Feed
Feed
M. T. Anderson
FEED is a young adult dystopian science fiction novel set in a world where citizens have a “feed” surgically implanted into their brains through which they are able to access the internet as easily as they recall their own memories. At its heart, the novel also tells the story of star-crossed teenaged lovers, Titus and Violet, raised with competing ideological and socioeconomic backgrounds—Titus is the jocular, wealthy son of parents who implanted him with the feed as an infant, while Violet and her family have spent significant portions of their lives without feeds or very much income. The couple faces problems both quotidian— Titus is at times embarrassed to integrate Violet into his “popular” friend group— and grave—Violet grows violently ill and begins to rapidly disintegrate without the aid of technology— during their brief, but impassioned relationship.
Despite having been first published in 2002, FEED is more relevant than ever before. Tackling such topics as consumerism, overreliance on technology, environmental collapse, and of course, identity, this speculative novel in many ways speaks directly to contemporary teenagers and young adults coming-of-age in the social media generation. While plenty of think pieces and nonfiction books have recently surfaced about the children and teenagers of Gen Z and their relationships to technology, Anderson’s writing never feels overly pedantic or preachy. Often employing a sarcastic, dry humor, it is likely to spark conversation and critical thinking without alienating readers or their lifestyles.
CRITICS HAVE SAID
- A gripping, intriguing, and unique cautionary novel.
—School Library Journal - This satire offers a thought-provoking and scathing indictment that may prod readers to examine the more sinister possibilities of corporate-and media-dominated culture.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review) - Many teens will feel a haunting familiarity about this future universe.
—Booklist
IF YOU LOVE THIS BOOK, THEN TRY:
- Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, 2017
- Every Day by Angie David Levithan, 2012
- The House of the Scorpian by Nancy Farmer, 2004