Is The House of the Scorpion (2002) CHUD or WOKE?
chudrank score: 48 / 100 (roughly neutral). 0 is CHUD (right-wing), 100 is WOKE (left-wing).
Book by Nancy Farmer, 2002.
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Why: Dystopia about power and exploitation; mild progressive themes
The story takes place in the country of Opium, a strip of land between Mexico (now called Aztlán), and the United States. Opium, which is essentially an opium-producing estate, is ruled by Matteo Alacrán, also known as El Patrón. El Patrón's work-force consists of illegal immigrants whom the Farm Patrol (ex-criminals who are tempted with the offer of protection from the police) enslave when they catch them crossing the border in either direction. These illegal immigrants become "eejits", humans with computer chips implanted in their brains, making them more or less zombies who can perform only simple tasks. The main character, Matt, is a clone of El Patrón, an incredibly powerful, 140-som…