A Throne of Books

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 juvinile, at least for such a huge topic, but it was writen 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.