We discuss SFPL’s On the Same Page book selection for March/April, Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman. 

There is something oddly reassuring about experiencing a disaster that is not the one you are living. Neal and Jarrod Shusterman bring us that what-if disaster in the form of an extended drought in Southern California. The government has toned down the truth about how dire the water supply is, calling it, “The Tap Out.” Soon after, the faucets are dry and the countdown to survive begins. 

Alyssa and her 10-year-old brother, Garrett, team up with neighbor Kelton, whose family has prepared for doomsday. When the Tap Out hits, eccentric Jacqui joins the trio, making for a haphazard group on a road trip hunt for water. 

As threads of civilized society begin to fray and stores of bottled water run out, could altruism and ingenuity be the keys to survival? 

“People might do whatever they can to survive, but once they don’t have to worry about that, they’re different.” 

Shusterman wrote Dry with his son Jarrod. In addition to being on numerous award lists, Dry is currently in development with Paramount Pictures. 

Neal Shusterman is an award-winning and New York Times best-selling author of over thirty novels for children, teens, and adults. His novel, Unwind, has become part of the literary canon in many school districts across the country and has won more than thirty domestic and international awards.