Review of “The People of Sparks” by Jeanne DuPrau
“The People of Sparks”, by Jeanne DuPrau continues the story started in “The City of Ember”. If you haven’t yet read The City of Ember, then you may not want to read this review, because it contains a spoiler.
“The People of Sparks” tells the story of the refugees emerging from Ember into the post-apocalyptic world. For generations the Emberites lived in their underground city, unaware that it was merely intended to be a shelter so that humans could survive the nuclear and germ war that threatened the human race.
When Ember finally began to fall apart and the generator that produced electricity began failing the Emberites were forced to leave. The main characters, Lina and Doon were able to find the way for the people of Ember to escape, and the rest of the city followed them
For the Emberites the world above the ground is too bright, too complicated, and they long for the dark city that they had to leave. They seek refuge in one of the only human settlements left on earth, the village of Sparks. Sparks is an agricultural village that only recently has been able to produce enough food to feed its citizens. There are more refugees from Ember than there are people in Sparks, and needless to say, the people of Sparks are hesitant to try to support a large group of people. It doesn’t help that the people of Ember are not used to hard work and don’t know anything about farming or livestock. Tensions begin to build up between the two groups and once again its up to Lina and Doon, but this time they need to find a way to avoid a war!
“The People of Sparks,” by Jeanne DuPrau is a book about the nature and origin of conflict and the subtle insidiousness of brinkmanship. It clearly promotes a message of non-violence and finding peaceful solutions. “The People of Sparks” is a must read for anyone who has read “The City of Ember”.
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