Feed/M. T. Anderson

Feed by M. T. Anderson; young adult, science fiction; 299 pages (about 5 hours on audio CD)

My first M. T. Anderson book, and I can finally see what all the excitement has been about these past few years. This was an amazing book: funny, satircal, sad and ultimately chilling, because I can see Anderson's world coming to pass. The book is set in the near future: almost everyone is connected to the feed, which delivers music, television, and marketing directly into the brain. The result is a generation driven by corporations, consumerism, and pleasure, with almost no awareness of anything beyond the feed. There's a lot of profanity in this book (just another sign of declining vocabulary in a world where no one has to think), but the overall message is something that I think will really spark discussion. I listened to this on CD, and I have to say this was probably the best audio book I've ever heard. The narrator was spot-on in his tone and use of Anderson's slang, and bits of commercials and news from the feed are present throughout, complete with music and a cast of announcers. I think I've made it clear how much I enjoyed this book. Now I just have to track down some more of Anderson's work...