Feed

I finished reading the book Feed by M.T. Anderson last night. I really, really liked it. In the beginning, it was kind of hard to follow, because Anderson used a lot of slang words of his creation as well as technology that doesn't exist yet. Also, it was written in first person, and the main character's thoughts didn't yet have the maturity level that he had gained by the end. However, by the end of this book I was in tears.



Anderson builds you into a world that is vastly more advanced, but that has some major problems. He emphasizes the problems of the main character, while continually but subtly reminding you of just how messed up the world had become. He critiques modern society's flaws figuratively as he critiques the fantasy future. One of his characters, who is viewed by the protagonist as a tad crazy, speaks in long sectences with a large vocabulary, because he feels that through advancing slang and standard American laziness, the English language had lost much of its beauty.

Anderson also criticizes modern American corporations and their contributions to pollution. He creates a world controlled by companies that are very literally destroying the Earth (ahem, global warming much?). My republican father would say that Anderson is simply another liberal trying to cram global warming in wherever he can, but regardless of whether you believe in global warming or not, there are major pollution problems on the planet today.

Anderson also does a fantastic job of showing how one copes when faced with a difficult situation. He does not shy away from the truth. The main character does not always do the noble thing-he runs away, avoids the problem-but that is what really happens to people. People are not always brave, ecspecially under pressure, and we tend to justify our actions. Anderson shows the character's justifications and the character's guilt elequently, without ever saying, "I feel guilty."

In the end, Feed left me with a powerful sense of the characters' feelings, as well as a disturbing and very possible fortelling of the future. I enjoyed reading Feed and sing praise to M.T. Anderson's work.

PS. Please forgive any spelling errors. I have a trip I need to pack for and it's getting late, so I don't really have the time to check spelling. I tried my best, however, to write a well-written review, but I'm terrible at spelling. Thanks!