I enjoyed this book and enjoyed the thought-process that came with imagining what it would be like to speak in a limited language and how much does that hurt who we are as human beings. The plot line was strong and made sense. I have read that others found this book a cross between 1984 and The Giver. While I have never read 1984 but have read The Giver I can kind of see that but it reminded me more of The City of Ember. The book ended with the possibility of a second coming and I would definitely read to see what happens next.

The List is a well-written, middle-grade, dystopian novel. While the overall plot is somewhat predictable and is remarkably similar to a number of dystopian classics, the characters are well-developed and relatable.

In a post-flood world, those living in Ark, the boat that Noa built to save them (admittedly, a detail that gets an eye-roll from me), are limited to speaking with only 500 approved words. Noa has a master plan to further limit the list, but receives resistance from the wordsmith, Letta's master. Letta is left to try to piece together what is happening, who to trust, and what is appropriate for the future. Letta is a strong, smart, likeable female protagonist, which is a major plus for this novel.

There are a number of themes that could be pulled from this novel that would make it an interesting young book club book and/or classroom read aloud. In addition to themes of friendship and loyalty, issues of environmental damage, censorship, and dictatorship could also be broached.

The ending was such that I wouldn't be surprised if Forde pens a sequel in the upcoming years. I look forward to the (possible) continuation of Letta's story.

I think at some point people compared this book to a children’s version of 1984 and The Giver. Okay, it sort of is, and I sort of see it. I thought the better analogy might have been Fahrenheit 451 meets The Bible and they both walk into a bar called 1984. Though for children.

Erm.

In the end, the comparisons are all really just trying to say that the world is screwed up, and instead of making it better, some jerk at the top makes things much worse, and the poor people at the bottom have to make do or rise up.

Which is really how the book starts. As readers, we are introduced to Letta, an apprentice wordsmith in Ark. As wordsmiths, Benjamin and Letta are tasked locating and storing words from the outside world. Their main directive, however, is to provide words to the people of Ark, though provision is allowed to only a sanction of 500 words. List-speak is the appropriate form of conversation between people, and with 500 meager words, you can only imagine how that is going to turn out. I mean, abstract ideas don’t even come into play here. I don’t think I could survive this world…

So yeah, how does Letta, a wordsmith–or better yet, anyone–survive without words, with only just a List?

The book itself is a quick read and follows a story after the events of an ecological disaster. There’s a lot of worldbuilding involved, with inspiration being pulled from the Bible of all places. The Melting–which sounds like the worst-case scenario of global warming–has caused the world to overflood, destroying buildings and cities like nobody’s business. Amidst this disaster comes John Noa, who builds a city called Ark (like the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark, if you didn’t pick up on it already), and saves many inhabitants from the apocalyptic disaster. He does, however, impose unreasonable rules for living in the area. And, throughout the story, it is clear how much he hates words (even though he likes speaking them, the hypocrite).

It’s easy to see where this is going, and as a children’s book, you expect it to go in the direction it does. Letta is a girl who grows up in the shadow of Ark, and does not question John Noa’s rules until her mentor goes missing. From there, she meet cutes a rebel artist/musician/Desecrator boy (which is kind of adorable, heh) and nurses him to a point where he owes a great debt to her. Then she meets a couple other hippie Desecrators and suddenly she is finding that the world is so much more than the safety and wordlessness of Ark.

So she rebels, too.

From what I read, the book seems to gear itself to a sequel, though one can read this as a standalone if you’re okay with how things are resolved (which, come to think of it, I’m not. Not really). There’s still the matter of Letta’s parentage as well as the question of what happens to Ark. There’s still a lot of words to be found and collected and shared. There’s still a lot of obnoxious gavvers that need boots up their rear ends–hem hem. And then of course there’s also the matter of Marlo. But I suppose that’s another story for another day.

The List is a very thought provoking, post-apocalyptic tale that will draw comparison to many classic dystopian tales such as The Giver and 1984. In Ark, a new society rises out of a period of chaos that began with The Melting, which rendered much of the world an inhospitable mess. The leader/co-creator of Ark is John Noa, and he and others identified language as one of the things that brought about the downfall of the world. As we all reside in a world of fake news, alternate facts, and a lot of really poor discourse on public policy, this premise may not ever have been as relevant as it is today.

