The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Far out in the unchartered backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun.

Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect moments before Earth is destroyed for a galactic highway and the humorous telling of their adventures begins.

Douglas Adams was a genius with language and satire. I have read this book numerous times in my life and find myself laughing each time.

Adams, D. (1979). The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. New York, NY: Pocket Books.
ISBN: 0671477099
215 pages

Feed by M.T. Anderson

We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.

A futuristic novel where computer implants are in each person's head feeding constant advertising, media and commentary based on purchases. Titus meets Violet and discovers her thoughts and experiences are different than his and his friends and he is troubled.

I hated this book at first. The choppiness of dialogue, the advertisements at the end of each chapters and the "slang" used by Titus and his friends drove me crazy! I reread it and found myself still being driven crazy but I was able to find the satirical point to the story and enjoyed it.

Anderson, M.T. (2002). Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
ISBN: 0763617261
237 pages

The Giver by Lois Lowry

It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened.

Jonas lives in an ideal world with no crime, poverty, conflict, individualism or unemployment. On his twelfth birthday ceremony, he is given the job of memory receiver and finds out the horrible truths to this ideal society.

I liked the book but was not shocked by the storyline which may be more of a comment on the content of today's media and not the author.

Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
ISBN: 0395645662
180 pages