Just like the Da Vinci Code, the book is a fast paced read and replete with historical and factual data that makes it for me an alternative to sitting in history class. Like always Brown's prose delivers as much as his book nemesis does.
For this installment, the situation that is being called for and tackled head on is not a hidden conspiracy involving another secret organization but the issue of over population, a situation when if you think about it, is certainly dire and immediate. This condition, while certainly an issue in third world countries, has certainly become a fact that the entire world must consider looking into. From drastic measures to curb the problem to learning about transhumanism, Brown once more has successfully blended the art of the thriller while making a statement about the world we live in. So far this installment is his most direct approach to pointing a finger at an issue that even world leaders have not come to a solution at. While certainly a solution to accommodate a problem of this magnitude covers a wide range of affected individuals, it certainly begins with the self.
Self discipline. Self awareness and knowledge that each and every action we do, big or small, has ramifications, equally proportional, on the entire world. My hopes for this book is that it reminds people and those in power about the need to conserve our resources in the light of more people being born and coming into the world. If we can't apportion or use our resources properly to maximize the most number of people, then its our need to have bigger families these days that must be put into question. Issues of birth control and family planning certainly comes into play with this thought. And if we don't start thinking about it, our children or even grandchildren and future generations to come, may not have an adequate world to live in.
And that is the most frightening thought that dawned on me this morning as I finished my coffee.
