FEED REVIEW

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This will probably be the last post about Feed by M.T. Anderson. I've decided to review the book as a whole. I'm hoping that this post isn't too long. And once again there will be spoilers.

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If you've been diligently following my post on the Feed then you will most probably know what I think about this book. On Goodreads, I've given the book 3 out of 5 stars. At first, I didn't like this book at all, which lowered my rating. I also do not really like the ending. The ending is ambiguous, and there are no sequels to answer any burning questions. I don't know about you, but I often overthink about things. You can probably imagine the amount of time I think about possible book endings (Yes I know I'm a nerd...) But, I have to hand it to M.T. Anderson the ending made me think in a good way. It was almost like the call to action at the end of a speech. The wasn't an absolute cliffhanger, there were many clues to how the story would unfold. But I still like to know the definite future.

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I felt very strongly about each of the characters throughout the book. Titus, the protagonist, had me upset with him one moment and ready to congratulate him the next. At the very beginning I absolutely hated him, he was a spoiled brat. Then entered Violet. I loved Violet the entire time, I knew that she was different just as Titus did. As Violet exits stage left, my love for Titus leaves with her. Violet was an enigma, she pushed everyone to think. She changed Titus for the better; she opened his eyes. As Violet started to have extremely serious feed malfunctions she brought my love for Titus back. I feel that Titus' growth was the main focus of the book, not technology. He underwent changes that lead to  understanding and almost maturity. There were other characters that I feel don't need as much recognition. For example, Titus' friends, Titus' parents, and Violet's dad. I hated them all save Violet's dad, because, like Violet, he could think. Overall the characters all were crucial to the story in some way and were enjoyable, but that still doesn't mean that I liked them.

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What really fascinated me in this book was the language. At first, I was a real hater of  the language, check my first feed post. But I started to delve deeper into the world of Feed I found surprisingly deep and meaningful language. Like "the rose will bloom ere long" page 91, ",“It was like I kept buying these things to be cool, but cool was always just ahead of me, and I could never exactly catch up to it. I felt like I’d been running toward it for a long time.” page 279, and "The truffle was completely undervalued." page 84. There were a lot more quotes that I could have mentioned, those were just my favorites. M.T. Anderson was holding out on me. I like the fact that you have to read the book to understand some of the quotes and that the quotes were abstract. So overall, I feel that M.T. Anderson can take a bow for a job well done. I enjoyed the book. 

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To sum it all up, I started this book expecting to hear about how we should be careful about technology and instead read a story of understanding, maturity, and growth. I recommend this book to everyone. I understand that this post was a bit more academic than normal, I'll try to write a more upbeat post in the near future. Have a good week and read a good book!

Write you later!

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Final Feed Thoughts

Hello!

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This is my final Feed analysis. I had a bit more analysis but decided to only put what I thought to be most important. I know it's a little long I apologize in advance.

