Feed

Feed by M.T. Anderson

My favorite reading experiences are those that when going in to it, you don’t realize how amazing it’s going to be.  Where there is no hype, no anticipation, you’ve just picked up a book and started reading it and just been blown away by it.  That was my experience with Feed.  I bought it randomly at a book store.  Just as a note, I’m a bad librarian and prefer to buy my books instead of reading my library’s copy.  This book’s vision of the future is so amazing and depressing at the same time, it was impossible not to enjoy it.

The book opens with main character Titus and his friends going to the moon for spring break.  But the moon, according to them, completely sucks.  Countless generations of humanity gazing at the moon, aspiring to touch its surface, and it completely sucks.  This sort of apathy about the world is one of the cornerstones of the novel.  The future is a dark place where no one cares any more.

The premise of the novel is that all productive members of society have a computer implant that allows the Internet to beam directly into their brains.  This constant stream of information feeds people with everything they’d ever need to know.  Corporations bought out the public school system, and students now go to school to learn how to be good consumers.  When shopping at the mall, you are bombarded by pop-up ads, in your head.  “You’re looking at these products…here are similar products you might like.”  Corporations can track what you are looking at and influence the way you think about those products.  Spyware gone insane.

The bulk of the plot follows Titus and his vapid friends as they float through life in this brave new world.  Titus meets Violet on the moon and they begin to date.  She works against the system, trying to build a consumer profile that is impossible to sell to.  Her feedware is damaged and she begins to lose brain function.  She is damaged merchandise in a world where only the best can exist, and their relationship falls apart.

The world that Anderson creates is at once incredible and terrifying.  Vast amounts of knowledge are at the fingertips of everyone, but people are validated by what they purchase.  His dialogue is fantastic, using inventive slang and jargon that such a world would create.  The language used is often a point of contention, as it is the reason the work has been challenged in schools.  It can also be difficult to get into, because it takes a while to figure out exactly what it is being said.

I have recommended this book to everyone.  EVERYONE.  Thus far, only the adults that I have recommended it to have really enjoyed it.  I think this is one that may be written for and targeted at a young adult audience, but older teens (16+) and above are going to get the most enjoyment out of it.  I feel most of the time I have a good sense for the limitations a patron has on their reading material.  I would not strongly recommend this to someone who I fear may have a problem with the language.  This book is so cynical and critical of consumerism, it is just an amazing read.