout,” she explains. What follows are the favorite dystopian books of Blanche’s colleagues at Austin Public Library. Kate Abel’s is The Giver by Lois Lowry: “It blew my tiny mind in 5th grade, and I cried so hard at the end.” Meghan Otoupalik says, “My favorite is Station Eleven [by Emily St. John Mandel] because it ends up having a sort of happy ending. I love the discussion on the importance art plays in humanity—the [question,] is society a society without art, and is art worth it if there is no audience?” Allison Steger loves Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler and the MaddAddam series by Margaret Atwood, because they “heavily feature climate change as a source for the dystopian worlds they’re set in, but in very different ways.” Maddy Newquist favors Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: “Acerbic, chilling, and poignant, this pulse-pounding novel will keep you on the edge of your seat and expose hidden connections underneath our own less-than-utopic society. Like with any brilliant dystopian story, you cannot read this book and remain unchanged.”

Grounded in Reality

Lori Talarico, adult services coordinator at San Francisco Public Library in California, speaks about dystopian literature in libraries in a matter-of-fact way: “Public libraries should offer diverse collections that reflect the needs and interests of the communities they serve. As such, if the public wants to read dystopian literature, we should offer it.” Her library has a patron-created list of about 30 dystopian books in the recommendations section of its catalog.

Talarico’s recent favorite is Station Eleven, which is about a post-apocalyptic, nomadic theater troupe. “I love this book because one of its central themes is the enduring quality of art,” she notes. “This centering on art is a refreshing contrast to themes familiar in dystopian literature like a loss of individualism, violence and oppression, and mass poverty. As the troupe travels on their circuit, they do come in contact with groups that reflect the typical dystopian themes—such as religious extremism—but these encounters end with the troupe triumphant, showing that art triumphs over darker forces in the world.”

There are multiple reasons for dystopian fiction’s popularity, Talarico says, including how it speculates on worst-case scenarios. “Some of the appeal of these dark visions of the future is that it allows us to work through our own anxieties about the future,” she notes. “Many dystopian books serve to highlight the danger of binary thinking in real-world situations. They portray societies where everything is categorized as good or bad with little room for nuance. This allows the reader to explore the consequences of rigid societal structures and how even making what appears on the surface to be an ethical choice might have unintended consequences.”

BOOK CLUBS AND EVENTS

No Shame in Trying

Although programs that don’t go as planned can be difficult to talk about, library workers know that hosting a variety of events and then seeing how they play out is an integral part of the job. Duncan Hall, technology services coordinator at Radford Public Library in Virginia, attempted to host a dystopian graphic novel book club in July 2024, but no one attended. “hoopla has a vast selection of graphic novels and creates a quarterly book club list they call ‘The Club.’ At that time, one of their three book club lists was Dystopian Graphic Novels. I believe the other two were Crime and Adventure. I thought that Dystopian would be an engaging book club topic for adults,” Hall says. “We were marketing the event as adults only (though we did tell patrons that older teens were welcome).” The dystopia-YA connection could account for the lack of interest in his library community. “I think it’s most popular with teens,” Hall admits. “I suspect that is because they are learning about how the world works and wishing it worked differently, so it is a topic they enjoy thinking about. Certainly, adults read it too, but I suspect more as a subset of speculative fiction.”

Hall’s favorite title is Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi: “The worlds in Bacigalupi’s stories feel very lived-in rather than freshly constructed, like they occurred naturally rather than requiring some nefarious oppressive force.” Hall says, “Dystopian fiction is a helpful frame for thinking about the negative side effects of different societal structures. By exploring caricaturized versions of ways we could organize society, you see that society doesn’t have to be arranged the way it is and that organizing it differently could go very wrong.”

The Safety of Role-Playing

Analiza Perez-Gomez, a librarian at the McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library of Laredo Public Libraries in Texas, hosted a monthly Dystopian Lit Book Club and Dystopian Lit Banned Books Club series in 2022. “During the pandemic, many people needed a way to process and discuss their fears and struggles, and this genre provided a perfect outlet,” Perez-Gomez says. “I would definitely host another one in the future; there is so much excellent literature in this subgenre to explore.” She notes that participants came with their own recommendations in addition to her suggestions. They read Station Eleven, Scythe, The Trial by Franz Kafka, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

“I enjoy mixing classic works with more contemporary ones. It’s particularly interesting for adults to revisit books they read in high school, as they often approach them with a deeper, more mature perspective,” Perez-Gomez says. “Many of us live civilized, safe, and often sedentary lives. We take for granted many of the essential things we need to live. It’s a scary but enlightening thought experiment to imagine ourselves grappling with and overcoming obstacles just to make it to the next day.” The book club series was primarily for adults, because the titles feature mature themes. Perez-Gomez notes that older teens were welcome to attend, but that teens at her library tend to go to book clubs specifically designed for their age group.

Perez-Gomez’s favorite discussion was on Station Eleven. “We even assigned ourselves roles for the post-apocalyptic world, which made the conversation even more engaging,” she shares. During the discussion for Fahrenheit 451 (her personal favorite dystopian title), she asked participants “to choose a book they would hypothetically memorize to pass on to future generations. Their choices ranged from cookbooks and practical medical manuals to classic works of literature.” Fahrenheit 451 is “a reminder that no one can take literature away from us. Even when books are censored or challenging ideas are suppressed, humanity will always find a way to preserve great literature.”

