#BookReview: "Scored" (2011) by Lauren McLaughlin #YALit #engchat #edchat #books
Genre: This novel is more near-future/plausible-based-on-today's-technology than it is dystopian. A private corporation is the antagonist -- as opposed to government -- and its influence is limited to certain 'test' areas.
Technology (a geeky side-note): I can see no way that the behavioral analysis software often referred to in the novel is even a remote possibility given what we know today about human-computer interactions. Just think about the last time you phoned into some frustration-inducing 'automated telephone [banking, etc.] system' -- even today, computers can barely interpret simple voice commands. Yes, we've come a long way, but a system that can visually monitor and track individuals AND infer meaningful data about their behaviors and intentions? The novel begins to lose credibility in this regard. Then again, this is FICTION....
Critical Thinking: The book leaves open lots of room for readers to think about the ideas presented in the story, make connections to related concepts and themes in our world today, and wrestle with these issues. In fact, it could be argued that this book, as a learning 'tool', can play a more important role in this regard than in terms of just being a decent, interesting story. It could be criticized for having a rather abrupt ending that leaves too many issues unresolved, but in the sense that it functions to spark thoughts around its issues, this is an appropriate ending, as it leaves the reader to deal with the topics as they are manifested in our actual society.
Activities: Throughout the book there are many opportunities to pause and make predictions about what will happen next, what choices characters will make, etc. And as mentioned in the Critical Thinking section above, lots of room to discuss the issues in the book in their real-world contexts, as well as to 'finish the story' by tying up loose ends and other elements that are left open at the book's conclusion.
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