Author: Ally CondiePublish date: November 2010
Source: Purchased
"Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.
The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow."
This book has been on my radar for a while now, so I picked it up for cheap at a Borders close out sale and put it in my classroom library. One of my students borrowed it for a while and gave it back last week, so I grabbed it to read before anyone else could take it. Although I didn't love it as much as other dystopians like Delirium or Divergent, I did like it, and definitely want to read the sequel, Crossed, that came out today.
Cassia, the main character, was very likable and I enjoyed learning about the society of Matched from her point of view. From the beginning of the story, it was clear that she believed in society's rule and the concept of Matching. It was fun to learn more with her (since it was a first person narration) and that learn that maybe computerized sorting is the not the way you choose whom to spend the rest of your life with.
Even though Matched's society was very rigid and computerized, it scarily does not seem that far off from the future. As we develop more technology, who knows what direction our world will head? Hopefully we will retain knowledge and enjoyment of the arts and not have just one hundred poems or songs. It was refreshing to see a book that celebrated poetry and other arts like Matched, since sometimes it seems that society, especially education, is going in the opposite direction. It was also fun to find out that Ms. Condie is a former English teacher. Her love of poetry shined in her novel.
Cassia, the main character, was very likable and I enjoyed learning about the society of Matched from her point of view. From the beginning of the story, it was clear that she believed in society's rule and the concept of Matching. It was fun to learn more with her (since it was a first person narration) and that learn that maybe computerized sorting is the not the way you choose whom to spend the rest of your life with.
Even though Matched's society was very rigid and computerized, it scarily does not seem that far off from the future. As we develop more technology, who knows what direction our world will head? Hopefully we will retain knowledge and enjoyment of the arts and not have just one hundred poems or songs. It was refreshing to see a book that celebrated poetry and other arts like Matched, since sometimes it seems that society, especially education, is going in the opposite direction. It was also fun to find out that Ms. Condie is a former English teacher. Her love of poetry shined in her novel.
I look forward to reading Crossed and finding out what happens next!
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