Anderson, M.T. feed. Candlewick, 2004. ISBN 978-0763622596 299 pp. $8.49

*****

M.T. Anderson’s feed is a haunting look at the future. With the “feed” implanted in almost everyone person’s brain at birth, individuality is a thing of the past. Advertising happens in a constant stream, directly to the brain. People can chat with each other through their feeds. They can send images, memories, and smells to one another through the feed. People can order a new pair of jeans from The Gap through the feed.

When Titus, who has had the feed since birth, meets Violet, he knows there is something different about her. And there is. Violet hasn’t had the feed for her entire life. She is fascinating. And infuriating. And honest. She teaches Titus the biggest lessons that exist on earth. And it all happens during a short-lived fad where young people are wearing riot gear–as in L.A. Riots, Kent State Riots…