Friday, April 6, 2012

"F" is for THE FUTURE OF US by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler



THE FUTURE OF US
Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Razorbill
Teen Fiction
356 pp.

Josh and Emma are about to discover themselves--fifteen years in the future

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long--at least, up until last November, when everything changed. Things have been awkward ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD-ROM in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto Facebook . . . but Facebook hasn't been invented yet. Josh and Emma are looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

Their spouses, careers, homes, and status updates--it's all there. And every time they refresh their pages, their futures change. As they grapple with the ups and downs of what their lives hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right--and wrong--in the present.



My Review:  Let me begin with saying that I am huge fan of Jay Asher. His book 13 REASONS WHY is a must read for everyone. Period. Which is probably why I was a little disappointed with THE FUTURE OF US.  This book has elements of science fiction, with Facebook popping up on Emma's computer in 1996, and there is a lot of potential for something really exciting to happen, but in the end it is a simple teen relationship book. Not a lot of romance, but some nice self-discovery, finding "the one" and so forth. I enjoyed it enough to finish it, but did expect a lot more from Jay. I've never read anything by Carolyn, so I couldn't comment on that, but she is a very popular author and won the Michael L. Printz Honor for her book THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS.

On another issue, there is a lot of discussion of teen sex in this book. More than I  normally tolerate. Nothing actually happens, thank goodness, but were so many references to it necessary? Especially when it really didn't play into the relationship between Emma & Josh? Now, in the book's defense, the two protagonists are really good kids. They don't mess around that way, and actually do seem to defend sexual morality - to a point. So I'll give them, and the authors, credit for that. In that sense, I think THE FUTURE OF US is realistic in its depiction of teens and the various types of relationships that exist among high schoolers.

THE FUTURE US OF US would make a great summer read for boys or girls. Both would enjoy this book. This is NOT just a chick flick. Thanks Jay, for all the skateboarding references!

My final verdict:

Rating:   3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Profanity: Moderate (2 "b" words)
Sex: Moderate
Violence: None







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5 comments:

  1. Shannon LawrenceApril 6, 2012 at 1:17 PM

    Hmmm, sounds interesting, but also sounds like a lot more could have been done with it? The idea is solid.

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z

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  2. Leslie S. RoseApril 6, 2012 at 4:19 PM

    I've heard so much about this book. It's good to get your perspective on it. I am a Carolyn Mackler fan. I've read..Big Butt, and Guyaholic.

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  3. hbjgvhuogyihpoApril 6, 2012 at 6:38 PM

    I've heard a lot of things about this book and I'm a bit skeptical about whether or not I'd actually like it. I loved 13 Reasons Why , so I hope I'll like this one too!

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  4. Julie MusilApril 7, 2012 at 7:24 AM

    Nice to know your thoughts on this book. I loved "13" and have my eyes on this one.

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  5. A Tarkabarka HölgyApril 10, 2012 at 8:26 PM

    I am really enjoying your blog! :)
    Hm the basic idea of the book sounds interesting, but I can imagine it is difficult to work with an idea like that. Maybe I'll give it a try later.
    Happy A to Z!:)
    http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com

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