Diamond Age

Reading Blog For IT8440

Has anyone else started reading the novel yet? I have had to reread the first forty pages or so just to sort out the characters. I can understand why people have a hard time getting through the first 100 pages though. So far, I haven't met a character I care much about. I shared with my fifth graders the way the author appropriates common words from our "everyday" and uses them in a new context for futuristic effect. I also told them about the view of implants in the book. The kids were fascinated that it would be "allowed" to implant a gun that could break ones' neck. Then another said, "just go to a neck cafe and get a new vertebrae". These kids are certainly ready for a Digital Age!