Rash by Pete Hautman
I have several Hautman books in my collection but this is the first I have read.
If Rash is representative of his work than Mr. Hautman deserves his reputation as
an outstanding writer of YA literature. Rash is a dystopian fantasy set in the
2070s. Bo Marsten is a citzen of the USSA, the United Safer States of America,
which now includes Canada. Advances in technology, medicine and other areas have
reduced injury and illness to a point where the average life span is well over 100
years. Of course safety and longevity have come at a high price. Privacy and
self-determination are rare things in the USSA and large portions of the population
are incarcerated in forced labor camps serving corporate conglomerates.
Bo, like his father and his older brother, is cursed with the Marsten temper. Even
with the impulse control drugs that he is forced to take he runs afoul of the law.
Committing such heinous crimes as calling another student names and failing to wear
all of the necessary protective gear while running track, he is well on his way to
prison. His nemesis is Karlohs Mink. Bo hates everything about Karlohs, from the
way he spells his name to his beady little mink eyes. He especially hates that
Karlohs is spending time with Maddy, Bo's girlfriend.
When Karlohs contracts a mysterious rash, Bo is accused of causing it. As the rash
spreads through the school Bo is suspended. A run-in at the mall sends Bo over the
edge and he tries to punch Karlohs. Bo is sentenced to 3 years of labor, to be
served at a McDonalds pizza factory on the Canadian tundra.
In the work camp Bo discovers a brutal world hidden from most people. Safety is
not a concern in the camp and the workers are expendable. Sadistic guards with
stun batons, cruel fellow-inmates, and ravenous polar bears just outside the fence
keep the prisoners on edge. Bo is saved from 16-hour work shifts and a monotonous
diet of rejected pizzas by earning a spot among the Gold Shirts. The Gold Shirts
are an elite group of inmates selected by warden Hammer to play illegal football
games. Football, like all dangerous activities, has been illegal in the USSA for
decades. Hammer's training regimen is particularly brutal, with the players forced
to risk injury and even death. While Bo risks his life playing with the Gold
Shirts one of his school projects, an artificial intelligence program named Bork,
has run amok.
How will Bo survive his incarceration? And even if he does, is he bound to be an
incurable recidivist like his father and brother? And can his rogue AI program
help him or just get him in deeper trouble? This is a YA Brave New World. In
prison Bo becomes the Savage, but does he have to share the Savage's fate? This is
a timely and entertaining book that asks big questions and provides plenty of
action.
For grades 7-12.
On deck, Autobiography of My Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers
Anthony Doyle, Librarian
Livingston High School
Livingston, CA
tdoyle@MUHSD.K12.CA.US
Http://www.lhswolves.org/library/index.htm
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture; you just have to get people to
stop reading them."
Ray Bradbury
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings
by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
* LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
* LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
* EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/sub/
* LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LM_NET
Mailing List Home