The Program
A couple of years ago I read the book The Program by Suzanne Young. I have read tons of books since then, however, this book is one I find myself thinking about the most. It is a science fiction novel that takes place in the future when depression is a rapidly spreading disease.
Many teens and young adults are diagnosed with depression every day. In the book, it is almost like a contagious disease. If someone's close friend or family member starts feeling depressed then they will start feeling the same way. In order to try to stop the spread, everyone is closely monitored and students are given quizzes daily about how they are feeling that day. If one has any symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts, they are sent to The Program.
The Program is considered to be a cure for depression. Students are sent to a hospital-like building where they are heavily monitored. Every day they are sent into a room with a “therapist” and given two pills. One to make them speak the truth and the other to make them forget everything they say. The “therapist” asks them a series of questions about their personal lives, trying to find what caused them to become depressed. Although they don't know this, everything they say, they are forgetting. Basically, the program erases their memories, so there is no reason to feel depressed.
More and more people in today's society are diagnosed with depression daily. Therefore it is not hard to imagine a society such as this one. It kind of scares me that something like the program could become our reality one day. Yes, I know we probably won't be erasing each other's memories, but what if depression gets so bad that we have to take similar drastic measures such as these?
I found this book to be very interesting and highly recommend it to anyone. If you are looking for facts and information about depression this is not the story for you. This is just a fictional story that really makes you think about what our society could turn into.
 |
| Find it at Barnes & Noble |
This book sounds extremely intriguing, and it feels very familiar. At this point in my life I have not ruled any possibilities out for our future, and with our planet's current mental state, it is scary to think this book could become a reality for us. When I was in 5th grade I read a dystopian type novel that talked about a world wide plague that wrecked people's lives and I remember having to stop reading because the possibility scared me. At this point anything could be possible and this book seems to hit close to home, and would probably be one I would have to put down because the thought is too much to handle. It is disappointing that books like this are being written, people are aware of the severity of depression, especially in young adults, but it feels like not much is being done. I hope we have a better way, then memory wiping, to help people with their mental health, but we need change and fast.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review of this book. I remember seeing it on the shelf, but haven't read it. It reminds me a little bit of the movie *Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind* which had a similar premise of erasing memories in an effort to be happier.
ReplyDelete