In Patricia Forde's created world, a young girl named Letta is trying to figure out how to deal with working for of John Noa and doing what she believes is right. Letta works as an apprentice to the Wordsmith, a man charged by Noa with the task of creating lists of words that are acceptable for the general population to use and separate lists for specialists to use. This is an attempt to control the thoughts and actions of the human race and prevent some of the mistakes that brought about The Melting. Letta has always followed the teachings of Noa, but is also intrigued by what she sees outside of Ark, where there is more freedom to use language, and enjoy art, and music. As Letta tries to puzzle out what kind of world she wants to live in, she continues to get pushed in many directions as she learns more about the past that led to the development of Ark, and sees how it is run from the inside.

The List has a little of everything with some great action scenes including a gripping scene near the conclusion. Its strength, however, is that as you are traveling through the world of Ark with Letta as she figures out what she must do, it will leave you thinking about our own world. How is the partisan, political rhetoric that we hear so much today contributing to issues that we may have in our future? I am grateful to have had the chance to read this book through NetGalley. It was originally published in Ireland as The Wordsmith, but was recently published in North America with the new title.

This book takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the dictionary is 500 words long. The Ark is a place where the leader, John Noa, believes that he can control the people by removing free expression. While there are forces working against Ark to try to bring it down (the Desecrators) the wordsmith is in charge of controlling the language in Ark. When he goes out on a word finding mission it is up to the apprentice, a teenage girl named Letta, to run the shop. When a desecrator is shot by the Ark police force Letta decides to take him in a nurse him to health and learn some other very interesting things about her family, Ark, and the world beyond.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. I loved the names of the characters to start. I also liked the plot.

Thanks for the ARC :)

This was actually pretty interesting. I like how much was focused on language and words. Words can affect us in so many different ways, it makes us feel things, expresses how we feel and what we think. It creates and it destroys. I loved the characters and their development. Letta was really interesting especially when she found out everything from Noah. It sparked this anger and rebellion in her and it was just awesome

I'm normally not one for apocalypse and end of the world type books as they completely stress me out! Though I have to say that I was intrigued by what people have been saying about this one, so I decided to give it a try. As I mentioned in my #IMWAYR post this past Monday, this story immediately sucked me in! I was intrigued by the idea of words being the perceived threat to this post apocalyptic world, and even though I don't like them, I have read a few books like this, as well as seen a few movies on the same topic, but never have words been the "bad guy". It was a very interesting and intriguing story, getting a glimpse of what life might be like without freedom of speech. I also liked the main character Letta. She is young, but strong and courageous, and willing to do what she must in order to do what she knows is right. I always enjoy reading books with strong female main characters! There are a few twists woven throughout the story, and the end kept me glued to my kindle!

i have tried twice to read this novel but i have really struggled with the concept. Was quite slow to start and just didn't hold my attention. Sorry Netgalley

From my opinion of this book, I thought it was mediocre. I know it is middle grade but that should nevertheless take away too much from a great story. Since I've already traveled into that kind of scenery there wasn't much that made my mind explode, however it would be a nice introduction to dystopian worlds to younger ages.

There were a lot of predictable things but at least there were a few messages that youth could learn from

Even with those negatives, there were points in the book that I liked. The cover is absolutely beautiful. Rarely, but still sometimes, I got so engrossed in the story and some anxiety built up for the characters, thus I became attached to them to an extent.

I don't think this was the best book in the world by all means nor the worst, it just settled in the middle.

This dystopian young adult novel is going to be a BIG hit with upper grades kids at my school. It will have plenty of fans among kids who are savvy about some of the current events used to shape the narrative (global warming, government power). It would make a great book for literature circles/discussions. Will be recommending to my coworkers, especially our Resource Teacher for the Gifted, and to mature 4th and 5th graders.

