Feed Review

Buy it at Barnes & Noble

Feed is an awesome book that reminds me of Ray Bradbury... but with a valley girl twist. It starts with a group of high school kids taking their spring break to the moon... which they discover totally sucks.

The world of Feed takes place in the not so distant future where humans, or Americans at least, have the internet hardwired into their bodies. Making it easier to search and find the things you need. These items pop up into your Feed View.

But ease of access has it's price: corporations can now send advertising for items you may be interested in directly into your same feed, creating endless pop-ups.

The Good
Feed shows the darker side of unrestrained capitalism and the tech binge. Those who have, reap the whirlwind of their own lack of control, while the have-not's dream of being included in a system that ostracizes them for their lack of savey.

Initially I thought Feed was a comedy and was laughing at the high school stupidity. But the story keeps throwing in casual tidbits that hint at the stories dark underbelly.

For the audiobook, listeners get the joy of hearing several cool ads direct from the Feed. 


The Bad
If you can't handle dialog written from the perspective of a valley girl... uh... guy... then this book might not be for you. You're going to see a spike in words like 'whoa' and the ever popular 'like.' You'll even get them in a string: "I was like, whoa." But dialog like this does actually serve its intended purpose: to show how vapid the culture has become.

The Spin
Feed is well written and a great story. But more then that, it will get you thinking about your consumerism. Maybe that's not something your particularly interested in, but once you read Feed, you'll be very aware of how advertisers are trying to affect you. And more than that, it'll make you take notice of how the corporations view you and our world.