Matched: A Dystopian Book

I love dystopian books. I first started reading them in 7th grade, and they have interested me ever since. So, I went to the library asking for recommendations, and I ended up checking out Matched by Ally Condie, a dystopian romance book. 

Minor spoilers!

Matched is set in a world that seems utopian, sort of like The Giver. The people in this world are controlled by "the Society" which basically decides everything about their life, from what they eat to when they die. The narrator is a girl named Cassia Reyes, who has just been "matched" (basically your match is who you have to marry) with her best friend, Xander. However, just before his face fades from the screen, she sees another face that she recognizes: her classmate Ky. She is told that this was just a mistake, that she shouldn't worry about it, but she still keeps thinking about Ky. Cassia is allowed to tell only one person about this, so she tells her grandfather, on the day he is scheduled to die (this sounds so dark). To her surprise, he gives her a forbidden object: a secret poem. (The Society controls it so that there are only 100 poems, 100 paintings, 100 songs). While Cassia is hiking, she reads a poem, and is caught by Ky. However, instead of getting her in trouble, he shares some secrets of his own.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good book, but there were some unrealistic (in context of the book) parts. The Society is really controlling in some parts, but less in others. For example, they record people’s dreams, but Cassia’s grandfather thinks it is safe to give her a forbidden poem where there are multiple other people present in the building? If they look at everyone’s dreams, then why don’t they have security cameras??? To me, that just doesn’t make much sense. However, I liked the plot. Like in The Giver, the government has complete control over the people living there. However, there are some differences, like how the people know about why The Society was formed, how they still have color and music, and more. I would give this book probably like 8.5/10, and I definitely recommend it.

-Juni