Following is a NEW Review by DHS Book Club Co-President, Christy Holloway
After hearing all the buzz about The Martian coming out as a movie, the Dunwoody Book club decided to read the book before seeing the movie. The book opens with the main character, Mark Watney nearly being killed and then left stranded on Mars when a huge dust storm hit and his team had to evacuate the planet. Watney finds himself completely alone on a planet millions of miles away from Earth with no contact with NASA and a small supply of food, water, and oxygen. He has four years to survive before the next mission to Mars is supposed to arrive, and his chance of making it that long were slim to none. Mark’s creativity and sheer will to survive create a book that is about human survival and innovation that keeps the reader turning the pages through struggle after struggle that Mark is faced with. Armed with humor and the power to engineer almost any solution, Mark is the protagonist that everyone would hope to be. The Martian is an amazing book for anyone who loves space and human exploration, or anyone who wants to read a book that will keep them entertained with quick witted dialogue and monologue (there’s no one else to talk to on Mars). It is the perfect adventure story and also gives the reader a taste of the knowledge that comes with being an astronaut. Everyone in the Dunwoody Book Club loved this book and we highly recommend it! There is some PG-13 language in the book, so that is something to keep in mind for younger children. Happy reading!
