We Are the Ants

What would you do if you were able to save the planet from being destroyed by aliens? That's a decision Henry had to make in this book. It was very witty and sarcastic in the beginning and that definitely drew me in. It touches on homophobia and exploring one's sexuality which is also a plus about this book. I think it really looks at the bigger picture and about how we are all minuscule in the universe and we are just one planet in one galaxy. I think that bigger philosophical question weighs on Henry's mind throughout the book and it keeps you guessing until the very end.

This was my second book by Shaun David Hutchinson and I loved it even more than The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley. It deals with several heavy topics like depression, Alzheimers, suicide and bullying, as well as science, family, love and friendship, a combination that works perfectly.

Characters:
We are the Ants is very raw and real, and it has everything to do with its characters. They are all broken somehow, and so precious at the same time. Everyone of them copes with reality in a different way, some better than others. All of them have this character-depth and grow throughout the story. Even and especially Henry's brother, who I hated in the beginning, but went through the most surprising changes. I also fell in love with Audrey and Diego, Henry's closest friends, as well as Mrs. Faraci, his teacher.

Writing:
I just love the writing. It's beautiful and smart and brought me to tears. There is so much truth in SDH's words. I hope he never stops writing. Here are a few of my favourite quotes:

“Dreams are hopeful because they exist as pure possibility. Unlike memories, which are fossils, long dead and buried deep.”

“Sometimes I think gravity may be death in disguise. Other times I think gravity is love, which is why love's only demand is that we fall.”

“You spend your life hoarding memories against the day you'll lack the energy to go out and make new ones, because that's the comfort of the old age. The ability to look back at your life and know that you left your mark on the world. But I'm losing my memories, it's like someone's broken into my piggy bank and is robbing me one penny at a time. It's happening so slowly, I can hardly tell what's missing.”

Plot:
I wasn't surprised to find this book to be even darker than The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley. What shocked me the most was the violence in Henry's family and the bullying he suffers at school. Bullying sucks. And with everything that drags Henry down already, I'm still surprised he didn't break completely after what happens to him in school. Henry gets publicly shamed, insulted and disrespected in the most horrible ways. That's what broke me inside. I really felt for him in those moments, it made me unbearably angry and sad.
The only thing that bugged me was the aliens, the abductions and every single time I stumbled on the word slugger. It made me cringe. Henry really had enough problems, vanishing for days and the turning up in strange places, without clothes or memories of how he got there, was something he could have done without.

Feminism and Sexuality:
This book has some messages. They're not obvious or loud, but they're subtle. It made me so happy. There was no coming out scene. In an ideal world no body has to "come out". The baby's room wasn't painted in pink just because it was a girl. In an ideal world nobody forces colours to be gender-specified. The principal, physics teacher and police officer weren't all white and male. In an ideal world positions of power are equally represented by all genders and races.

Thank you for this incredibly honest novel. I'm looking forward to S. H. Hutchinsons future projects.

So many things I want to say about this book, but most are just far too personal. I’ve read “Ants” twice now; I’ve taken a long time to write a review, because I feel this is one of the most important books I’ve read in a long time, and I wanted to do it justice. I really wish someone was writing stuff like this when I was in high school.
This book isn’t really about coming of age as a young, non-straight man. For me, it is about how we process and deal with grief, loss, and the pain and confusion that inevitably come with both (at any age). Learning how to define yourself, rather than letting others attach labels to you, is another strong theme (there are many). I would recommend this book to anyone, really. But if you’re the parent of a teenager, I think it should be required reading.
I’ve probably said enough. If these two paragraphs don’t get you to read “we are the ants”, well, it’s not the end of the world. But you’ll be denying yourself a beautiful, heart wrenching read, and shortchanging your teen in the bargain.

Wow, is all I can say! This book was amazing, and I loved every minute of it. This book is the story of Henry, a young man who is abducted by aliens regularly and is given the choice to save the world from ending by pressing a button in their ship. He has only a limited amount of days to decide whether he believes the world is worth saving while going through family drama, losses, new romances, etc. He meets a new boy Diego and falls in love while still trying to get past his feelings for his ex who killed himself which he blames himself for. Family drama, new relationships, painful struggles with bullying, this book has it all. It was a really good book and I really liked the ending as well.

