Stupid Perfect World
In this future world, high school students are required to attend Scarcity class. For the final project, the students are supposed to "embody" some form of ancient lameness, spending two weeks being blind or whatever. This is supposed to teach them what things were really like in "the old days."
Barefoot Tillman decides to go with the common cold. Other students chose hunger, illiteracy; most chose diseases. Maria decides to suspend her hormonal balancers. She wants to find out what it was like to be a teenager "back then." She wants to experience the intense feelings. Kieran decides to try sleeping. He plans to sleep 3 hours a night. In this future, people don't need to sleep, they communicate in headspace and no one experiences diseases or even hormonal fluctuations.
My opinion:
The novella is told from two points of view, Kieran and Maria. It is interesting to see how sleeping (& dreaming) and hormones affect them. And how it changes their outlook.
It is amazing how Scott Westerfield manages to tell this story in only 9 chapters. I found myself wanting to learn more about this world and the people in it. I felt connected to the characters and it was fun to watch them learn about things that are so foreign to them yet such a big part of our everyday lives.
I enjoy Westerfield's writing and this book was no exception. This is a fun, easy to read book. It is short and can be read in one evening. So worth it!!
Recommended to:
Young adults who like their dystopian futures with a touch of romance.
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