Perez-Gomez’s advice for library workers looking to host a dystopia-focused book club “is to find a balance between the joy and the despair. Let the discussion delve into darker territories, but then steer it back to the realm of fantasy or lighten it with a touch of humor.” As for why dystopia remains popular, she says, “People have fun imagining themselves in challenging, scary situations—especially while sitting in the safety of the library, holding a cup of warm coffee.”

Keeping It Casual

Jon DeBruin, a library assistant at Albany Public Library in Oregon, was in charge of a Dystopian Sci-Fi Night book club in November 2024. “The program was a part of a new collection of programs called Genre Gems,” he says. “We assign a specific genre to a meeting, and we will discuss books in that genre that we like, are reading, or want to read.” Staffers alternate running the meetings, and they choose the genre when it’s their turn. DeBruin connects with dystopia because 1984 by George Orwell was the first and only book recommendation his father gave him. “Not only was it an incredible piece of literature, but it really brought me into the world of reading as an adult,” DeBruin recollects. “For this meeting, we only had three people show up, so not a large sample size. We did have one adult, one teen, and one ‘new adult.’ The majority of the books we talked about were popular YA dystopian novels/series such as The Hunger Games, Divergent [by Veronica Roth], and Scythe. We still talked about many adult books such as 1984, Brave New World, Dune [by Frank Herbert], and The Road.” DeBruin notes that for this style of program, the lack of assigned reading and casual atmosphere are the key aspects to advertise to patrons.

Using dystopia as a “bridge between teen to adult with both programs and books” is important, DeBruin asserts. “Sometimes it feels like there is a hard line drawn between YA and Adult, but there isn’t.” Reading doesn’t fit neatly into boxes; however, “[w]ith the emergence of the idea of New Adults [as a demographic], we want to make sure that we can have programs for them without ignoring the other demographics,” he says.

DeBruin feels that dystopia allows characters in a post-apocalyptic setting to decide what is really important to them. Readers can observe what societal rules they decide to follow without being told what to do. He finds it “incredibly interesting to think about how important these seemingly unimportant aspects of our society are in helping us be individuals and independent.”

A Well-Balanced Reading List

Aaron Cain, a librarian at the Lillian H. Smith branch of Toronto Public Library in Canada, is hosting an ongoing monthly Dystopia Book Club that started in 2018. Eight to 15 people attend each meeting, and Cain says 15 is a good maximum to have as a goal because with more, everyone may not get a chance to participate. 

Cain chooses each title based on how well it fits into the genre; if there’s a potential title he hasn’t read, he looks at reviews and awards. “If possible, I will tie the selection to a monthly celebration: for example, a book by a 2SLGBTQ+ author in June. Our group has an annual BYOB (Bring-Your-Own Book) session where we talk briefly about a title that we like. Sometimes this generates a title for the monthly discussion,” he says. He advises paying attention to what the various tropes are—e.g., men all disappear or a rebel fights back against rigid social classes—so you don’t end up reading multiple similar books in a row.

A couple of titles Cain favors are American War by Omar El Akkad—it has “a great example of world building and character development and has a perfectly devastating ending”—and Arch-Conspirator by Veronica Roth. The latter “generated one of our best discussions even though it is a tiny novella.” The participants talked about family relationships, death rites in various cultures, genetic engineering and mutations, and other interesting topics, he says.

“A well-written dystopia is less about predicting the future than critiquing the present. [It provides] a starting point for a discussion or critique of contemporary issues,” Cain says. “It’s hard to imagine a time when there are no troubles, be they economic, environmental, geo-political, etc. Although dystopia is inherently pessimistic, people need a way to understand our current situation and imagine or hope for a different outcome than the path they may see ahead.”

Survival Skill What-Ifs

Could You Survive a Dystopia? That’s the question La Crosse Public Library in Wisconsin asked its teen patrons at its March 2024 program of the same name. Its webpage states, “You’ve read the books so now it’s time to test your survival skills and see if you’d make it to the end (or not)!” Teen librarian Linda Jerome first hosted this program a few years ago after receiving input from the library’s teen advisory council.

In the auditorium of the main library on a Friday evening, teens visited seven activity stations created by Jerome—plant identification, target practice, floating balloons, a duct tape challenge, a first aid pop quiz, brain teasers, and cloud identification—and were given a score based on how well they performed at each. At the end of the allotted 2 hours, Jerome revealed how their score translated into surviving, initially surviving, or not surviving in a dystopia. “We thought we’d have teens only do each activity once, but it quickly became clear that some teens would speed through each activity, and so we allowed them to do them as many times as they wanted and then only used their best score,” Jerome says. “Generally speaking, we typically have more middle school than high school students attend our programming, and this was also the case for the two times we ran this program.”

Jerome’s favorite dystopian title is Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi: “It’s almost a visceral experience reading it, as the world building and character development are outstanding.” Dystopian literature is a safe way to explore topics that can be difficult or uncomfortable, she notes. Teens in particular “recognize that the world is often precariously balanced, and there seems to always be the possibility of a very different and very dark future,” Jerome says. “In some ways, it almost feels like preparation for any number of dark futures, and I think they find that both intriguing and slightly terrifying, which is a pretty decent recipe for a good read.”

Photos by Brandi Scardilli