Wow. Its not often I read a book that I know I will never forget. This is one of those times. the store needs more than 5 stars. This book was such an emotional roller coaster and that was completely unexpected. I compared it, to anyone who would listen, to the movie The Fisher King. It was quirky, a bit crazy, laugh out loud funny, and also deeply emotional and gut-wrenching. The author is excellent at his craft and I have already added his other books to my the store wishlist. I will recommend this to everyone I know.

I don't normally get emotional while reading this book but I couldn't help it when it came to We Are the Ants and Henry's story. He goes through so much in the course of this book that I can't help but sympathize with his choice and how difficult it is for him to decide once given it. I'm not going to go into specifics because I think that it would ruin some of the magic of going into this book blind.

Just know that this book is an excellent read and discusses many tough topics like suicide and the people that are left behind, bullying, and the depression that can cause a person to contemplate whether or not the world is worth saving from destruction.

I picked up this book because of the alien abduction angle, but that turned out to be only a small part of the story. The focus was really on the life of a teenaged boy who was often victimized by those who deemed him different. However, he was not a victim. In fact, his strength in the face of adversity opened my eyes to a new perspective.

I recommend this book.

I read this book for a review before it got published and it's honestly the best thing I've ever read. I've never read something with characters so real and heart wrenching, especially since he's abducted by ALIENS. The sexuality of characters are not the basis of the story, which is how lgbtq+ characters should always be portrayed. I've reread this book several times and am still not sick of it. I'm even planning on taking excerpt of it to make a dramatic piece next year for Speech & Debate. Few novels have made me want to read constantly to finish the story but also slowly so that I can internalize the story for as long as I can. Definitely recommend.

When I picked up this book, by reading the synopsis, I expected a sci-fi alien themed book. What I got was so much more. We are the Ants is an incredible book with a phenomenal meaning. This wasn't a book about destruction, but about the beauty of life. I definitely recommend this book to really anyone, even if you're not a fan of anything sci-fi, you'll love this book

Absolutely AMAZING story! When I read the synopsis of this book, I thought to myself, "hmmm, not sure I'm going to get into this one." All I can say is that I started in the afternoon and binged read this whole 450+ page book in one sitting and finished at 3:30am. There is no review I could write that will do this book justice. It's beautiful.

“If the world were going to end, but you could stop it, would you?” In Shaun David Hutchinson’s riveting drama, we explore the boundaries of forgiveness, pain, friendship and loss. Although Hutchinson has explored comparable topics in his previous works, WE ARE THE ANTSstands alone in its quest to advocate for issues that are usually not discussed.

When someone close to Henry Denton commits suicide, his world turns upside down. We follow Henry’s journey as he finds ways to cope and find the truth. WE ARE THE ANTS follows Henry’s life like a rollercoaster. We are there at the bottom of the ride when he was the victim of a ruthless bullying incident. We are also at the top, where Henry encounters his purpose in life with Diego, a boy who recently moved from Colorado.

During the story, we see that Henry is comfortable with sadness. Not only is he dealing with his recent loss and frequent bullying, but his mom is an over-worked waitress who doesn’t have the energy or confidence to pursue her passion for cooking and his brother doesn’t go to school and has a baby on the way. On top of all this, Henry is routinely abducted by aliens. They don’t speak, but they communicate clearly. They’re going to destroy the world in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to save it is to push a red button. It’s his choice, and he routinely asks everyone what they would do. Although he has more than one reason to save the world, WE ARE THE ANTS still makes Henry’s decision unpredictable.

I liked the consistency of the novel, but I found some of the strong thematic material throughout the book too vulgar and unnecessary. Additionally, it deviated from the content of the story. In spite of this, WE ARE THE ANTS is a remarkable story and a poignant reminder that individuals’ lives are valuable, sacred and hold meaning beyond themselves. Shaun David Hutchinson writes the novel with such poise and quality that it should be an instant favorite among many. I would recommend this book for people who have been victims of bullying, have suffered a dramatic loss or are looking for a sense of purpose.

Reviewed by Ariel G.

I received this book after putting it on my wish list here on the store. The write-up sounded pretty good but the book turned out to be an EXCELLENT read. I grew up in a different period I could still relate to the issues the main character was going through, minus the additional issues with social media. I couldn't put it down and it really helped in my recovery from a recent surgery. Mr. Hutchinson is a wonderful author and I'm looking forward to reading his other books. So I highly recommend this book to anybody...

