Young Adult Literature without Apology

Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.

Realistic | Romance | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

Vizinni, Ned (2004). Be More Chill. NY: Miramax, Hyperion. 287 pages. ISBN: 0786809957.

Jeremy Heere keeps a daily record of all the humiliating things that happen to him: from "Snotty Comment" to "Refusal to Return Head Nod", each diss is recorded. When he gets an opportunity to purchase a "squip", an ingestible microcomputer that can guide him in the pursuit of Coolness, he conspires to raise money to buy the $500 pill. Squip in place, Jeremy rises on the social ladder to expected heights and unexpected lows.
Who doesn't want a magic pill that will tell them exactly what to do to become Cool? Taking a page from M.T. Anderson's Feed, Vizinni's story is not nearly as dystopian. Although I didn't want to like the novel, I found myself enjoying the fast pace and genuine humor. The treatment of the squip was sadly non-existent; there's no moralizing or even ethical speculation to be found. While, had Vizinni's Jeremy pondered the scrupulousness of the squip, Be More Chill would be a totally different story, I'm not sure if that missing reflection added to the novel or was altogether unnecessary.