Andra - Hardcover

Lawrence, Louise

3.79

146 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 006023685X ISBN 13: 9780060236854

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1991

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In a repressive underground society of the future, teenage Andra yearns for freedom and launches a massive youth rebellion against the system.

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-9-- Two thousand years into the future, Earth's surface is uninhabitable, and humans have survived by building strictly supervised subterranean cities. Then Andra, an already rebellious teenage girl, is given a partial brain transplant to save her vision and her life. The brain comes from a boy who lived in 1987, and suddenly Andra can see the world as it used to be, with sunlight, grass, and animals. No longer able to accept the oppressively regimented life that the government dictates, she begins a youth revolution. She does not know that plans are already being made to send settlers to a faraway Earth-like planet, and that a rival city is working toward the same goal. Lawrence creates a unique world and a strong heroine. Unlike many science fiction stories, the authority figures are not all malevolent "Big Brother" types. Shenlyn, the ruler of Andra's city, sincerely wants to build a free new world. He is not evil, and is willing to listen to Andra once he recognizes her gifts. By alternating the point of view among several characters, Lawrence builds suspense, gradually unveiling an unwilling betrayal and a devastating twist at the end. At times both hopeful and sorrowful, Andra is a fascinating story about the power of one individual following a dream. --Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, County of Henrico Public Library--Fairfield Area Library, Richmond, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

In this grim futuristic tale, a restricted society inhabits regimented subterranean cities to escape Earth's climatic changes. To restore her damaged sight, Andra, a teenager, receives a brain graft from a boy who died in 1987. The transplant gives her disturbing visual memories of a green Earth, and she becomes a leader among the rebellious youth. Andra's vision--a powerful metaphor--could also help her city colonize an improbably Earth-like planet, but a saboteur destroys the space fleet. In an arbitrary and downbeat ending, Andra is killed at the scene. As is often true of dystopian fiction, Sub-city One echoes our reality, from its conflict with the vaguely Soviet Uralia to the sometimes puzzling British slang. There is also the expected warning, but here Lawrence ( The Warriors of Taan ) seems unsure of her message. Is rebellion necessarily a futile, though romantic gesture? The body of the book says otherwise, and thoughtful teens wil find much of interest in spite of the abrupt ending. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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