Power Struggle in The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

I read the book The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher. It is about a semi-dystopian future where water is worth more than oil and gold. Only the rich and powerful get enough water to last them for years while other people live in constant fear of dying from dehydration. The main character is named Vera and one day she sees a boy spilling water on the ground as if he had more than enough. The boy's name is Kai and they become good friends (possibly even more) and he tells Vera and her brother Will that the government is keeping secrets from them concerning the water supply. Shortly after, Kai and his father get kidnapped and Vera and Will go after them to save them.


There were many power struggles in this book. For example, Vera explains many times how she wishes her family was as fortunate as wealthy people who can easily buy more water when they run out. Her family, on the other hand, spends all their time trying to save up enough money to buy enough water to get by everyday. Not only that, but her mother is very sick and Will believes it is because of the water they drink. The government filters it so it always leaves an after taste of metal and chemicals. Since water is so expensive and her father does not make much money in the first place, Vera's mom had been sick for a couple of years and they could not afford to buy her any medicine. This is very different for people with a lot of money. I think that this book connects to real life because of this. Although we are not running out of water to drink it is obvious that money is power. People with money can buy nicer houses, cars, and pretty much anything. This book also shows that just because the governments is "The Government" doesn't mean that its actions are always right or that we should believe everything they say. I don't think that the purpose of this book is to come right out and say "don't trust your government" but it does portray the fact that sometimes it is ok to question the standards that are set by our society.