SOLVED. YA Dystopian fiction in the near future humans do not consume plants or animals, can only eat an inorganic food provided by govt. I read this in the last 60s. [s]

[Haulando]

YA Dystopian Fiction in the near future humans do not consume plants or animals, they can only eat an inorganic sludge provided by the government. Cars no longer exist, roads are overgrown, and no activity that would harm other living things is allowed. I read this in the late 60s in elementary school.

[Rainbowheart]

Who was the main character?

Male or female? Teenager or younger child?

[Hilary]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Who was the main character?

Male or female? Teenager or younger child?"
I believe it was a young teenage boy, but cannot remember any names. It seems that ecologists had taken over the government, and outlawed any activity that would harm living beings. I dont recall any plot details other than that except that when people were in need of nourishment they went to a fountain in the middle of town and consumed this horrible sludge and would then experience terrible stomach aches until it was digested. So they didnt eat often LOL.

[Rainbowheart]

I should know this!

Does anything on the 20th Century YA and Middle Grade Science Fiction list look familiar?

[Haulando]

No, I looked at all of them, nothing fits. Drat!

[Rainbowheart]

Drat indeed, lol.

The closest I can think of is The Missing Persons League, but it was pubbed too late and isn't an exact match anyway.

[Andy Phillips]

Is it The Bridge? I'm pretty sure all that fits. They wear some sort of all-enclosing suit to stop their breath or body aroma offending animals, they don't talk out loud etc. There's a main character who is male - I think he's called Priest.

First published 1973 though, it appears.

[Rainbowheart]

Ooooh, that looks likely! It's adult fiction, but I did find this from a review.

"Humans subsist on a synthetic liquid diet laced with a narcotic intended to keep them docile. The 'food' causes vitamin deficiencies that result in genetic malformations such as bowed legs and dwarfism. Biodegradable in the human gut to prevent now-illegal excretion, the diet results in painful spasms rendering an individual helpless on the ground for several minutes."

[Andy Phillips]

I think it could well be the book, but there's a major plot point that isn't mentioned in the request. It's revealed early in the book, but I'll mark it as a spoiler.
(view spoiler)[The people in charge (government?) decide that humanity should commit mass suicide as we're causing too much environmental harm. The main character is released from prison (for 'speaking in anger') for this purpose but makes his way home to his family to try to stop them taking the pills. (hide spoiler)]

[Haulando]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Ooooh, that looks likely! It's adult fiction, but I did find this from a review.

"Humans subsist on a synthetic liquid diet laced with a narcotic intended to keep them docile. The 'food' causes vi..."
This sounds very much like what I remember, thanks everyone! I am going to try to track down a copy.

[Rainbowheart]

Fingers crossed!

[SamSpayedPI]

Haulando wrote: "I am going to try to track down a copy."

The Bridge is available at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/bridgeman...

You need to be a member to borrow books, but membership is free; you only need to give them an email address.

[Haulando]

Oh, thanks very much! That was going to be my next try. I must have read this in my teens then, although I thought it was during grade school. Actually sounds quite horrific, but I’ve always been a big fan of dystopia, obviously started young!

[Jeri]

"Soylent Green" is also a possibility. I had to read it in my college contemporary literature class and it was disturbing. Charlton Heston may have appeared in a forgettable movie by the same name.

[SamSpayedPI]

Make Room! Make Room! for Jeri's link. The movie made from it was "Soylent Green," not the novel.

And at no point did anyone eat "inorganic sludge." "Soylent" was made from soy and lentils, in the book; in the movie is was supposed to be made from plankton but it was really made from . . . something else, but either way is was an organic product.

[Haulando]

The book is called ‘The Bridge’ and is actually adult fiction.

[Rainbowheart]

Yay, good news! Thanks for the update. :)