GREAT READS

Feed

M.T. Anderson.

In Feed, M.T. Anderson takes a dim view of society's technological dependence, the corporate takeover of government, and consumerism.  This Sci-Fi book geared for young adults is set in America's future where nearly everyone gets a "chip" in their head early in life so they can receive "the feed."  The chip is wired directly into all areas of the brain so the "internet", communication with others (cell phone, chatting, and texting), entertainment programming (television and radio), spending money (credit cards), advertisements, and even drug-use can be accessed simply by thinking about it, but errors and hacks can cause serious physical problems.   Everyone is constantly multi-tasking and the ability to read, write, communicate, and even think is almost non-existent.  What could go wrong, right? Let the narrator, Titus, tell you about his world: "Unit! I can't understand how you even, uh, go through life without the feed.  It's meg-brag, for like, shopping and chatting and stuff.  I mean, does everyone hear you when you talk to friends? Unit... meg-null.  And storing memory, like, I mean, I guess you just forget? Anyway, when I heard about this book, and I thought, WORDS? Who can even read that stuff?  Why not just put it on the feed?" See what I mean?  This book follows a group of teenagers in a "plausible" world where interconnectivity, what passes for the Internet, and environmental issues have already reached the Nth degree and problems are beginning to occur.   This book was thoroughly entertaining because I see the disconnect more and more everyday as technology begins to play a greater role in our lives.  Give this book a try!

Recommended by Tim Andrews