LAFAYETTE -- After months of reading, meetings, and discussions, the 2011 One Great Read committee invites all Tippecanoe County residents to join in reading and discussing Feed, by M.T. Anderson.

Published by Candlewick Press, the 299-page novel is available in paperback, audio book (CD), and e-reader formats. 

The story depicts a future in which American families have computer chips implanted in their brains shortly after birth. Nearly 73 percent of the population receive electronic “feeds” from a computer network controlled by corporations and conglomerations.

The brains of implant recipients are constantly bombarded with instant messages, advertising, and entertainment. These feeds monitor individual behaviors and influence every daily decision.

Titus is the narrator who explains the conditions of society with a perhaps self-invented vocabulary and language. Violet is a troubled young woman with whom he falls in love. The possibility of America becoming embroiled in a nuclear war with the Global Alliance overshadows their young lives.

 “Feed helps both teens and adults think critically about the materialism and consumerism in our culture, and how it can cover up what really matters -- relationships, emotional connections, and learning,” said TCPL Head Reference Librarian and Co-Chair Alison Moss. “These are daily issues and concerns for everyone in the contemporary world.”

“In a reading world awash with precocious young wizards, love-lorn vampires and vicious cheerleaders, Feed, a dystopian satire set in the not too distant future, stands out for the rich story, world building and characters we come to know,” said West Lafayette Public Library Director Nick Schenkel. “Feed is all the more haunting as its characters are so taken up by their personalized cocooned world they really don’t know anything else is possible.”

The One Great Read committee is composed of representatives from the Tippecanoe County Public Library system, West Lafayette Public Library, Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, Tippecanoe Arts Federation, Wabash Area Lifetime Learning Association, and Barnes and Noble Booksellers. Members are required to host at least one activity per year.

An example of unique programs to look forward to:

“The first ever ‘Tweetprov’ is a live performance by the One Size Fits All Improv Troupe and takes the plot of Feed to zany new levels,’ said Civic Theatre Managing Director Steve Koehler. “It will provide high-tech, low-brow, interactive fun for all!”

Feed awards and nominations include:

Best Books
Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2002 ; American Library Association; United States
Bulletin Blue Ribbons, 2002 ; Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books; United States
Capitol Choices, 2002 ; The Capitol Choices Committee; United States
Core Collection: Character Education In YA Fiction, 2006 ; American Library Association; United States
Horn Book Fanfare, 2002 ; Horn Book; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, September 1, 2002 ; United States
Notable Children's Books, 2002 ; New York Times; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, July 22, 2002 ; Cahners; United States
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2003 ; American Library Association; United States

Awards, Honors, Prizes
Golden Duck Award for Excellence in Children's Science Fiction Literature, 2003 Winner Hal Clement Award for Young Adults United States
Locus Award, 2003 Finalist Best Young Adult Book United States
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2002 Winner Young Adult Fiction United States
 
State Reading List
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award, 2005-2006 ; Nominee; Indiana
 
The 2011 One Great Read calendar of activities begins Thursday, July 1 and ends Wednesday, August 31. This annual community-wide reading program is designed to encourage reading and literary discussions. Readers are invited to join us for programs, live performances, feature films, documentaries, and discussions throughout our county. Copies of Feed will be available in all local libraries and for sale in most area bookstores.