Would it Be the Same without Men?

In my quest for more and more dystopias, I found two books about a future where there are few men, if any. One was written by a man, one by a woman. I couldn't wait to see the difference between the two! Nomansland by Lesley Hauge is the woman's perspective of what life would be like without men.

Keller is a Tracker "in training". Trackers protect the Foundland from interlopers... men in particular. Foundland has survived for generations as a woman-only civilization and would like to keep it that way. After sickness and mutations decimated the population, a group of women moved north to a college campus where they have learned to survive. Everyone has a job, but everyone may be subject to impregnation if the Committee suspects a wave of fertility is spreading. Impregnation is not optional, and is done from sperm saved from a sperm bank, but Trackers are rarely impregnated.

When the rebellious Laing finds a house from before, the girls sneak off every chance they get to revel in the found objects. They still don't know why the Committee members are at the campus, but they can't resist the house and its forbidden objects like high heels, makeup, magazines, and most forbidden in Foundland, mirrors. But there is more to Foundland than they are told. While found objects and fashion are forbidden, the Committee uses them regularly. They have to come from somewhere. Keller begins to suspect there is more to Foundland and the world than they have been led to believe. But can she stand up against what she has always known?

This book had a really great premise, but I am afraid it fell a little short for me. It was really good, but I wouldn't say it was excellent or my favorite dystopian world. The characters were interesting, but you don't learn about anyone other than Keller in much depth until the very end. Amos, the experienced Tracker, is a wonderful mix of obedience and rebel that will keep you wanted more. But the book starts a little slow. Just when things really picked up and got interesting, it ended! And search as I might for the possibility of a sequel, I think I might not got any closure. If Hauge knew what was good for her book, she would continue the story.

The writing is fairly simple, but the terms used and descriptions are sometimes difficult to understand. You know the objects they are describing are things we are familiar with, but sometimes it takes a bit to figure out what they are talking about. I think my students would have a difficult time understanding the blind obedience, but maybe it would be a great lesson for them! In Nomansland, rebellion for rebellion's sake is pointless, but rebellion for freedom is impossible to ignore...