What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedSoylent Green
Richard Fleischer · Film · 1973
If you loved Soylent Green, start with Feed (M. T. Anderson, 2012) — a book on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Soylent Green across media.
What hooked you in Soylent Green was the terrifying realization that societal survival often rests upon the darkest of hidden institutional secrets.
Books on the same thread
The Futurological Congress (from the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy).
Stanisław Lem · Book · 1974
Explores: Reality vs. Illusion, Drug-induced hallucinations, Social Commentary.
Like the desperate reality of Soylent Green, this satire uses the backdrop of a global overpopulation crisis to explore how governments manipulate perception to mask a crumbling social order.
Feed
M. T. Anderson · Book · 2012
Explores: Technological Dependence, Social Commentary, Consumerism.
Much like the corporate control seen in Soylent Green, this story examines a future where human autonomy is sacrificed to the whims of consumerism and a decaying environment.
The Omnivore's Dilemma
Michael Pollan · Book · 2007
Explores: Food Production, Sustainability, Consumerism.
This non-fiction work grounds the anxieties found in Soylent Green, forcing you to confront the ethical consequences and environmental costs behind the food choices we make every day.
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson · Book · 2002
Explores: Environmentalism, Pesticides, Pollution.
If the environmental collapse of Soylent Green felt plausible, this classic provides the scientific foundation for how corporate negligence and chemical dependency can permanently damage our natural world.
Series on the same thread
The Expanse
Mark Fergus · Series · 2015
Explores: Interplanetary Conflict, Corporate Conspiracy, Social Stratification.
The conspiracy at the heart of Soylent Green finds a modern parallel here, as interplanetary tensions and corporate greed create a dangerous environment for those seeking the truth.
Psycho-Pass
Series · 2012
Shares a thread with Soylent Green: Police Procedural.
Just as the police procedural elements of Soylent Green reveal a broken system, this series uncovers the moral decay inherent in a society that prioritizes control over individual life.
Silo
Graham Yost · Series · 2023
Shares a thread with Soylent Green: Dystopian Science Fiction.
You will find the same claustrophobic dread present in Soylent Green, as protagonists in a dying world peel back layers of deception to expose the truth of their existence.
Squid Game
Hwang Dong-hyuk · Series · 2021
Explores: Economic Inequality, Desperation, Moral Dilemmas.
This series mirrors the grim social desperation of Soylent Green, placing individuals in a lethal scenario where the elite treat the impoverished as disposable resources for their own entertainment.
Podcasts on the same thread
Radio Swatt
Podcast
Explores: sustainable living, clean energy solutions, climate change solutions.
While Soylent Green imagines the worst-case scenario for resource depletion, this podcast offers the actual, actionable solutions needed to prevent such a bleak future from ever becoming reality.
Slow Burn
Slate Podcasts · Podcast · 2026
Explores: Political scandal, Archival research, Cultural impact.
The investigation of institutional corruption in Soylent Green is echoed here, as this series digs into the hidden, consequential moments that shape our understanding of systemic historical failures.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Soylent Green set in the actual future?
Soylent Green is set in the year 2022. The film depicts a society suffering from extreme overcrowding, pollution, and resource depletion, which forces leaders to find new ways to provide food for the teeming masses living during that specific time period.
What is the primary cause of the food crisis in Soylent Green?
The primary cause of the food crisis in Soylent Green is a combination of severe resource depletion, environmental pollution, and extreme overcrowding. These factors collectively reduce society's ability to feed the masses, leading leaders to introduce the product known as Soylent Green.
Who directed the 1973 film Soylent Green?
The 1973 film Soylent Green was directed by Richard Fleischer. The movie explores a dystopian future where the world is struggling with the consequences of overpopulation and the exhaustion of natural resources, resulting in the creation of a controversial food supply.
Why was Soylent Green created for the masses?
Soylent Green was created by society's leaders as a solution to the massive food shortage caused by widespread resource depletion and overcrowding. In the year 2022, the product serves as the answer to the challenge of feeding the teeming population.