Divided We Fall Trilogy: Book 1

Divided We Fall is a young adult novel that fails to provide interest either for fourteen-year-old boys (it’s a military thriller and so unlikely to appeal to girls), or more mature readers. In a near future setting, the federal government passes legislation requiring all US citizens to carry an ID card. Many states disapprove, but Idaho takes the confrontational step of passing a law of nullification. It could have gone the court route to have the federal law declared unconstitutional, but it decided not to waste time. This produces riots in Boise and our seventeen-year-old hero is one of the National Guard sent in to keep the peace. Unfortunately, he’s attacked and his rifle accidentally discharges. The sound of the shot inspires a gun battle leaving several dead and wounded.

The tension between the President and the Governor rapidly escalates and, by the end of this first in a trilogy, we’ve arrived at what could become a civil war. Told from a YA perspective, there’s too much discussion of politics to appeal to young boys. Adults will not be interested because they’re denied a seat in the discussions between the Governors and the President. Shame really.