Welcome to a world where your future is not yours to decide...
At thirteen, a flawless system chooses your fate. You must accept the decision and follow the career path selected for you.
But what if the system is wrong? What if your destiny feels like it should belong to someone else?
Your Fate Has Been Decided
Imagine receiving a letter that dictates your entire future. Thirteen-year-old Mickey LaRoche was hoping that letter would tell him he'd been chosen for farming. Instead, he is welcomed to Entertainment, a flashy, artificial world created to entice and regale Citizens.
When Mickey arrives at the elite Freemont Career School, he soon discovers he isn't there to be a celebrity; he is there to learn behind-the-scene tasks, all while serving as an extra in a semi-scripted reality TV show. Mickey is drawn into school politics by his roommate, Paul, and into a secret friendship with Sai’rah, megastar and sweetheart of the Country. As he navigates through his first year at Freemont, he begins to realize that every move is monitored, even for the students meant to stay in the background.
The idea of Freemont ATT stemmed from two observations I couldn’t ignore:
1. How can two people look at the same thing but not 'see' the same thing? That question stayed with me—from the viral dress that some saw as black and blue while others swore it was white and gold, to the way news outlets, TV stations, and radio shows report the same events with completely different ‘facts.’ I noticed not only a difference in the way information is provided, but also in the way it is received by the viewer/listener. I began to wonder, what chance does the truth have?
2. Watching my brilliant niece, a valedictorian with a master’s in biology, struggle to find stable work, decent healthcare, and the future she’d earned through hard work and grit.
This book is my way of exploring these odd discrepancies. Why isn't anyone paying attention to the manipulation of information? Why isn't anyone fixing the inadequacies? And if they did, would a utopia where education is paid for, everyone is employed, and many important decisions are made for us do the trick?
Why I Wrote This Book
Core Themes
- Systemic Control of Destiny
- Media Distortion and Perception
- The Myth of Equal Opportunity
- Challenging Hidden Hierarchies
The Mind Behind the System
I am a medical technologist who has spent years drafting laboratory procedures. Lately, I have become fascinated by the power of social media and news outlets to sculpt and manipulate the images of public figures. The consequential extreme divide between loving and hating these strangers is captivating and is a driving force in my work.
Connect with Lisa
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