How has the novel "Tomorrow, When The War Began", by John Marsden made you appreciate the world in which we live in?

"Tomorrow, When The War Began", by John Marsden is a fictionalised account of an event that you can never imagine happening in Australia. At the same time it’s written in such a way, full of details, themes and other attributes, that you can picture it vividly.

The story takes place in the rural town of Wirrawee, Australia, during modern day times. The constant battle for resources in our changing world draws the attention of a foreign nation toward Australia. They send a large army into the country to take the nation by force. The book deals with the immediate area of Wirrawee, however it’s assumed that the entire country has been conquered. A group of seven teenagers were out camping in the bush at the time of the invasion, and upon returning to the town, realised their position and fled back to the bush. The novel is written in the first person, by the character Ellie, one of the seven.

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#1 - 2001 Edition cover

The novel’s effect is greatly heightened by being based in Australia. We think of us as part of the golden three nations of the world; USA, UK and Australia. It’s barely imaginable that we could be invaded by another country. Marsden is obviously targeting the Australian audience as he has taken something dear to us all, our country, and in one swift movement he’s taken it away. The characters’ lives, their hopes, their dreams; they would never be the same again. We empathise with them, and in doing so, we’re appreciating the country we live in, and not just taking it for granted.

As stated before, this is something that we would never dream of happening in Australia. However this is happening in other parts of the world, sometimes known to us, and sometimes not. A perfect example...