Set in the (
not too distant) future, Among the Hidden describes a dystopic political and social vision of food shortages, population control, and totalitarian rule by a small favored elite over the majority of the citizens. At its heart, though, it is the story of a 12-year-old boy, Luke Garner, the third child of a farming family whose land the government of this unnamed country wanted so that it could build houses for the Barons, those in power. As the youngest brother of Matthew and Mark, Luke is a “shadow child,” a living violation of a law stipulating that families are only allowed two children.Luke was born when the Population Law was still new, and when his mother relates the story of her pregnancy and his birth early in the story, readers understand her original wish to have four sons: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It was her way of being in control of her life and that of her family. From this point onward, readers see how little control Luke and his family have over their lives. Everything is dictated by a distant government that tells families what to grow and how to grow it. The government controls the economy to such a degree that Luke’s family, embodied by his father, lives a hand-to-mouth existence in a state of servitude. With Luke in the house, everyone fears the dreaded Population Police.
While government authority controls the family, Luke’s father controls Luke’s destiny. He confines Luke to his room and yells when Luke ventures to the kitchen. He remains one-dimensional throughout most of this short novel and becomes real only when readers see his helplessness at supporting his family. The government has taken the land that fed his family, and when he attempts to grow crops by other means, the government warns him off. Readers could be more sympathetic to his plight if he were more sympathetic to Luke. In most of the scenes when he talks with Luke, he is anything but sympathetic. He enjoys giving orders, perhaps to preserve the last vestige of control he has left in his life, over his son and family.
As a character, Luke is curious and adventurous. Before the new houses for the Barons, he was able to play outside. Since their completion, he is confined to his house. In addition to reading and playing games, he spies on the neighboring houses and gives the families nicknames based on their particular characteristics. He knows how many neighbors there are and their daily habits. One day, he notices a curtain move, and he decides to leave his house to investigate. Sure, he has been told to stay indoors and out of sight by his father, but that is not good enough for him. He chooses action, and his rebellion brings him into contact with Jen, the shadow child of the "Sports Family."
Without Jen in the novel, Luke and his family would have lived daily (and somewhat blandly) under the far-reaching control of the government. With Jen, the novel becomes social and political. She is a Baron whose father ranks high in the government, and she introduces Luke to her privileged lifestyle of Internet access, books, and even potato chips and soda, forbidden foods. Jen is a character of rash action, attempting to rally other shadow children to rise up and resist the government, but, more importantly, she is the person who educates Luke. Jen is “free”—at least freer than Luke—but her single-mindedness is her downfall. Jen adds an individual flair to a novel whose characters concentrate on submitting themselves to a greater power.
Her fate could have reinforced the arbitrary power of the government and the lack of resistance of the people. In the final chapters of the novel, more positive themes emerge. The first is that all people have individual goodness and can make difficult sacrifices, as evidenced in the actions of Jen’s father and Luke’s parents during the final scene. The second is that knowing is not enough and that Jen’s type of rash action does not work. Luke has transformed himself and decided that he is the type of person to change history, but that he will do so with outside help and by being “more patient, more cautious, more practical” (146). Jen helped him get to know the enemy, but he must take his own action on his own terms.
Haddix has written a story about a boy making a decision, the first in a series, where readers will be enthralled by a “young person defying authority and the odds to make a difference” (Rogers). Careful readers, however, will see more than just Luke. They will see a reflection of our world today, with its increasing population and shortages of food and water. Perhaps in seeing that, they will also reflect on the choices proposed in the novel: to accept their fates as Luke’s father or to risk everything and make a difference, as Luke does.
Reference List
Rogers, Susan L. 1998. Review of Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. School Library Journal 44(9): 203. Library, Information Science & Technology (LISTA) database through TWU Library. Accessed 27 October 2011.
Highly Recommended (Grades 5-8…and even older!)
Review Excerpts
The plot development is sometimes implausible and the characterizations are a bit brittle, but the unsettling, thought-provoking premise should suffice to keep readers hooked. (Publishers Weekly, August 31, 1998)
When the boy secretly ventures outside the attic and meets the girl in the neighboring house, he learns that expressing divergent opinions openly can lead to tragedy. To what extent is he willing to defy the government in order to have a life worth living? (School Library Journal, September 1, 1998)
The seizing of farmlands, untenable food regulations, and other scenarios that have come to fruition in these pages will give readers a new appreciation for their own world after a visit to Luke's. (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 1998)
This is an easily understood, younger reader's 1984 or Brave New World, presenting a chilling vision of a possibly not-too-distant future. (Voice of Youth Advocates, October 1, 1998)
Awards & Recognition
Great Stone Face Children's Book Award, 2000-2001
Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 2001
California Young Reader Medal, 2001
Nevada Young Reader's Award, 2001
Nutmeg Children's Book Award, 2002
Sunshine State Young Reader's Book Award, 2001-2002
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award, 2001-2002
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 1999
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