Common Sense Media Review
By Joe Applegate
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dystopian romance links teen suicide and memory.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 7 parent reviews
Based on 21 kid reviews
Kids say the book features a mix of engaging and challenging themes, centering around mental health and relationships, with some readers finding it emotionally impactful, while others criticize it for lacking depth in character development and realistic portrayals of sensitive topics. Many highlight the romantic elements as sweet yet acknowledge varied degrees of sexual content and language that might not be suitable for all younger readers.
- emotional themes
- character critiques
- mixed reviews
- appropriate age
- romantic elements
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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?
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
- Author :
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , School ( High School ) , STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon Pulse
- Publication date : April 30, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 416
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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