description Ship Breaker Overview
Ship Breaker is a 2010 young adult science fiction novel by Paolo Bacigalupi set in a climate-altered future on the Gulf Coast. Its protagonist works in hazardous ship salvage and becomes involved with the survivor of a wealthy family after discovering a wreck. The novel combines survival fiction with questions about class, environmental damage, labor, and loyalty, and it received a Michael L. Printz Honor.
help Ship Breaker FAQ
Where does Ship Breaker take place?
Ship Breaker is set in a climate-altered future on the Gulf Coast of the United States. The coast has been reshaped by storms, flooding, and a harsh divide between wealthy enclaves and dangerous industrial work.
What job does Nailer perform in Ship Breaker?
Nailer works in a ship-breaking crew that strips valuable materials from abandoned vessels. The work is physically dangerous, and survival depends on meeting production targets for the crew's boss.
Who is Nita, and why does meeting her change Nailer's life?
Nita is the survivor of a wealthy family whom Nailer finds after a wreck. Helping her creates a conflict between the chance to gain wealth and the loyalty, danger, and exploitation surrounding his salvage crew.
Is Ship Breaker part of a series?
Yes, it begins Paolo Bacigalupi's Ship Breaker series. The follow-up novel is The Drowned Cities, which continues the wider climate-altered world with a different focus and characters.
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