This story is an unflinching look at what a pandemic MIGHT do to this country. The most vulnerable among us are the worst effected, and in this case it is the diverse youth from the inner cities and hardscrabble family farms, young people without wealthy parents who can buy them out of the system. Because when a child catches the disease in this world, they are imprisoned behind the locked doors of the Pox Ward, and no one comes out alive.

Pablo is an engaging narrator and achingly believable as he deals with the anguish of being locked away from everyone he loves and the terror of being terminally ill. The story is dark, gritty, and beautifully authentic. It is about greed, corruption, and loneliness intertwined with a vein of hope, courage, and friendship. If you want to read a modern tale of Pandora's box, this is it. I couldn't put it down. ( )