Minimalist, simplistic, dystopia. The premise behind the book is as simple as it gets. “The Melting” occurred (climate change, polar ice caps anyone?), those that were lucky enough to get into John Noa’s Ark (ha, get it?), live a fairly simple life where everything gets reused, Noa is in total power, and the people get to use only the approved words from The List. Noa believes that words are the root of all men’s evil. People use it to hurt others, to plant subversive ideas, to inspire hope where there should be none, etc. When Letta (the Wordsmith apprentice) receives word that her beloved Master has died on a word finding journey, and a strange young boy from outside her home shows up, she knows that something strange is afoot. The List is a timely reminder that absolute power corrupts and that the human spirit knows no bounds.

This was like a rehash of The Giver, only instead of colors being limited/forbidden, it's words. The Earth has flooded and a man named John Noe conveniently built this town (I think??) called Ark (har de har har) to save people, but the price is that you can't speak English anymore.

I have no idea why any of this would ever happen, and the book doesn't either. If you're going to sell me something ridiculous, then SELL it.

The List starts out with an allusion to Noah's Ark. This came as a surprise, as the premise makes no references of this. The premise is more about the limits on words. Although Noah's Ark can not help but be a biblical reference, it feels more of a sign of rebirth and growth for this society. It sets it up as more than just a dystopian world, it creates a tone of growth, hope and faith in each other and what the individual can do for the group.

After only the first chapter, it is apparent that this world is not the one that the biblical Noah imagines for his followers. The contrast that it draws is not about smite for those that do not follow God, but shows the conflict between science and religion. In this new Ark, science and religion have melded. Freedom and control have also melded into oppression. In this new Ark, they are starting fresh, in the old world, everybody had all the words that they wanted, and that ended in the Melting, so they are trying it with only 500 words. Maybe this time humans will not mess it up so bad, according to Noa. This is what Letta believes, until she encounters someone who has a different opinion. She has never heard his side of the story and the more she listens, the more her world views start to slide away.

I found this to be a new take on dystopian books, because the world has already fallen, and a new government has already been set up. This also had a much more radical approach to the confinement of language. Most books that involve this type of oppression try to hide it, I found it interesting that the community goes along with it because they believe it is right. As a whole, this book took me longer to read than it should have. The book was fast paced, but it was easy to separate myself from what was happening in the book and my life. Even in the middle of the battle, I was able to just put it down and come back to it a few hours later. I think this has more to do with the characters than the plot. I really liked the plot, but the character development was very small and it made it so the plot drove the book and the characters were along for the ride. The lack of urgency within the characters might be part of what made it not engaging. I would recommend this as a good book for middle grade and up and it does a good job of starting discussion about the importance of free speech and language.

A middle grade dystopian novel that follows Letta who becomes the Wordsmith for Ark. She is now in charge of 'List' which all the people must speak, which consists of only 500 words.

If the whole 'List' was provided somewhere in the book if would have been fun and challenging to use to write a review with.

The story starts out slowly and only speeds up at the half way point. It wasn't a fantastic read for me but I'm not the target audience. It's a typical dystopian story...maybe I'm just burnt out on them.

I've seen several reviews saying that this is a good book to recommend to readers who enjoyed The Giver. They were right. In this vision of the world after "the Melting," only the words on the approved List are allowed to be spoken. The wordsmith and his apprentice curate the other words, carefully filing them away after his trips out into the wilderness to look for remnants of print. Just as Jonas learns from the Giver as memories are shared, Letta learns from Benjamin as he teaches her his craft. Their stories are also similar in the way the younger characters become more frustrated and disillusioned with their society as they come to see its flaws. And, of course, there is the inevitable clash with authority when their sense of what is right impels them to act.

For teachers looking for a book with themes to explore, The List has many to choose from. Ecology and man's impact on the environment, justice, the corruption of power, language and the power of words, humanity, responsibility, coming of age...There really is something for almost everyone.

If you enjoy stories full of complex relationships, characters determined to do the right thing even at personal risk, and books that make you really think about what it means to be human - then you need a copy of The List.

If you're looking for a highly unique book, stop here, don't look further! This book is all about WORDS. About talking and understanding words, with little references to the flood from the Bible where Noah built an Ark. This story was so clever, so unique and it was actually kinda creepy to bestow a world where spoken language is minimalized little by little...

