The Lost Cause by Cory Doctorow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every time I read a Cory Doctorow, I'm almost always freakishly amazed (with most of his books) at how utterly extroverted, socially-conscious, justice-oriented, almost fatally idealistic his novels can be.

Some more than others, of course, but when we get right down to it, these are some of the absolute far-leftist books I can think of that continues to keep a critical eye on the best possible outcomes as well as fighting the basic injustice that threatens all our lives.

In this case, it's a near-future (30 years) look at living through an ecological horror-show, of having to face right-wing terrorists that just don't get the fact that we all have to find a way to survive, not just being on the winning side of a zero-sum game. MAGAs are old and reactionary, willing to become terrorists, while the young and everyone else is merely DOING the things that NEED to be done. Making room, taking in refugees, feeding and housing each other because the government won't get out of its own way long enough to do the right thing.

It's truly plausible.

This book has to do a fast dance to remain hopeful in the face of so much tragedy -- but the fact is, it does.

Hope-fiction is rare and it's very valuable -- even more so when it's facing world-wide catastrophe.

Keep your heads up, folks. Remember we can do wonderful things if we do it together. Don't believe that we're all naturally f***ed. There is hope. Enough of us will want to do the right thing when it's obvious. I have to believe.

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