Great Teen Fantasy Book – Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

Teenage zombie books and life lessons sounds like an oxymoron but that’s what Daniel Waters has given us in his novel, Generation Dead. He’s crafted a unique story about teenagers who, after dying, inexplicably return from the dead as zombies – now known as the ‘living impaired’. They can think, although they process thoughts a little slower than the rest of us. They walk and talk a bit funny and they also have some feelings. The oddest thing is, all living impaired people are teenagers and they’re only in the United States. Hmmn, what’s up with that?

These newly formed living impaired beings still have their memories and identities and they remember how they died. Considering this, it seems a reasonable assumption that they would immediately want to return to their normal lives. This is where the crux of the problem lies in the story. No one wants them – not their parents or the general population. In fact, their parents are the ones who are most afraid and disgusted by them. But, these are still kids who want to be accepted and so – even if they do not have a home – they want to go to school. But in this book, as in real life for kids who are different, school is not easy . . .

Generation Dead focuses on Phoebe, a normal teenage girl who falls for a living impaired boy named Tommy. The story is not so much about their relationship but about how a relationship between two different “beings” affects the society around them. It is interesting to see how the author has written the situations that happen to these kids because – as you read – you can’t help but picture the same sorts of situations happening daily to any number of perceived ‘unwelcome’ groups in the United States.

As a high school teacher, I see all sorts of potential for this book and its use in the high school classroom. However, I don’t want to ruin it for any teen reading this review thinking, ‘well, if the teacher likes it -then forget it’. This book was written for teens and it is a great story. The kids in the novel are all dealing with overt discrimination in one way or another and when they work together as a group to help spread tolerance and understanding, you get to see how their lives are changed forever. Waters has hit the nail on the head on how ‘different’ groups are treated in this country, giving us an informative and relevant read – I am delighted to have found Generation Dead. YOU can find it at Amazon.