Chaos Walking

Whenever someone asks me for book recommendations, I immediately respond with the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. In my personal ranking of YA authors, Ness is second only to JK Rowling. His philosophy of writing for youth is that they experience life with the same level of intensity and complexity as any other human being. Our tendency is to soften the stories we give to young people, but Ness chooses instead to walk with his readers straight into the darkness to confront our confusing world and the confusion in our own minds. I love all of his work, but this trilogy is a particularly visceral coming-of-age story that explores the following theme: “A man unfiltered is chaos walking.”

Lionsgate will be releasing a big budget adaptation in 2019. I implore you to dodge any forthcoming synopses or trailers until you read the books! My description is purposefully vague because this is a ride best entered blind. I’m worried about the movie ruining the books, but look forward to this story finally getting the attention it deserves. I’ve been preaching about it for years!