5 Essential Sci-Fi Books for Surviving After U.S. Democracy Collapses
So you want to escape, but you also want to stay ready? Here’s your required reading.
This past month, I’ve given myself permission to take the mental reprieve I needed from the real world to dive into fiction. I’m proud to say I used that time well. I finished the first, ugly rough draft of Book 2 of The Herd (almost 70,000 words — yayyyyyyyyy! You can sign up for the pre-order a signed copy here). I also finished reading Parable of the Sower—the type of book that makes you sad it’s over, but also inspired this list.
Meanwhile, the real world has been going crazy. We live in times where people are being screened for their political views at the border, where Congressional representatives are afraid to speak out, and where the media is being sued, squeezed, and intimidated for what they print.
Charles Dickens once wrote, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I’m not sure how to categorize these times — but I do know it’s a good time for escapism.
When it feels like the walls are closing in, I turn to books that help me think through not just how to survive collapse, but how to stay human through it.
Here are my top five essential survival reads:
1. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Why I loved this book?
This book was everything for me. As a Black woman, I loved seeing a Black woman at the center of survival — and not just survival, but building something better.
If you’re looking for a novel that literally shows you how to find water in the ground and purify it, this is your first stop.
Parable is raw and gritty, showing both the worst and best of humanity. It digs into what survival actually looks like, including the terrifying resurgence of slavery in a modern world, but also the need for love and companionship.
2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Why I loved this book?
Station Eleven hits differently. It’s about remembering what makes us human even after the world falls apart.
This novel follows a traveling theater troupe keeping Shakespeare alive after civilization collapses — a reminder that survival isn’t just about food and shelter. Art, memory, and beauty still matter.
It throws a wrench into the idea of “basic needs” and asks: What else do we need to stay human?
3. 1984 by George Orwell
Why I loved this book?
1984 isn’t exactly a survival manual — the main character… well, let’s just say he struggles.
But it’s essential reading if you want to understand what not to do in a surveillance state.
It’s a brutal reminder that survival isn’t just about enduring physically — it’s about preserving your mind, your will, and your sense of truth.
If you want to recognize the red flags before it’s too late, start here.
It's a classic, so I don't have to give it too many accolades, but I loved it enough to buy the book in both English and Spanish, and I even went to see it on Broadway.
4. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Why I loved this book?
Given where we are today — the fights over reproductive rights, the scrutiny over bodies and autonomy — it feels impossible not to include The Handmaid’s Tale.
This book shows how survival sometimes means knowing when to lay low, how to find pockets of resistance, and how to keep hope alive even when your rights are stripped away.
It’s a mirror of our current world, and it’s chilling.
If you’re looking for a manual on surviving oppression, this is it.
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Why I loved this book?
The Hunger Games might feel like it's aimed at a slightly younger audience than where I’m at right now, but I still love it — and I still love Katniss Everdeen.
If you’ve ever noticed, I always end my newsletters with a nod to her, because we’re all out here just trying to survive, trying to keep the odds in our favor.
I’m drawn to survival stories with strong female leads, and Katniss is exactly that: a girl who uses instinct, strategy, and heart to navigate a system designed to kill her. It's not just about fighting — it’s about learning when to stay invisible, when to rebel, and how to hold on to your humanity when the whole world tells you not to.
What’s on Your Essential Reading Survival List?
I know yall have feelings about books I left off. That’s fine, put it into the comments!
Bonus: The Herd-When Democracy Falls by Jenny Abamu
Why I loved this book?
Most of the other books on this list are older classics — but The Herd- When Democracy falls, has let me live in a world where we have a few victories along with our setbacks.
I can’t wait to one day replace my Katniss meme with Feonix. She’s the badass, imperfect protagonist I’ve been waiting for.
When it comes to survival, she knows when to hold back and when to strike first. Her weapon of choice? Knives.
It is the first book in a series. It dives into information wars, tech manipulation, collapsing democracy, and the chaos that follows.
Feonix is just as much on a journey to discover herself as she is on a mission to survive, find truth, and resist.
If you want a blueprint for modern resistance, this is the book.
(Yes, it’s mine — but it belongs here.)
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I finished reading Station Eleven in October 2019 and was thinking about that guy buying all the groceries so much the following year.
The HBO series is really well done, too.