Parents' Guide to

The Program, Book 1

By Joe Applegate, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Dystopian romance links teen suicide and memory.

Book Suzanne Young Science Fiction 2013
The Program, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 6 parent reviews

mmd2021
mmd2021 Parent of 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14-year-old
July 4, 2022
age 14+

Emotionally Mature Content - Proceed With Caution

As a reader, I like this book and the series. I think it is an interesting concept and I would REALLY like to see this get turned into a movie or TV show. As a Middle School Educator, I do not recommend this book to my students UNLESS I know that they are a.) Emotionally Mature enough to handle the content AND b.) I have permission from their parents for them to read it. I have some 6th graders who could handle it and I have some 8th graders who couldn't. Potential issues people may have with this book: - Suicide (not glorified, but there is an epidemic of teenagers killing themselves OR wanting to and getting put into a program in which their memories are erased) - Some glorification of sex between high schoolers - Sexual harassment of the main character by a person in a position of power - Some swearing

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Sebastian O.
Sebastian O. Adult
June 11, 2018
age 14+

A great book

I think that it does have a hard topic but kids that are 12 already know the topic. It has a great message about helping others. I will read the next one. Sex is mentioned in the story but not described.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Sloane's little brother has succumbed to the suicide epidemic that is gripping the nation. She and her high school boyfriend, James, vow to save each other from The Program, the government's absolutely effective cure, which results in a loss of memory. After both of them get caught in The Program's web, Sloane is challenged to find the love in her life, which exists only in the past.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (21 ):

THE PROGRAM delivers on a haunting premise: Parents might be driven to betray their own children to a program of brainwashing to save them from an epidemic of suicide. Kids who return from The Program, their painful memories chemically deleted, behave like happy zombies. Here the story doesn't quite hold together -- you'd think their friends who hadn't been brainwashed would quickly fill them in on the past -- but its power derives from the fact that love and sadness can be terribly intertwined. Sloane, whose little brother commits suicide, misses him so much that following him in death seems less painful than going on, despite her love for her boyfriend, James. Sloane realizes that even if her parents did send her to The Program, living with pain is ultimately her responsibility.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why dystopian novels are so popular. What's compelling about stories featuring controlling governments?

  • In a world where 1 in 3 teens is at high risk of suicide, would authorities be justified in treating young people against their will?

  • The book describes "behavioral contagion." Is that just a stronger term for peer pressure? Can peer pressure be a good thing?

Book Details

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