One of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. It's classified as SciFi but reads more like contemporary, which isn't usually my favorite but I could not put this down. It is just gorgeous. Heartbreaking, raw, real, and you can't stop reading. Just phenomenal.

An absolutely brilliant and beautiful book. I read the entire thing in one sitting because I did not want to leave these characters or this world - though I did have to stop a couple of times because of tears.

If you have any interest in YA books, pick this one up.

Dark, smart, sad, humorous, fanciful, psychological character study of a troubled but fascinating, talented teen. It partly centers on his gay romantic life yet is a universal story about being treated badly as an outsider, especially for kids.

Very different from anything I've ever read, but I LOVED it. It's a book that really will make you stop and think especially once you get to the end. It made me angry, happy, fall in love, feel despair and even hope.

Wow, this book. I'm honestly not sure where to start. I was absolutely blown away. WE ARE THE ANTS is the kind of book that I know I'll be able to go back to again and again and find something new each time. There are lines and moments in this novel that will stick with me forever. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

Best damn book I've read in a long time. As someone who has depression, this was a breath of fresh air to see a character who represented it so accurately, as painful of a journey as it was to go on with him. And as captivating as the premise of the book is, the real story is in the characters. I saw many of my own thoughts reflected here, as well as some things my mind was opened up to. This story makes you think about our existence on this tiny pale blue dot and our relationships with the people around us. 10/10.

I decided to give this book a chance since I kept hearing about it and it had such great reviews. It took a few chapters for me to become hooked on the story, but I'm super glad I decided to read it. You won't be disappointed!

Very different from anything I've ever read, but I LOVED it. It's a book that really will make you stop and think especially once you get to the end. It made me angry, happy, fall in love, feel despair and even hope.

Wow, this book. I'm honestly not sure where to start. I was absolutely blown away. WE ARE THE ANTS is the kind of book that I know I'll be able to go back to again and again and find something new each time. There are lines and moments in this novel that will stick with me forever. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

Best damn book I've read in a long time. As someone who has depression, this was a breath of fresh air to see a character who represented it so accurately, as painful of a journey as it was to go on with him. And as captivating as the premise of the book is, the real story is in the characters. I saw many of my own thoughts reflected here, as well as some things my mind was opened up to. This story makes you think about our existence on this tiny pale blue dot and our relationships with the people around us. 10/10.

I decided to give this book a chance since I kept hearing about it and it had such great reviews. It took a few chapters for me to become hooked on the story, but I'm super glad I decided to read it. You won't be disappointed!

It's THE BEST. I love this book so much. The writing was honest and hilarious and Henry was a really great character. I loved that the author wrote the story around him not wanting to push the button at first, and his reasons for not wanting to push the button were understandable to some extent. I have some many feelings about this book. Everyone looking for an awesome book should read it!

Loved this book. Loved the characters. The voice. The style. The slow romance. The weird setup. The discussion of the meaning of life and death. The humor. The plot. All of it. Really good. I'm glad I randomly picked this one up.

Quite possibly the most amazing and relatable book I've ever read. I loved the dark humor and how incredibly accurate mourning and depression is described and felt. I also loved how homosexuality was not a central theme of the novel, it was just seen as a normal yet important part of Henry's character, and didn't go into the "tragedy" of being gay. Both my girlfriend and I loved this book, and I would say it helped me see the world in a different way.

I read the back of this book and wasn't interested then I opened it up and read part of it and fell in love. I don't ever really read alot but I couldn't put it down it's so so so so so so good. It's a must read.

I loved this book! it can feel heavy at times due to the subject matter, but Henry's voice throughout the novel provides needed levity. The sci-fi aspects were fun, but I wouldn't classify this as a sci-fi novel. I highly recommend!

Not the light and fluffy read that the blurb on Goodreads led me to expect (the blurb here on the store is more apt) -- this book is actually pretty intense, moving, sad, brutal in places, thought-provoking, and ultimately really satisfying. Two thumbs up.

I have now shared this book with three students and we ALL rated it 5 out of 5 stars. This book is AMAZING!! The way it addresses grief, bullying, homosexuality, family relationships...I'm just in LOVE. I can't wait to read more from Hutchinson in the future.

Incredible. This book kept me turning page after page, hurting, wanting, and waiting right alongside Henry for something to give. Shaun is a genius, and I will continue to devour every book he puts out.