Consequently, throughout novel the characters use various degrees of foul language and exhibt poor communication skills. Parental and religious involvement is nonexistent in the Feed world. Imagine how your own child would be if he or she was raised by the internet, corporations, cable TV, hollywood morals, and with few non commerical influences. Although consistently being fed and entertained, the characters find themselves bored even in very unique places like the moon. Children raised in this manner would have no idea how to think or express themselves without the help of his or her feeds. Imagine a world where nearly everyone has basically been raised, not by caring and loving parents, but by a constant stream of media and information blasts from a large corporate entity whose only goal is profit. Through this chip, the feed (similar to the internet) “suggests” things that the people should buy, say, think or even believe. This novel is set in a dystopian future where nearly everyone has been given a “feed” chip in his or her brains at the age of 6. (I didn't select any of the 'Too much' buttons because I personally do not feel that Andersen's over-emphasis on profanity or consumerism, in particular, is unwarranted as far as his ultimate goals for the story go.) I was glad I made the decision to use this text in my classes and was encouraged by how receptive my students were to considering its overall themes and critiques! Andersen holds a cultural mirror up for us, and many of the traits we see reflected are anything but pretty. We even had some great discussions about America's cultural drift away from anything that could be considered 'sacred' toward a completely 'profane' reality. We talked about Andersen's decision to employ 'profane speech' in the dialogue throughout the story, and the general consensus of the class was that the 'profanity' was employed successfully by Andersen to make the work seem more realistic and accessible to a young audience. We had an open discussion about what defines sacred vs. I teach 8th grade students in an alternative school setting, so this book seemed a perfect fit. However, if you are someone who can look past the 'profanity' to the deeper message and critique of American culture, this work is an extremely valuable piece of contemporary literature. If you are someone who is easily offended by 'swear words', then you may want to pass up this book.

Feed book mt anderson