Monday, February 19, 2018

Waste of Space by Gina Damico - ADVISABLE

Damico, Gina Waste of Space, 396 pages.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing 2017. $17.99. Language: R (161 swears, 3 "f"); Mature Content: PG-13; Violence: PG-13.

Ten teens all looking to escape their mundane and angst filled lives embark on the adventure of a lifetime, or so they thought.  Chaze Young, CEO of DV8  productions has decided on a new reality TV show.  Sending a mixed demographic of stereotypical teens into space, Big Brother style.  The only way off the ship is to be voted out as that weeks "Waste of Space".  Unbeknownst to the prospective "spacetronauts" the entire production is completely fake.  True to reality TV, anything goes and the more scandalous the better. 

Damico's satirical look at reality TV is definitely on point.  The story is written as a transcript from an intern exposing the production company for the frauds they really are. Damico's characters are extreme in their stereotypes making them difficult to connect with but the absurdity of the show and humor will keep you engaged, and the surprise ending was a good twist.

HS -ADVISABLE. Gina, Media Specialist

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