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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
it took me forever to get around to start reading this book. ngl this is literally how our society is
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow this was certainly ahead of its time. I remember seeing this book at the library as a kid back in 2002 or 2003 whenever it was published. I was intrigued by the head on the cover but I never picked it up. I saw this recommended somewhere, probably an anticonsumption thing, and they said how they never imagined that people would actually become so reliant on technology. It’s scary how our world has become so similar to the one in this story. Yeah, our phones aren’t in our heads, but the chatting each other while you’re together, or ignoring the people you’re with to chat someone else, or even to browse the internet in general. Or how ads are so incredibly targeted, and how capitalism has truly found a way to monetize everything. When the corporations bought out the public school system… wow. I really felt for Titus, even though he was being a dick at the end. As an aside, I really enjoyed the language, like it was meg cool. Totally brag.
What a terribly heart-wrenching denouement, but worthy of the narrative that preceded it. The future is looking mighty present, if you understand my flexibility (or creative use) of language. Anderson weaves a narrative that merely drops one into the midst of a future extrapolated from current reliance on cell phones, targeted advertising, and the slow decay of our ability to hold real conversations without explaining how basic communication has changed: song terms are used without explanation; routine activities related to "the feed" are not fully defined; advances in technology (trips to IO for a few weeks) are common enough to not merit being fleshed out; and the impact of the US's consumerism is relegated to not much more than Tweet-length exposition.
But all of that makes sense with the story. At first they distract, but eventually they lend a very meaningful backdrop to the world and the woes and decisions of our protagonists. Chapter lengths run an average of about four pages, mirroring the nature of instant gratification, and most characters are not fully probed to their depths.
The slow decline of one character makes for the aforementioned painful climax, something both heart-wrenching and satisfying in terms of a conclusion. These events (which I won't spoil) help emphasize something that stands out for me: for the first time in a long time I dislike the protagonist. A lot. But that's a good thing. It doesn't detract from my enjoying of the narrative, but rather allows this grim vision of the future to feel more real. More visceral. More authentic.
I highly recommend this book, and would give it 4.5 stars if that were an option. 8th graders, and maybe some mature seventh graders, and up would enjoy this. It mentions sex but never goes into full detail, and the language gets harsh, but that's rarely an issue for me.
But all of that makes sense with the story. At first they distract, but eventually they lend a very meaningful backdrop to the world and the woes and decisions of our protagonists. Chapter lengths run an average of about four pages, mirroring the nature of instant gratification, and most characters are not fully probed to their depths.
The slow decline of one character makes for the aforementioned painful climax, something both heart-wrenching and satisfying in terms of a conclusion. These events (which I won't spoil) help emphasize something that stands out for me: for the first time in a long time I dislike the protagonist. A lot. But that's a good thing. It doesn't detract from my enjoying of the narrative, but rather allows this grim vision of the future to feel more real. More visceral. More authentic.
I highly recommend this book, and would give it 4.5 stars if that were an option. 8th graders, and maybe some mature seventh graders, and up would enjoy this. It mentions sex but never goes into full detail, and the language gets harsh, but that's rarely an issue for me.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Simply beautiful and utterly frightening.
This story of America's final days touches on all of my own fears about the future of a vast technological empire of consumerism and recreation, where the rich have brains that are plugged into the "feed" where they communicate and tap into what can only be comparable to the Internet, and are thus numbed to the richness of human experience by their overstimulated, fabricated world of shopping, dancing, games, and space travel. However, not everyone can afford to get the feed, and other parts of the world are decaying.
This book was like a bit of Bret Easton Ellis meets the Jetsons meets H.G. Wells. Fantastic characters, language, and important questions raised about where human civilization is headed. I highly recommend the audiobook, which makes you feel like you are actually being bombarded by the advertisements in the feed.
This story of America's final days touches on all of my own fears about the future of a vast technological empire of consumerism and recreation, where the rich have brains that are plugged into the "feed" where they communicate and tap into what can only be comparable to the Internet, and are thus numbed to the richness of human experience by their overstimulated, fabricated world of shopping, dancing, games, and space travel. However, not everyone can afford to get the feed, and other parts of the world are decaying.
This book was like a bit of Bret Easton Ellis meets the Jetsons meets H.G. Wells. Fantastic characters, language, and important questions raised about where human civilization is headed. I highly recommend the audiobook, which makes you feel like you are actually being bombarded by the advertisements in the feed.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated