The world is ending in one hundred and forty-four days, and all you have to do is press a button to save it. Do you?

Henry Denton has been abducted by aliens--“sluggers,” as he calls them--for the past few years. Most of the time, he feels like they are just analyzing his behavior, but now they are giving him the opportunity to save the world. However, Henry is not so sure he should press the button.

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“We Are the Ants” is a young-adult fiction novel written by Shaun David Hutchinson and was published May 2017. The sluggers have been abducting Henry for years, which his brother not-so-helpfully announced to the entire school, earning Henry the nickname “Space Boy.”

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Henry’s nihilistic tone is apparent from the start with the opening line of the book reading, “Life is bullshit.” Henry has been a loner since the death of his boyfriend. He has not been focused on school since, he even fails a test in his Chemistry class, one that he previously excelled in. He is given the chance to do an extra credit project, which leads him to record his experiences with the sluggers in his journal.

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Henry is living with his mother who is trying to keep the family functioning after becoming a single parent, caring for her mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Henry’s brother has dropped out of college and is living at home with his pregnant girlfriend. On top of it all, Henry is still mourning the loss of his boyfriend Jesse who committed suicide a year ago. Struggling to understand whether or not the world deserves saving leaves Henry conflicted on the decision to press the button.

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Since the death of Jesse, Henry has been mourning the loss alone after his best friend betrayed him. Henry has been hooking up with Marcus, the school bully, in secret. Things begin to turn around for Henry when he meets the mysterious Diego Vega. Henry and Diego begin to spend time together and Henry begins to question whether or not the world is worth saving. Henry Denton tells an honest story of how painful and emotional high school can be, especially since his story is more tragic than mosts. His candid narrative reminds us of the important of honesty and communication with the people we love in finding peace with things that do not always make sense. Henry is on a journey to discover what makes life worth living or if the world and everything in it should be destroyed forever. Does Henry Denton see the beauty in life or does he continue to believe the world is already over?