Quote	Page #	Comments
“…but the men were not moving at all. Just looking at the world helpless, in circles, the world going by.”	208 Chap. 52.9%	What’s up with the percentage at the beginning of this chapter? I think that something is being updated or uploaded onto the feed. I know for sure that the percentage means that something big is coming. I think that the quote is talking about how to people using the feed watch as life goes by, while on their phones. I think this is similarly to how some people now live life. They don’t experience life for themselves because they are experiencing it online
“It said Violet Durn, Feed Efficiency: 87.3%.”	210 chap. 87.3%	The chapter titles are about the Violets feed. I was right about it being almost like a download. I thought that Violet's feed couldn’t be fixed. So what exactly is being done?
“What am I, without the feed? It’s all from the feed credits. My idea of real life.”	217	I think that the idea that our interpretation of ‘real life’ is based on what we see on the media. The feed has such a big impact on the people. I wonder if the feed put these ideas of real life into the people purposefully to better benefit the corps. I thought that Violet of all people could be ok without the feed. I mean, I assumed that because she could resist, she could thrive.
“The whole brain is tied in to the feed. The whole brain, like the memory and the part that makes you move and the part for your emotions.”	222 Chap. 86.5%	That is concerning…I think that the corps could be controlling the people completely. The feed ties to the brain, and the feed can be hacked, meaning the brain can be hacked. Looking at the chapter tells us that Violet is not at all getting better, she’s getting worse. I’d also like to comment on Titus’ behavior, not recorded, he is very standoffish and uncaring…
“10. I want to rent a hotel room with you. As Mister and Missus Smith…14. I want to get older…I’ll call- ‘Paine!’…And he’ll come when I call.”	229-233 chap 80.9%	She’s a little worse. Violet is planning out a future with Titus. She imagines them together. I think all this talk of commitment, the future, and in general, deep things will scare Titus. I already think that Violet is a little creepy for planning this list of things she wants to do out, mostly including Titus. I kind of understand that she is dying so must make a to-do list, but still. And that last comment about the dog, Paine, I think that in her ideal future that pain will only come when called. This unlike what is happening to her, the pain now is unwanted.
“Does anyone else want to go in mal?”	237 chap 76.3%	Titus is going back to how he was before he met Violet.  Now I just think that Titus is trying to distract himself from worrying about Violet.
“She stood just outside the room. I was just inside.”	257 chap 57.2%	I think that this represents the divide between Titus and Violet. You know, ‘she was so close yet so far’.
“I didn’t want to be called her hero. I looked at her, and she was smiling like she was broken.”	263	Earlier Titus was just saying that Violet made him feel like a man but in a positive way. Now he doesn’t want to be her hero. Is it because she is broken? Does he just want the fun and lovey-dovey part of a relationship?
“I keep picturing you dead already…It feels like being felt up by a zombie, okay?”	269	I finally get why Titus was avoiding Violet. He was, in fact, trying not to get too close because he feels like she is already dead. I still feel like Titus is being a little inconsiderate. I’m sure Violet feels even worse than he does.
“’I [Violet] didn’t want to go out of it alone.’…’I [Titus] can’t field this. Okay? You’re laying down this whole guilt banquet.’” “I [Titus] didn’t sign up to go out with you forever when you’re dead…”	270-271, 272	This quote goes even deeper into the reason that Titus has been avoiding Violet. I think they just broke up. Violet was in love with having someone to hold her up, while Titus was looking for a hookup. Titus couldn’t be the person to take all of Violet’s problems. I kind of understand Titus, I also thought Violet was being a tad overwhelming.
“We don’t know any of that [what’s happening in the world]. We have tea parties with our teddies. We go sledding. We enjoy being young. We take what’s coming to us. That’s our way.”	273	Violet has just blown up. I feel that it was quite appropriate, Titus is just allowing his eyes to be blinded to the truth. They are about to leave the hotel, is it wrong for me to want Titus to just pretend to love Violet so that her last days could be happy? I guess that Titus did the right thing, no matter what I would’ve done. I would take what’s coming, just accept that Violet was needing a hero. I’m just like the people Violet is talking about in her rant.
“People were just stopping in their tracks frozen…The night after I saw them frozen…I kept thinking of Violet and her broken flipper-hand.”	278	Something is wrong with the feed. I really hope that Titus becomes another Violet and resists the feed or at least tries to understand. I’m glad that Titus has not completely forgotten about Violet. He is putting two and two together. Violet is right, he is smarter than he thinks.
“It was like I kept buying these things to be cool, but cool was always just ahead of me, and I could never exactly catch up to it. I felt like I’d been running toward it for a long time.”	279	This is what is happening in this world right now. We often buy things to be cool but the cool card of those items expire all too quickly. I’m glad that Titus is noticing things that are happening in the world, he may not be noticing the wars and human rights violations, but this is a start. Maybe because he feels like running for a long time has been too long.
“’We’re the land of youth. The land of opportunity. Go out and take what’s yours…We Americans,’ he [Violet’s dad] said, ‘are interested only in the consumption of our products. We have no interest in how they were produced, or what happens to them…what happens to them once we discard them…”	290	Today, we want everything instantly and do not care for the consequences. Titus was looking for a quick fling and he found one in Violet. But he easily gave up on her and didn’t care about how taking her to the club affected her. Violet’s dad or M. T. Anderson just dropped some wisdom on the younger generation. As a young American, I probably am guilty of the things mentioned by Violet’s father.
“You’re [Violet is] the story. I don’t want you to forget…I want you to remember yourself. I’m going to remember. You’re still there, as long as I can remember you.”	297	I now understand why Violet was trying to tell Titus her story, so she would be remembered. Violet has taught Titus that everything is not sunshine and rainbows. Things don’t last forever, everything must end, like their salad days. I agree with Titus to a degree, as long as something is remembered, it is there. However, memory is not the same thing as the real thing and eventually people will forget.
“Everything must go.”	299	Nothing in this world can stay forever. I’m sure I like how this ended. I need to think about it. But I don’t think that this book was about being careful with technology. I mean, it was to a degree, but I feel like it was more about leaving your salad days behind and becoming aware of the scary realities of life.

 That's it for Feed. Have a good day! Write you later!

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*Sorry, I had to use that last gif because it was just Halloween.*