The Carbon Diaries 2017 Review

The Carbon Diaries 2017 by Saci Lloyd

Holiday House, 2010. 978-0823422609

Synopsis: With the government cracking down more heavily on carbon rationing, Laura Brown finds herself caught up in the underground resistance while studying at University and still trying to keep her band dirty angels together. But when the band is on a European tour, Laura and her bandmates are drawn even further into the revolution when they witness firsthand the corruption about which the band always sings. Now Laura has a choice: will she hide in her room or will she join the fight?

Why I picked it up: I enjoyed Laura’s account of the carbon rationing in 2015 and I wanted to see just how much had changed since she last kept a diary.

Why I finished it: Laura’s life seems like it has gotten even more crazy since her last diary entry on December 31, 2015: she’s squatting in a flat in London since her parents’ home was repossessed, she’s juggling two love interests, and she’s having a hard time trying to focus on her studies with so much chaos going on in the city. But she’s still the same charismatic narrator that struggles with doing the right thing and what will help her feel like she’s really herself. The thing I love about the journal entries is that the reader is completely drawn into Laura’s mind and into her world, like we’re having an extended conversation with a close friend. We share her victories, her struggles, her lows, her highs, her hopes, and her desires as she takes us through a year in her life. 2017 promises a lot of changes for Laura from the get go, and by the time the year is through, the reader can see the definite change in attitude and self that Laura has gone through. There are references to her previous diary that I couldn’t place, but that’s likely because it’s been three years since I read the first book. As an American with only a vague familiarity with London geography, I found myself wishing for a map insert to which I could refer while I was reading – but that’s what Google is for, I suppose. As with the first book, there is a helpful glossary at the close of the book to help with some of the less familiar terms and slang, for those of us Yanks who aren’t in the know. It’s a riveting, action-packed, page turner that draws the reader in and makes them think about the social changes that are happening around us and what it is that we can do to help. Viva la Revolution!

Other related materials: The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd; Momentum by Saci Lloyd; The Roar by Emma Clayton; The Whisper by Emma Clayton; Empty by Suzanne Weyn; The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn; The Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn; The Bar Code Prophecy by Suzanne Weyn; The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch; The Darkest Path by Jeff Hirsch; No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz; The Compound by S.A. Bodeen; Rash by Pete Hautman; Shipbreaker by Paolo Bagcigalupi

The Carbon Diaries 2015 review

The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

Holiday House, 2009. 978-0-8234-2190-9

Synopsis: Global warming has ravaged the environment, and in the year 2015, England decides to introduce carbon rationing as a measure toward saving the Earth. Fifteen-year-old Laura’s diary chronicles the first year of carbon rationing and its effects on the country and on her family. She is doing her best to keep her grades up, hold her band the dirty angels together, and see if she can’t get the boy next door to notice her. With storms are ravaging the country and her family is tearing apart at the seams, Laura’s only wish is that things will go back to normal.

Why I picked it up: I lived in Portland, Oregon for a while, and they are really passionate about going green, but what sold me was the sort of science fiction element to go with the environmentalism.

Why I finished it: Laura is a charismatic narrator that immediately draws the reader into the chaotic, enviro-driven world on London in the near future. Within her entries are scattered pictures of her drawings, blurry cell phone photos, copies of her school essays, and email correspondences from her cousin Amy in America. Lloyd has managed to successfully capture a combination of teenage angst, drama, and romance set against a backdrop of the world quite literally falling apart and the strange mix of going green agendas with a sort of science fiction feel helped to color the setting. The story is set in London and Lloyd herself is British, so some of the language and the geography are likely to go over American readers’ heads if they don’t already have some familiarity with British culture. There is a helpful glossary at the end of the book that explains some of the jargon Laura uses in her entries and a bit about the British school system. Also included is an index of websites that promote living green.

Other related materials: The Carbon Diaries 2017 (sequel) by Saci Lloyd; Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi; The Place of Lions by Eric Campbell; Blue Water, Blue Island by Michael T. Barbour; Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose; Life as We Knew It by Sarah Beth Pfeffer; Scat by Carl Hiaasen; Little Brother by Cory Doctorow; Matched by Ally Condie; Numbers books by Rachel Ward; Green Thumb by Rob Thomas; Operation Redwood by S. Terrell French