#tbt: Feed by M.T. Anderson

Image: Candlewick Press

Feed by M.T. Anderson. 320 p. Candlewick Press, 2002.  9780763662622. (Own.)

Happy Thursday! Happy June 1 and happy Pride Month as well! #tbt spotlights Feed by M.T. Anderson. Featuring one of of the most memorable first lines ever, this satirical dystopian is narrated by Titus, a disaffected teen in a near future that is completely dominated by corporatios and consumerism. Most people have a feed implanted, which, well, feeds them with constant information, but it's not info that is empowering. Everything is trademarked. The environment is deteriorating and so is language.

While Titus and his thrill-seeking friends are out at a club, they meet a girl named Violet, who while she has a feed, it is modified. She also has a mind of her own and isn't afraid to have opinions. This is new to Titus, and he's intrigued, but a man with connections to an anti-feed organization hacks the feeds of all the teens at the club and they end up in the hospital.

Feed was published in 2002 and was a National Book Award Finalist. It was also a Horn Book-Boston Globe Honor Book, appeared on numerous year-end "Best Books" lists and won the LA Times Book Prize. This is a book for thoughtful teens due to the mature themes.