Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Viking Juvenile (2012), Hardcover, 400 pages
Description
Reality TV meets a chillingly realistic version of America--and the fame game is on! Amy had dreams of going to college, until the Collapse destroyed the economy and her future. Now she is desperate for any job that will help support her terminally ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. When she finds herself in the running for a slot on a new reality TV show, she signs on the dotted line, despite her misgivings. And she's right to have them. TLN's Who Knows People, Baby--You? has an irresistible premise: correctly predict what the teenage cast will do in a crisis and win millions. But the network has pulled strings to make it work, using everything from 24/7 hidden cameras to life-threatening technology to flat-out rigging. Worse, every time the ratings slip, TLN ups the ante. Soon Amy is fighting for her life--on and off camera.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member booktwirps
In the near future — a future that is a little too close, and a little too plausible for comfort — the economy has collapsed and the US as we know it is starting to change. There is no more middle class. You are either well off, or you’re not, and those that are not really struggle to keep
I have very mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I really liked the premise, and the fact that we have come so close to similar economic ruin made it all the more creepy. Also, America’s obsession with reality TV made it even more realistic. On the other hand, there were several things that I felt fell flat.
My biggest problem was that I didn’t feel like I had a complete grasp on the world. I got the politics and the economic/class divide, but I would have liked a little more depth and consistency in those areas. For instance, why did so many of the lower class people have the latest and greatest gadgets? Wouldn’t they be too poor to afford them? I guess I just needed more of the why to balance out the what if you will. I also would have liked a little more variation on the game itself. After a while the challenges all felt repetitive. It was like there was a formula, and they didn’t hold an element of shock or surprise after a while.
I did like Amy a lot, and wanted her to succeed. Unfortunately, none of the other characters did it for me. I could see where the author was going with them — trying to break stereotypical molds by bringing out the “true” person inside when faced with a dire situation — but I would have liked a little more depth. They all just felt a little flat to me.
This isn’t a bad read and even though it did seem to drag in spots, I was still able to enjoy it. I was just hoping for more of a punch and a few more twists. It didn’t build the way I hoped it would.
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their heads above water. Amy, the main character, is doing everything she can to take care of her ailing grandmother and her kid sister, but things aren’t looking good for them. They have no insurance, and can’t afford her grandmother’s medical bills. When the opportunity to appear on a reality game show presents itself, Amy sees an easy way out. Sure, it’s risky, but should she win, the money would ease her worries significantly, pay for her grandmother’s healthcare costs and allow Amy to return to school. The idea behind the show is that the contestants will be placed in dangerous situations and the television audience votes on how they think the contestants will fare. For each successful mission the contestants complete, there’s a hefty cash reward. But when ratings begin to slip, the producers grow desperate and increase the danger level for the challenges. Amy wants desperately to win so she can provide for her family, but how far is she really willing to go?I have very mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I really liked the premise, and the fact that we have come so close to similar economic ruin made it all the more creepy. Also, America’s obsession with reality TV made it even more realistic. On the other hand, there were several things that I felt fell flat.
My biggest problem was that I didn’t feel like I had a complete grasp on the world. I got the politics and the economic/class divide, but I would have liked a little more depth and consistency in those areas. For instance, why did so many of the lower class people have the latest and greatest gadgets? Wouldn’t they be too poor to afford them? I guess I just needed more of the why to balance out the what if you will. I also would have liked a little more variation on the game itself. After a while the challenges all felt repetitive. It was like there was a formula, and they didn’t hold an element of shock or surprise after a while.
I did like Amy a lot, and wanted her to succeed. Unfortunately, none of the other characters did it for me. I could see where the author was going with them — trying to break stereotypical molds by bringing out the “true” person inside when faced with a dire situation — but I would have liked a little more depth. They all just felt a little flat to me.
This isn’t a bad read and even though it did seem to drag in spots, I was still able to enjoy it. I was just hoping for more of a punch and a few more twists. It didn’t build the way I hoped it would.
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LibraryThing member marybeth1018
In Flash Point the world is different after "the Collapse" destroys the economy (think The Depression times 100). There are only two classes of people. The extremely rich and the extremely poor, the middle class has been eradicated. Children are now deemed adults at the age of 16 because there were
When Amy leaves the studio to go home, she finds a man bleeding on the ground. When she stops to help him, he jumps up and attacks her. Come to find out the same thing happened to everyone who got on the show, and the viewers need to guess correctly how a certain person reacted to win the grand prize. Which is 5 million dollars. The ratings go crazy and they are all instantly famous. Only problem is with each episode its getting more and more dangerous and the kids have no idea when they are apart of a scenario or if it's a real life situation they are dealing with.