Pros
Highly unique: Like I just said, the story is highly unique. In a dystopian world where spoken language is reduced word by word. Talking whole sentences will get you a penalty, and with a certain amount of penalties, you won't be allowed to talk anymore. To make sure people only learn the words that are allowed, there is a new profession: Wordsmith. How original is this! I was astonished in every chapter about the world, the rules, the story and it all made sense in this book.
Biblical references: This is not a biblical book, don't get me wrong, but the flooding from the Bible is a big part in this book. Since Noah built an ark and saved mankind by doing so. A large part of this book is based on this story. And I actually liked it! I'm not a religious person, but I went to a Christian Primary School and I also teach the kids in my classroom about the Bible and the stories in it. I enjoyed reading a story with a different take on a biblical story! I don't think people who are religious will be offended by the book.
Creepy feeling: Not being able to express yourself because you don't have the words to do so, seems so creepy to me! Since I'm a blogger I NEED my words to tell the world how I feel/what I think. Art is not something that is accepted in this book and the words just keep being deleted, destroyed... It had a pretty creepy vibe!
Ending: The ending is a discussion point. I can't tell you if it's a good or a bad ending.. Decide for yourself, only then can we argue about it. I liked the ending, but I also like the fact that maybe not everyone will like the ending.. Do you get me? I like the fact that it can raise discussion! If you have read the book, or plan to do so, let me know your opinion on the ending!

Cons
Not wow-ing: Although I had a lot of Pros for this book, it's not a book that will receive a 5-rating from me. The book was intriguing, creepy, unique, but didn't WOW me. Now I'm thinking about it, maybe I missed a bit of tension in the final part of the book.

Overall
Unique, creepy and all about WORDS. I like the fact that words are such a big part in this book, or actually not, because the list of words that are allowed is only 500 words long. I'm also really curious about more books by Patricia Forde, I expect a lot more unique novels! I'll keep an eye out for new books.

The concept and general storyline drew me (along with the gorgeous cover) but I couldn't get into the action and was struggling to connect with something whether it be beautiful language, character, setting, but alas, it never clicked!

In a time after the "ending of the world" a new society thrives, Ark. It is a very controlled community with walls keeping the right citizens in and the wrong people out. Noa, the leader of Ark, believes that vocabulary should be limited to Ark citizens. He believes all the available words are a wait because before the 'flood" people knew all sorts of words, but they didn't listen and look what happened. Everything is Ark is controlled by the government: jobs, water, food, vocabulary, marriages... Lette, one of the main characters is a wordsmiths apprentice. Her job is to distribute and maintain the List (500 words that are government approved). Lette has 100% trust and faith in Noa and his government until one afternoon and her eyes are opened. Lette is faced with the difficult decision to wear blinders and keep her trust and faith or question everything Noa and his government represents. What will Lette do?

I love the whole idea of this book-A government limiting vocabulary to control its citizens’ thoughts and communication. What can go wrong in that society?

THE LIST is a well written, thought provoking book. The whole time I was reading, I kept wondering if this book was really a fiction story or soon to be reality in our time. At the beginning of the book, the people of Ark are allowed to use 700 words, but Noa, the evil leader of Ark, is now limiting the word list to 500. “Ark need less words…” “Words no good. Words bring trouble.” At the whim of the government, the people lost 200 words. Eventually if people no longer use words, they are forgotten. This is why the government is slowly taking away words and ideas. The government wants to control thoughts and words. Total control!

Some of the dialogue in this book is very unnerving. When the characters are following the rules and only using words on the List, it is like listening to a 3-4 year-old.
“I wait my master come.” “Words no here. I get.” “No go up there! No go!”
I found this was something that took a little getting used to. The fact that the dialogue is like this only stresses how important words are to our communication and survival.

I also like the idea of a wordsmith: a person that collects words. The wordsmith is saving words no longer on the List so in the future when the List is no longer used, people can be reintroduced to new words. Think about it, the older generations will know the older words but as they die off, the words will die with them. The younger generations will not know any different. See how easy ideas and words can be wiped away!

I think YA readers will really like this book. It is full of teens making choices, dangers, an evil government, unexpected heroes, plot twists and an ending that suggests a second book. With people questioning the United States government and all of the turmoil, young readers will be able to relate to Lette’s dilemma of totally trusting the government or questioning its leader’s motivation. They will also aspire to have Finn’s unfaltering commitment to do what is right, no matter the cost. THE LIST definitely will provide several starting points for conversation.

