Feed: The Review

I read the book Feed by M.T. Anderson recently for school. While I had to look for dystopian qualities in the book, it was a way better book once I stopped looking for those.

Basically, it’s a story about sometime in the future, where people have a computer-transmitter-thing implanted in their brains when they’re born. This transmitter works like the internet advertising business.They use people’s thoughts and interests to market stuff to them. Okay, go to Wikipedia for a better summary on how the Feed works. Anyway, the story follows Titus, a teen who meets this nonconformist girl, Violet, who’s against the feed. Problem? Titus is all for the feed. However, opposites attract, and they become a couple.

The book is written with all kinds of made up future slang, which makes it a bit painful to read sometimes, but it’s nothing too serious. The characters also swear a lot.

Spoilers for the book below. Don’t read on if you want to read the book.

I like how Titus’s and Violet’s relationship was kind of shown realistically. They went to teen clubs together, they had a good time. They went to the mall together, they were happy. But once Violet began to have problems with her feed and things got serious, they began to grow apart. Then, Violet trusted Titus too much, and he didn’t care for her, and they broke up.

This book made me remember an article I saw online a while back about what kids born in 2011 will never know. A lot of these things on the list applied to the story, like wires, fax machines, catalogs, the evening news, and others.

Overall, I’d say this book was sort of good, even though things began to suck towards the end. If you desperately want to read something, then read it. But if you want to read great literature or a masterpiece or whatever, find something else.