I never EVER want a feed.

Feed. is. weird. I have so many questioning thoughts about this novel! First of all, the lesions that all the characters have are DISGUSTING! They almost serve as a symbol of trends in modern-day societies: no matter how ugly or awful something is, if peers have one or are participating, we just jump on the badwagon! I wonder also if the lesions are a result of something harmful in the atmosphere. Maybe they are an exaggerated extension of the results of all the pollutants in our atmosphere today, since the novel is futuristic. Going back to the idea of the badwagon and lesions...this is a direct representation of how the characters cannot think for themselves because of the feed. In today's world, teens and young adults are already so easily influenced by friends and surroundings. Imagine if we had computers to think FOR us! This aspect of M.T. Anderson's book particularly scares me. It seems as though this is the direction in which our world is headed, the world where just a few generations below us could live. And the sad part is, they won't even realize how controlling and terrible technology is until it is ruling their lives. The characters in this book seem to think that the feed is the only way to think and communicate. They cannot fathom a time, nor want to, where people use their own thoughts and emotions to drive decisions and interactions. I do not want my children or my children's children to live in a world like this.

Feed does however have many positive aspects for our future students. The language personally drove me crazy as an English major, and was a challenge to get through at first. I was confused in certain parts of the novel where the characters would constantly switch back and forth between their own simple language and modern-day English. However I do think the language is very relatable to students, who spend their days using short responses in texts and on social networks. Another positive aspect of the novel for students is its text and length. Not only is the language itself quick and easy to read, but the format of the novel is not at all intimidating. The chapters are short, and the amount of text on each page is minimal. Finally, the themes presented in Anderson's story are fun and interesting to discuss with a class of high school students. Many extensions and activities could be used in a Feed unit in the classroom. We could have students communicate one class period only through texting or instant messaging, and ask them if the activity is similar or different to their real lives. Students could create a future world in a 3-D version (diorama) or a drawn version on poster board. To accompany this, they could submit a short paper listing both the positive and negative aspects of their created world.

I began Feed on the plane ride to my Spring break destination and quite honestly was like, "What the heck?!" at first. But once I read farther and got past the language a bit, I did enjoy it. :)