I am going to use the idea of the book for a writing assignment for my 6th graders. We are going to come up with a basic list 300-500 words and write a short story only using those words. After we have shared our “list” stories, we are going to go back and revise the story using words that are not on the list. We will share those and then discuss the difference. It would also be a great social experiment to limit the word usage in my class and see how the students communicate with such a limited vocabulary. They will also be wordsmiths collecting words they like in their notebooks Everyone has favorite words whether they are used in our speech, writing or just words we like. One of my favorite words is daffodils for no particular reason. I just like it. THE LIST provides endless possibilities of classroom connections.

The only thing I did not like about this book was there was no printed list of the 500 words that were the standard citizen’s vocabulary. I would like to see a list printed somewhere in the book or available online.

Dystopian novels are all the rage and it is not often that you can get a story like “The List” that is both familiar and at the same time fresh. While the story line evokes familiar feelings and a nod to utopian societies with a dark side like “The Giver” and to a degree “Red Queen,” Patricia Forde has knocked it out of the park with her debut novel. The idea of limiting not the ideas that people have through separation but also by limiting the words that they can use is an interesting premise that Forde follows through with great strength. This is a middle school leveled book but I still was able to enjoy the familiar path. The characters were well written and though there were hints of romance there was no overtly obvious romantic overtones with the main character, while the familial bonds were highlighted. I appreciate this when the character are written very young. As someone who jumped into dystopian fiction with “Handmaid’s Tale” and “Brave New World,” I think young me would have appreciated a story like this to start me off in the dystopian style. It’s a little dark but not so much so that I would worry about giving this book to my niece or nephew.
​*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky in exchange for honest feedback*

***This book was reviewed for Sourcebooks- Jabberwocky via Netgalley

*Words are… tears of the sun, given shape.
Words are… Awen manifest; fruit of the soul.
Words are… arbitrary symbols of communication.

Patricia Forde’s The List is a clarion call for the future, echoing the lessons of Fahrenheit 451 and Equilibrium. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where the polar ice caps have melted, flooding the land and killing thousands, one man has built a false utopia. John Noa, founder of Ark, created a city where surviving inhabitants live in peace with the environment. On the surface,everything seems to run smoothly, but dark currents run beneath. To maintain his utopia, Noa has restricted language to a List of a mere 500 words.

It is Noa's belief that language is not a thing of great beauty that sets humanity apart, but rather our deepest evil that clouds the mind and separates humans from harmony with the natural world. The only people accorded the privilege of full language are Noa, his close advisors, the wordsmith, and the wordsmith's apprentice. Certain jobs are allowed the use of specialist words amongst themselves.

It is Benjamin and Letta's job to scribe out the List words for students and specialist words for apprentices, and to go out into the world to collect and catalogue words. When an injured young man stumbles into the wordsmith's shop when Benjamin is out on a word hunt, Letta takes him in and cares for him. This single act of kindness will forever change her life, and the very future of Ark itself.

First, I have to say I adore the cover! It's simple and elegant; a minimalist testimony to the language of List itself. With The List, Forde has woven an enduring tale about the value of language and communication. It is a tale of ethic and civic responsibility. It is humanity who hastened the Melting, and this scenario is a portent of our future, if we are not careful. It is a morality tale. For Noa, the ends justify the means. He has a sincere desire to preserve and protect, but it has clouded his mind and opened the way for drastic measures. Many of his attempts at eradicating language are horrifyingly tragic. It is a tale of censorship. By attempting to eliminate language, Noa has declared free thinking, imagination, and creative works of song, art, poetry and more as sacrilege, and labels those that embrace them Desecrators. But humans are wired for creativity. Deprived, the mind withers and dies.

Favourite quote: “Music comes in all colours, Letta, just as we do. Before I knew the word 'Creator’, I called us colour-catchers, the musicians, the painters, the dancers. That's what we try to do, catch the colours in our own hearts and share that with other people.” ~Leyla to Letta

*’Words are…’ by J Aislynn d’Merricksson, Jonas Merricksson, and Winter Dolan

📚📚📚📚📚 A must read for fans of dystopic and post-apocalyptic fiction.