I'm always game (ha) for a good dystopian teen novel, but any book in which playing football is seen as a sign of rebellion...not for me. Granted, I can't judge the entire book as I didn't finish it, but the parts I did read didn't do it for me. ( )

Rash is placed in the United Safer States of America, where everything is safe and nothing is fun. Though it's not so bad for those who grew up there as they have nothing to compare it with. In the United States today people seem to be so dramatic/worried about everything, this is a world where the government steps in and makes everything safe. With that safety they lose their freedoms, among the now illegal is alcohol, football, forgetting to take your medication, etc.

I instantly connected with this book but in an unexpected way. It was through the grandfather, it mentions he was born in 1990 before all the changes were introduced. It made me think, where would I be in this society? I'd only be a bit younger than his grandfather, would I have kids who saw this overprotective way of life as necessary? And after thinking about that I read the book feeling a part of their world.

It was short, and the world created worked, and was interesting. I would love to read more stories from the USSA but I doubt that is going to happen. For me the book felt a bit juvenile, at least for such a huge topic, but it was written for younger boys not to be a big political statement. It could have been more but I enjoyed it for the quick read it was. It took my mind off of things for a bit and for that I thank Hautman. ( )

Rash is placed in the United Safer States of America, where everything is safe and nothing is fun. Though it's not so bad for those who grew up there as they have nothing to compare it with. In the United States today people seem to be so dramatic/worried about everything, this is a world where the government steps in and makes everything safe. With that safety they lose their freedoms, among the now illegal is alcohol, football, forgetting to take your medication, etc.

I instantly connected with this book but in an unexpected way. It was through the grandfather, it mentions he was born in 1990 before all the changes were introduced. It made me think, where would I be in this society? I'd only be a bit younger than his grandfather, would I have kids who saw this overprotective way of life as necessary? And after thinking about that I read the book feeling a part of their world.

It was short, and the world created worked, and was interesting. I would love to read more stories from the USSA but I doubt that is going to happen. For me the book felt a bit juvenile, at least for such a huge topic, but it was written for younger boys not to be a big political statement. It could have been more but I enjoyed it for the quick read it was. It took my mind off of things for a bit and for that I thank Hautman. ( )

In the future, the USSA - that's the United Safer States of America - takes everyone's safety extremely importantly. There is no more football, you must wear protective gear even to run on a special surface, and losing your temper is a punishable offense. When Bo Marsten breaks the rules, he's assigned to work making pizzas for McDonald's (a huge corporation that does a whole lot more than just restaurants), and doesn't quite know how he's going to get out of this fix.

The book had a lot going for it at the start: interesting premise, humor, a likable protagonist who finds himself in a tough situation only partially of his own making. But I felt like the author just started running out of ideas partway through. The middle started to drag even as the situation became more and more over-the-top, and it finally ended in a way that made me completely unsure if anything was actually accomplished other than Bo's development - and I'm not convinced that he couldn't have changed like that given another set of circumstances. I muddled through to the end because it was a fast read and I liked the AI program that Bo creates for a school assignment. ( )

An interesting look at hyper-vigilence concerning safety. Takes the USA into the near future to examine the ridiculous over-emphasis of legislatively protecting from all possible harm.