The Future With Facebook

When I tell my students there were no real cell phones (remember the car phone in a bag??) and Facebook hadn't been created yet when I was in high school, they look at me like I was alive when dinosaurs roamed the earth. But what they don't realize is that their iPhones and Facebook and wireless internet are very young in the grad scheme of things. Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler examine what a teenager in the 1990's would do if they stumbled upon their future selves as is represented in Facebook in The Future of Us. 


It's 1996 and Emma's father got her a brand new computer as a consolation prize when he got remarried and started his replacement family. When Josh Templeton stops by, she is surprised since things have been awkward between them since he admitted he liked her. They are still friends, just not the kind of friends who hang out at each other's houses regularly anymore. So when he comes over, she is shocked, but excited by the AOL disc he is carrying. His mother got it in the mail and thought she might like it for her new computer since Josh's mother doesn't believe in the internet. when Emma pops the disc in, something strange happens. A screen called Facebook pops up. Emma checks it out and realizes the woman named Emma Nelson Jones is her... in the future.


She calls Josh over because she just can't believe what she is seeing. Married to a man who doesn't come home at nights and might be cheating on her is not how Emma hoped her future would turn out. But Josh is convinced this is all an elaborate joke. Until he sees his own Facebook page and he is married to the hottest girl in school. But every time they open up the program, their lives have changed. They begin to realize every choice they make changes their future in small ripples. Emma, sad about her depressing future, starts to do things to purposely change her future, but Josh is worried about ruining what seems like an awesome future. What they quickly realize, though, is that the future is something you can't predict or control. Or can you?


I loved Asher's book 13 Reasons Why. It rocked my literary world. So I had high hopes for this book. I liked this book, but it wasn't as good as 13. I think it had a much younger feel than the first book. Even though the characters are thinking about college and talking about graduation, their reactions and actions feel very young- almost middle school-like. Also, I LOVED the nostalgic nods to life in the 1990's (when I was in high school- yep. I'm that old). The music (Dave Matthews and Green Day) and the greeting when you first open AOL, instant messenger, etc. It was like I was back in high school again! Oh wait, I hated high school. Never mind! But seriously, the references were fun, but they would be totally lost on kids of today. The references to old technology would be interesting in an anthropological sense, but I don't think they would enjoy the pop culture references.


Still, the book was interesting and fun to read. The way small things changed their futures was something that makes you really think, especially about fate vs. free will. How can your choices change what you become in the future? This would be fun to talk with your students about, maybe even plan out how some choices could lead them to different future possibilities. I think the characters might seem to young for more mature students, but middle school through youngish high school students would appreciate this fun story. And most important moral of the entire book? When Josh asks, "Why would anyone say this stuff about themselves on the Internet? It's crazy!" (although this was a close second: "Why does it say she had three hundred and twenty friends? Who has that many friends?").

13 Reasons Why You Should Read This Book

It is hard to write about this book now that I have finished it. I am sad. I am angry. I am blown away by both the premise and the execution of this book. Jay Asher wrote a book that would be hard pressed to find someone it didn't change deeply. I know Thirteen Reasons Why left me a different person. And here are thirteen reasons why you should read this book, and then pass it on...

1. Because when a girl wants to tell you why she committed suicide, everyone should listen. Hannah Baker is gone, but she left behind 13 stories about why she made the decision. She instructed the listeners, who are all mentioned in the tapes, to pass them on to the next person. She warned them that if they didn't, a second set of the tapes, full of their dirty secrets, would become public. And so a group of people, some more guilty than others, but all with a hand in the final outcome, passed their dirty secrets to one another. They needed to hear how they played a part in her decision to commit suicide.

2. Because you never know what the consequences of your actions will be. Not all the stories are as horrible as the others. Sure there are some that will disgust you, but it is the small things that hurt Hannah the most. For instance, a boy she didn't encourage when he came on to her after another boy tried to force himself on her in a diner (she was basically stunned and in shock) proceeded to take all her notes from her bag in Peer Communications. Since the teacher acknowledged it was hard for them to give each other compliments, she made them all bags where they could leave anonymous compliments. Hannah needed those. They were like a lifeline. When she realized it was him who was taking them, it hurt her more than the boy who tried to force himself on her.

3. Because bullying goes farther than the immediate incident. When a "Hot or Not" list placed Hannah in the "Best of" list for a specific body part, it seemed to make boys felt they had a right to objectify her. She wasn't even the real target of the mean-spirited list, but the consequences were long lived.

4. Because even someone with genuine intentions can be too late to change the direction things are going. Clay, the narrator listening to the tapes, really cared about Hannah, but his appearance in her life was too late. She had been hurt by so many boys that Clay seemed too god to be true and Hannah felt too damaged to give him a chance if it meant opening herself up to more pain and suffering.

5. Because there are some really bad people out there. One guy who repeatedly sent Hannah over the edge was known for this kind of behavior. In fact, as Clay listened to the tapes, he knew exactly who Hannah was talking about before she mentioned his name. So why did it take a suicide before this guy was called on his actions? Why didn't someone stop him?

6. Because there are always signs. Teens, or anyone for that matter, don't just kill themselves without warning signs. Change of appearance. Giving away items, especially those they care about or use every day. Saying goodbye. Don't overlook the signs. Don't make excuses for them. You can never be too careful.

7. Because even rumors and verbal bullying hurt. There is a misconception that rumors are just part of human nature. We are social creatures and we like to gossip, that's the justification, right? Well, why do we need to justify hurting someone for entertainment? Bullying isn't always physical. Many times, rumors and gossip are the most painful and the longest lasting, especially with technology today.

8. Because suicide happens, even if we don't hear about it. Many times the news keeps coverage of suicides to a minimum, out of respect for the family left behind. Just because we haven't heard about it, doesn't mean it isn't happening right outside our doors. This isn't a problem contained in after school specials and teen novels. It's real and it's killing our children.

9. Because everyone has a story. Hannah had a lot of them. Clay had his own. Everyone had their stories, and some of them were on the tapes. Hannah wasn't the only victim, she was just the one with a voice. Sometimes people just need their stories to be heard. Listen to Hannah's. She needs you to.

10. Because the best way to stop something like suicide is to talk about it. The more shame and guilt attached to these feelings, the less likely kids are to come forward with them. Opening a dialogue in a safe place is the first step. Is it hard to talk to your kids about suicide? Good. It should be. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.

11. Because these characters are real people. Sure they are fictional for this story's purposes, but I'll bet you can think of someone you know who reminds you of Hannah. Someone who you think of every time you read Clay's story. You know a Bryce, a Marcus, and a Justin. So what are you going to do about it?

12. Because it is about time teachers and adults were made uncomfortable when it comes to the emotional lives of our children. We have a ridiculous notion school is just for learning subjects like math and science and history. Wrong. Dead wrong. Our kids are at war from the time they start school until they graduate. It is high time they had some allies in the adults in their lives. We might be uncomfortable getting involved in the emotional lives of children, but if we don't try, how will be help them? Hannah might have been helped had one single adult known what to do to help her.

And finally...
13. Because I need you to read this story. Like with any story such as Thirteen Reasons Why, I need to talk to someone about it! I am sure Clay felt the same way when he listened to Hannah's tapes. When something is that emotional, that painful you want to talk about it. I'm no different. So please, read this story. Yes it has some sexual content (mostly in rumors), and partying (not glorified), and uncomfortable subjects, but that is exactly why every adult and teenager should read this book. And when you do, you won't be the same. But that isn't a bad thing... not by far.