With such a serious decision to make, readers might think it would be a good idea to keep Henry happy. That brings us to the second anchoring point that appears throughout the novel, the suicide of Jesse. Henry loved his boyfriend and believes that he, Henry, was responsible for his boyfriend's death. Henry is bullied in school both for his belief in aliens (Space Boy) and for his openly homosexual relationship that he had enjoyed with Jesse. One of the biggest bullies is a very rich high school athlete, Marcus. This appears quite strange because Marcus and Space Boy are in a covert homosexual relationship that developed as Henry tried to find a substitute friend to fill the void resulting from Jesse's suicide. The many, many incidents of school bullying center more on the alien factor than the homosexual one. We Are the Ants is a very complex story about serious subjects. The voices of each character are strong and unique, [and] their language and actions match the situations in which they find themselves.” What do you make of the document that Henry turned in for his Chemistry extra credit assignment? Why did he turn that in? Is this what Ms. Faraci had in mind for the assignment? Was Henry emotionally ready at the beginning of the story to share his thoughts and experiences with his teacher?

Most people probably believe they would have pressed the button in my situation—nobody wants the world to end, right?—but the truth is that nothing is as simple as it seems. Turn on the news; read some blogs. The world is a shit hole, and I have to consider whether it might be better to wipe the slate clean and give the civilization that evolves from the ashes of our bones a chance to get it right." I sincerely felt that everything was left by the wayside that wasn’t pain. Characters felt flat and undeveloped, the world (which included ALIENS!) was half-baked, the plot was nonexistent, and relationship and development arcs were completely thrown together at the end. But now, things have changed. The aliens have recently given Henry a choice. He can choose to save the world, OR he can watch it all end in just a mere 144 days. You may also find that ants have invaded your pantry food items. Except for carpenter ants, most ants don't cause damage to your house. Carpenter ants bore into wood structures, leaving behind little piles of sawdust. Why Do You Get Ants?Why doesn’t Henry push the button when he is first given the choice? At what point does he change his mind? What makes him decide that the world is worth saving? Would Henry’s friends and family have pressed the button? In 2022, We Are the Ants was listed among 52 books banned by the Alpine School District following the implementation of Utah law H.B. 374, “Sensitive Materials In Schools." [16] Forty-two percent of removed books “feature LBGTQ+ characters and or themes.” [17] [16] Many of the books were removed because they were considered to contain pornographic material according to the new law, which defines porn using the following criteria:

Not that I would know. I have never been, nor wanted to be, popular. Popularity is the reason Marcus ridicules me in public and makes out with me when we're alone". Also, can we talk about how therapy and proper medical assistance were highlighted as essential for the recovery on mental health issues? It means so much to me as someone who was saved and was taken care of by my psychiatrist and therapist. ( All The... *coughs* Bright... *coughs* can't relate.) WELL... as I suspected in the beginning, this story is actually about something else. The good news is this was a heartfelt, emotional story with well-developed characters and a great ending. Secondly: The Genre Expectation Scale. This is a young adult novel, in that the main character is a fifteen year old boy, dealing with highschool, family, relationships and the pain of figuring out what kind of human being he is. But it easily surpasses any expectation I would have for the “Juvenile--fiction” Genre. It is well written and poignant without being pretentious. It is able to be dark without having to turn off the lights and nihilistic in a way that doesn’t actually reach hopelessness. It is a well crafted, well thought out, and well edited novel. This book is beautiful, hilarious, heartbreaking, and inspirational. The writing is very clever and brilliant which makes the story believable, and the best part of the book is that everything which takes place in this book gives a very strong message and doesn't happen for no reason.

Henry ist ein eher nihilistischer Charakter, der aus der Ich-Perspektive erzählt. Sein Ton ist manchmal melancholisch, manchmal zynisch, oft auch ziemlich scharfsinnig. abundance are revered as gods; and even those who have never basked in the light of glory secretly desire it, regardless of what they say to the contrary. Popularity can transform an otherwise normal kid into a narcissistic, ego-obsessed, materialistic asshole".

Dreams are hopeful because they exist as pure possibility. Unlike memories, which are fossils, long dead and buried deep."I bought this book as part of a 30 Days of Pride Book Review project. The following is that review: Your entire sense of self-worth is predicated upon your belief that you matter, that you matter to the universe. First of all, I loved Henry's story. It's a mental health plot confined in this weird sci-fi/contemporary hybrid, and even though it's really open-ended, it somehow works. I like the philosophy of "Is the world worth saving?" from the perspective of a depressed teen, and this book is a great reminder of seeing perspective. Although this concept is neat, it isn't entirely new & revolutionary to me. Regardless, Henry's inner turmoil often brought tears to my eyes. Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button.

From the author of The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley comes a brand-new novel about a teenage boy who must decide whether or not the world is worth saving. The material, on the whole, "does not have serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value." [18] In the wrong hands, it could have been unbearably cheesy, but the tone is just right. Dark, but often comical. Sad, but full of heart-warming moments too.This is one of the books I recommend highly for all ages (mostly 12 and up). Young people will empathize with the depictions of classroom life. The sexual angle is done with no sleaze and no unnecessary referencing. The importance of strong family relationships is emphasized even though Henry's family appears to be the definition of dysfunctional.