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Coda

Coda - Emma Trevayne MY THOUGHTSLOVED ITAnthem lives in a post-apocalyptic New York, where music is used as a drug and the citizens are addicted to the sounds much like soma in Brave New World. It keeps the population malleable and in line while keeping the rich in power and the poor as worker drones. The world building happens quite quickly as you as dragged into a world that is both familiar and alien at the same time. Anthem works as a human generator, using his life as a means to power the city and government and in turn he can support his family. During his shifts, he reads old classic books which in turn inspire him. Most people don't live past thirty and are kept in almost starvation like conditions. I kept thinking that this could easily be happening today.Anthem and his friends have started an illegal musical group, using instruments that they have fashioned themselves. Only state authorized groups can actually earn a living with their music and that music in turn is made into drugs that cease pain, relieve depression but not quite cure any illness. With his mother dead and his father dying, he tries to make a home for his twin brother and sister, keeping them from ever listening to the music that will also cause their early death. With the help of Haven, not quite his girlfriend yet, he knows that she is above him in station and has more money than he can ever imagine.As Anthem gathers his group, he also realizes that the manufactured music is killing people especially when his mentor, Johnny, is used as a warning and dies from an overdose right in front of him. That incident forces Anthem to become a lightening rod for change and as he is taken down by the government, he uses his talent to spark a revolution. Now, I was left with a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this one. Could these kids really spark a change in their condition? There is a lot more to this story.

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