Expiration Day by William Powell - ESSENTIAL

Powell, William Campbell Expiration Day, 333 p. Tom Doherty, 2014.  $18.  Language: PG-13 (22 swears, 0 ‘f’); Violence: G; Mature Content: G.  

Earth’s population has declined so drastically, that most public schools have only one, maybe two humans in them; the rest is made up of realistic androids that desperate couples have contracted to raise from babyhood until the age of 18.  At 18, the androids are returned to their manufacturer and reprogrammed.  But who is android and who is human?  Tania told the boy she met at age 11 that she is human and he told her the same - what if one or both of them isn’t?  What do robots know about love, or creativity, or humanity? 

Powell’s deft exploration of what it means to be human will wrench your heart and bring tears to your eyes.  I LOVED it!  

MS, HS - ESSENTIAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher