The Testament of Jessie Lamb

September 17, 2012
In this unconvincing dystopian novel, Rogers (The Voyage Home) envisions a society undone by the Maternal Death Syndrome, popularly known as MDS. A cross between Mad Cow disease and AIDS created by mysterious bio-terrorists, the virus infects all people, but it kills pregnant women, calling the very survival of humanity into question. Coming of age in this terrible new world, 16-year-old Jessie Lamb must learn to navigate the complexities of adolescence while her world teeters on the brink of collapse. As Jessie and her friends attempt to deal with the disasters bequeathed them by their parents' generation, they must decide what matters to them, and what they want their world to look like. First seeking refuge in various environmental, feminist, and animal rights causes, Jessie eventually comes to understand that real change is only possible through action, and personal freedom exacts a fearsome toll. When her scientist father tells her about an experimental procedure that holds out hope for new births, everything Jessie believesâabout herself, her family, her life, and the lives of othersâis put to a terrifying test. Although the premise is initially intriguing, Jessie is too much a cipher for readers to care about her and her decision, which is all too predictable. Even as it gestures at big, topical issues, this dystopia is too slight to genuinely frighten.