Make Room! Make Room!

Make Room! Make Room! is a 1966 science fiction novel written by Harry Harrison exploring the consequences of both unchecked population growth on society and the hoarding of resources by a wealthy minority. It was originally serialized in Impulse magazine. Set in 1999 from August until moments after New Year's Eve ends and the year 2000 begins, the novel explores trends in the proportion of world resources used by the United States and other countries compared to population growth, depicting a world where the global population is seven billion people, plagued with overcrowding, resource shortages and a crumbling infrastructure. The plot jumps from character to character, recounting the lives of people in various walks of life in New York City, population 35 million. The novel was the basis of the 1973 science fiction film Soylent Green, although the film changed much of the plot and theme and introduced cannibalism as a solution to feeding people.