May has been our busiest month of 2026 by far! Not to overwhelm your already mountainous TBR list, but we have another incredible new book release to share: Young World by Soman Chainani.
If you went to last year’s YALLFEST in Charleston or last month’s BookCon in New York City, you may have seen this title floating around. With a cover as shockingly bright orange and eye-catching as it is, how could you not?
Young World follows a teenage U.S. president navigating global politics and a scheme framing him as a murderer. Oh, and possibly the end of the world as we know it. But what else is new? Here are three of our favorite things about Soman Chainani’s new political thriller, Young World!
Book Overview: Young World
Content warnings: death, murder, violence, blood, animal violence, terminal illness, kidnappings, forced captivity, drugging, guns, weapons, divorce, needles, swearing (Read at your discretion!)
Summary: America is on the brink of collapse, and the youth have lost all faith in their leaders. As a pivotal election approaches, Benton Young, a high school senior trying to impress a girl, impulsively uploads a video, daring everyone to interfere with the vote and write him in for President. The video explodes online, igniting election chaos and a national revolt, until the Supreme Court intervenes to put Benton in the White House. Galvanized by Benton’s rise, more global youth take to the streets, and more governments fall, until eight of the world’s most powerful nations are led by teenagers.
When these young leaders convene at their first summit in Sweden, they face the monumental task of setting a new course for history. But the first night, their unity is shattered when a leader is murdered in cold blood…and Benton is the only suspect. Hunted by enemies young and old, he must untangle a deadly web of secrets, betrayal, and power plays—while the future of the world hangs in the balance.
With globe-spanning action, stunning twists, and an electric new brand of storytelling, Young World is a heart-stopping thriller that asks: What happens when the future really does belong to the young?
The Immersive World & Visuals
If you have the chance to listen to Young World as an audiobook, then we highly recommend it! It features Zeno Robinson and a full cast of narrators that will immerse you into the story even more. Audio aside, this book delivers Benton Young’s perspective as a series of diary entries that take us through his rise to power. We’re able to experience all the heart-racing highs and uneasy lows that he feels. Young World also features over a hundred graphics of maps, drawings, polls, newspaper clippings, trending articles, evidence documents, and so much more. These designs were so true to life that we could easily use them to answer a DBQ (document-based question) exam.
Apathy Is Not An Option
Another one of our favorite things about Young World is how politics is not considered optional, as controversial as it may be. Rather than having apathy for political issues or the impending doom that is the future, Benton Young and the global youth take matters into their own hands. They can’t simply opt out of it because ultimately, they’ll be the ones who will have to reckon with the consequences. Even all the way until the end, Benton doesn’t stand by and watch. We absolutely love this timely message and hope it can reach an even wider audience.
So Many Twists
We haven’t had the pleasure of reading a political thriller in so long, and Young World certainly changes things. From the moment Benton Young steps into office, he faces crisis after crisis on all sides. The other presidential candidates are hell-bent on removing him. Other young leaders shut him out of an earth-shattering deal at the global summit. And when an assassination points to him as the sole suspect, Benton can’t catch a break. We weren’t prepared for all the twists and turns. Nor were we expecting that to happen right before the ending. (We’ll let you interpret what “that” means.)
Soman Chainani propels us into a groundbreaking political thriller with Young World. From the multimedia immersion to a wider message of hope and action, we want to share this book with everyone we know.
Young World by Soman Chainani comes out May 5th, and you can order a copy of it here!
What do you think of Soman Chainani’s new novel? Have you been looking forward to Young World as much as we have? Let us know on Twitter! You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram!
Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOMAN CHAINANI:
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