Genre - Science fiction
Rating - 4/5
Age group recommendation - Grades 11-12
The Scoop - In a futuristic world where most people have computer implants in their heads to access information, a boy named Titus meets an unusual girl on the moon who changes his life.
The Story - In this future world, corporations run everything including the Feed, the constant stream of data each person experiences through their implants. Titus and his friends have always had their Feeds and attend School, Inc. Violet got her feed when she was older than most and is home schooled. Because of the late addition of the Feed to Violet's brain, she begins to have physical problems.
Rating - 4/5
Age group recommendation - Grades 11-12
The Scoop - In a futuristic world where most people have computer implants in their heads to access information, a boy named Titus meets an unusual girl on the moon who changes his life.
The Story - In this future world, corporations run everything including the Feed, the constant stream of data each person experiences through their implants. Titus and his friends have always had their Feeds and attend School, Inc. Violet got her feed when she was older than most and is home schooled. Because of the late addition of the Feed to Violet's brain, she begins to have physical problems.
I listened to the audio version of this book. When it first began, I wasn't sure if I would make it through the whole thing! Anderson writes the language of teenagers perfectly and David Aaron Baker, the voice artist, performs the text amazingly. To give you an idea of the teen speak in this book, this is a world where even the parents say things like "Dude, you like, totally need to listen right now, dude." Additionally, the audio version contains ads that would be playing on Titus' or other characters' Feeds; it is a very effective device for the story, especially in audio format. At times I felt completely bombarded with ads and TV shows.
The story in the midst of all the media is a really good one. Titus is attracted to Violet because she is different from anyone he's met before. She sees the world differently and comes from a very different socio-economic background. Violet encourages Titus to see beyond the constant stimulus of the Feed or to at least think about what he's being exposed to.
Educational applications
Feed addresses so many things that are regular parts of many students' lives - technology overload, fitting in (or not) with a group, consumer culture, and first love. This novel would be a great companion to a sociology lesson or as an example for writing interestingly about social and cultural issues.
Feed by M.T. Anderson
New York : Random House Listening Library, 2002
Copy from Dekalb County Library
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