Book Review of The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
The premise of this YA book caught my attention. In 1996, a high school student uses an America Online CD-Rom to connect to the internet- and gets onto her FaceBook page from 15 years into the future.
The book is written in alternating chapters between the viewpoints of best friends Josh and Emma. The style is bare and simplistic, and it was a very quick read. A lot of the content was who likes who and why, but it really captures how teenagers think. It brought back that drama, angst and confusion of discovering who you really are.
In comparison to When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (another time travel book), this book shows the future as an ever moving target. Every thought, action and feeling in the present will change the future. It is not a fixed, unchangeable path or predetermined fate. Overall I found the book’s message to be empowering. I also wondered what the heck my young self would do with the information from a week’s worth of my current FaceBook posts. It is so amazing how much has changed since 1996. What would you write in a post to yourself back then?
