I recently read the Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.
From the publisher:
“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 Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh’s family gets a free AOL CD 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 their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn’t been invented yet. And they’re looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.
By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they’re forced to confront what they’re doing right – and wrong – in the present.”
I really enjoyed it as a light, fun read. Which was pleasantly surprising, since Jay Asher (of Thirteen Reasons Why fame) wrote one of the darkest young adult fiction novels in recent history. Just goes to show you that you can’t always judge an author by their last book.
As for the story itself, my only gripe was that, as a adult, the details of the 1990’s brought back a lot of memories of the era for me. It was so accurate that I worry that the teens might miss some of the subtle references and wouldn’t appreciate it as much as an adult reading the book would. I was around the same age as the characters in the book in 1996 and the descriptions were so spot on. From the technology that was just starting at the time, using aol and clogging up the phone lines for hours, the music references, the language they used etc. Even the facebook pages that were posted by these 30-something characters – I felt I could relate more to those details than a teenager today would, that’s all. I’d love to hear if any teens reading the book had any issues with it being non-relatable.
That said, if you want to read a book with humor and heart, and with an interesting premise, I would suggest looking into the Future of Us.
Sharon Long
Teen Services Librarian