Unstoppable Soldiers: Grasshopper Jungle and Dangers of the Military Industrial Complex Anonymous College

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith follows Austin Szerba, a Polish-American teenager, as he and his friends witness the end of the world at the hands of genetically engineered six-foot tall praying mantis super soldiers. While the novel offers a surprisingly heartfelt perspective on friendship, sexuality, and growing up, it also serves as a warning to its readers of the military industrial complex. Smith uses fantastical science fiction concepts to create an apocalypse which functionally informs readers of the dangers of the military industrial complex and United States government in real historical and political context.

At first, the introduction of the six-foot tall praying mantis super soldiers seems ridiculous and perhaps contrived, a fantastical element of the novel used as a vehicle to propel the real story about Austin’s relationships and his sexuality. As the novel progresses, though, Smith unravels the historical narrative that leads straight to Austin, and provides a lot of new context on just how exactly the unstoppable soldiers came to be. Austin, Robby, and Shann enter the silo aptly named Eden, which is stocked with not only supplies in case of impending apocalypse, but instructions as well. The instructions...