I really liked the "cast" of the reality show an how all their different personalities shown through. No one got lost in this book, even though Amy was the main character. It's definitely a book that grabs your attention and doesn't let go
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so many orphans the country needed to figure out a way to not be responsible for the kids. Amy is 16 and is struggling to support her sick grandmother and younger sister. Amy is working as a waitress when an she gets an opportunity to interview for a new tv show. Which she knows nothing about, except that it pays MUCH better than her current job. Amy gets one of the roles on the reality show. She now has medical care for her sick grandmother and enough money to pay the rent, finally.When Amy leaves the studio to go home, she finds a man bleeding on the ground. When she stops to help him, he jumps up and attacks her. Come to find out the same thing happened to everyone who got on the show, and the viewers need to guess correctly how a certain person reacted to win the grand prize. Which is 5 million dollars. The ratings go crazy and they are all instantly famous. Only problem is with each episode its getting more and more dangerous and the kids have no idea when they are apart of a scenario or if it's a real life situation they are dealing with.
I really liked the "cast" of the reality show an how all their different personalities shown through. No one got lost in this book, even though Amy was the main character. It's definitely a book that grabs your attention and doesn't let go
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LibraryThing member gypsycab79
Predictable and inconsistent. A lot of loose ends. The whole book felt sloppily written. A much tighter, more compelling story could have been written in half the pages.
LibraryThing member skraft001
A YA book that was very predictable in spots. Felt like a cross between Big Brother and Survivor set a future that still has Twitter, YouTube & Facebook. A 'nice' ending where everybody lives happily ever after...
LibraryThing member gilroy
This book felt like the first book someone wrote and thought was a good idea. This means it wasn't HORRIBLE but it wasn't exactly movie magic material either. I at least finished it, which is a good sign. But I could read two chapters, put it down, and go to sleep with no issues. That says
The story was too scattered. We had too many ideas, too many plot points, too many concepts, not enough of any one story. The whole bit of the main character's mental glitches with "phantoms" was a plot point in and of itself, not just a character quirk as the author tried to use it. The game show could have been great, but it was too scattered with other problems. I think I counted five primary plots of which three get resolved. Maybe.
As someone who wrote how to books about writing, you'd think Nancy Kress would know how to keep things tight. This book didn't feel like it.
If you want to learn things from her, read this book.
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something right there. The story was too scattered. We had too many ideas, too many plot points, too many concepts, not enough of any one story. The whole bit of the main character's mental glitches with "phantoms" was a plot point in and of itself, not just a character quirk as the author tried to use it. The game show could have been great, but it was too scattered with other problems. I think I counted five primary plots of which three get resolved. Maybe.
As someone who wrote how to books about writing, you'd think Nancy Kress would know how to keep things tight. This book didn't feel like it.
If you want to learn things from her, read this book.
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LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Reality TV fans and aspiring stars will relish this dystopian take on the genre. Amy is hired on to the cast of a new reality show and she accepts, primarily because her family needs the money and her ailing grandmother needs health care. But what is the reality if the contestants are reacting to
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special effects and manipulation? Show producer Myra is hellbent on creating a success in order to erase a past professional failure, but at what cost? The plot pushes relentlessly forward with plenty of action and suspense that teens will love. Amy's realization that nobody truly knows all sides of anyone else seemed an unsatisfyingly easy conclusion. Show Less
LibraryThing member wealhtheowwylfing
This is the story of a poor teenager selected for a reality show that continually throws her into strange or dangerous simulated experiences. The rest of the world watches the scenario and votes on how she probably responded. As the show ratings start to dip, the simulations get scarier.
Kress is
Kress is
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known for her ability to create near futures that are frightening, exciting, and plausible. Her attention to the social and economic consequences of technological progress sets her work apart. Unfortunately, I don't think she quite hit her mark in this book. I just don't buy the way the reality show worked. Additionally, there are a number of plot hooks (like Amy having "phantom" visions of the truth of situations, whether Rafe or Violet is involved with the rioters, and what Amy's sister Kaylie is up to) that get dropped in favor of a quick wrap up. That said, I found the first half of this compulsively readable. Show Less
Physical description
400 p.; 8.4 inches
ISBN
0670012475 / 9780670012473
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