Review: We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

Hello, everyone!

This last week has been all about We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson. I totally loved this book!

The story is about Henry, a boy who sometimes gets abducted by aliens. Then, one day, the aliens give him a choice: They have a red button, and if Henry does not press it within 144 days, the world will end.

Most people would press the button the moment they get it, but Henry is different. He does not know if the world is worth saving, and he has his reasons: his boyfriend, Jesse, committed suicide, his mom is struggling to keep the family together, his grandma is losing her memory, and his brother is a college dropout with a pregnant girlfriend. But then he meets Diego Vega, a boy who makes Henry question his beliefs. Is Henry able to save himself and decide the world is worth saving too?

I loved this book so so much. First of all, I loved Henry as a person. He’s humorous but also has really deep thoughts. And, of course, I shipped him and Diego so bad. I mostly loved the way this book is written, and for that I really want to praise Shaun David Hutchinson. His writing is so poetic and beautiful. Henry’s grief felt like it was mine too, and everything he saw was described so viscerally.

Even though the story is written about a boy who thinks the world isn’t a good place, the way Hutchinson writes about it makes you fall in love with the earth yourself. Such passion and thoughtfulness I have never read in a book before. I loved the ending of this book so much too, but sadly I can’t give you all spoilers. It leaves you with a lot of questions and is just amazing.

I think this is a book everyone should read. If I could, I would buy 7 billion copies and spread them across the world to force everyone to read it. We Are the Ants is a deeply moving book that makes you think hard about the world we live in and drags you into the world of Henry Denton. In this book, I have found an all-time favorite.

All the love,
E