The Future of Us

In 1996 less than half of all American high school students had ever used the Internet.

Facebook would not be invented until several years into the future.

Emma and Josh are about to log on to their futures.

Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler work together to create a very exciting tale about two high school students logging into their Facebook accounts, seven years before it's even created. I know what you're thinking. "The Future of Us" sounds like some stupid love story about teens and love. Cue rolling of the eyes. But, suprisingly, it's not. "The Future of Us" is about two kids who log onto their future Facebook account, fifteen years into the future, and see everything. Their spouses, careers, homes, and status updates. It's all there. Except, everytime they refresh the page, their futures change. As they realize all the problems in their life in the future, they go crazy trying to fix it. At first Emma sees her futures marriage is in danger. Before she thinks it through, she finds her future husband in the phone book, and calls him. She finds out that she meets this guy at college; her dream college. She simply tells herself she's never going to go to Tampa State, even though its her dream. She refreshes the page, and miraculously, she's married to a different guy named Kevin.

Potentially messing up their lives even further, they realize how delicate the future really is. For example, Josh finds out he's married to Sydney Mills, the hot and popular Junior. He also has three kids, two twin girls and a little boy. Only problem? She doesn't know he exists. Without trying to, he sticks up for her in class, drawing her attention to him. The next time they check his page, Josh and Sydney are expecting. Their first child.

I turn the chair to look directly at her. "Come on, even if it's a prank, don't you want to see who they say you end up marrying?"

Emma thinks about it for a second. "Fine," she says.

I click on the photo and a new screen appears. We watch the large square in the center slowly fill from top to bottom. First, choppy ocean waves. Then a man's face. He's wearing black sunglasses. Then his fingers, gripped around the sword-like nose of a fish. When the picture has fully loaded, we see that the man is standing at the bow of a fishing boat.

"That fish is huge!" I say. "I wonder where he is? I guess it's supposed to be Florida."

"He's hot!" Emma says. "For an older guy. I wonder where they got this picture."

We're startled by a rapid knock on Emma's door, followed by her mom entering the room.

"Do you like your new computer?" she asks. "Are you two surfing the World Wide Web with all those free hours?"

Emma moves slightly in front of the monitor. "We're researching swordfish."

"And future husbands," I say, which gets the back of my arm a sharp pinch.


I actually really loved the style Asher and Mackler wrote the book. The book is written in a switch from Josh and Emma, so you can really connect with both characters individually. By the way they styled the book, you could really see the different personalities of the two. The writers did a fantastic job on describing the two, and getting the sense of Emma and Josh and how they think differently as a boy and a girl. There were parts that were so entertaining and funny, I absolutely loved it. This book can definitely can go into the comedy category.

Personally I really enjoyed this book. I could not put it down. I finished it in two days! It was different than I was used to, and a different idea for a book, which I really liked. It was so interesting to be able to see really how sensitive our futures are, and how easily they can be changed by one little ripple. I think almost anyone would enjoy this book. Since you get two sides to the story, it can connect to boys and girls too. Plus, this story is packed full of humor. Who wouldn't like that? If you choose to read this book, I know you wouldn't regret it.