Dear Parent/Guardian, As a business teacher, I understand the need for marketing and advertising in a free market economy.

However, advertising has increasingly invaded the world of our young people. They are inundated with advertising messages from the time they are babies. Advertising is also changing to become sneaker and less obvious to the target. This important topic is the focus of our unit: Breaking the Feed. In this unit we will read the book Feed as a class. This book has won and been nominated for many awards including: o Finalist 2002 National Book Award for Young People's Literature o Winner 2003 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction o Winner 2003 Golden Duck Awards Hal Clement Award for Young Adults o Nominee 20052006 Green Mountain Book Award It is used in many high school and even middle school classrooms. In the book, people have a chip implanted in their brain which allows them to surf, text (message), shop, and listen to music in their head. They also are targeted for advertising according to their thoughts and behaviors. This dystopian novel is written in first person by the main character, a teenager. The dialogue is very similar to text-speak and many uses of the word like and other slang. In addition, it has many repeated uses of curse words I do not use in class (or otherwise). Although the language is pervasive, it is in the book for a reason. It serves to show the limited vocabulary of a generation dependent on texting or messaging. When the characters are introduced to a girl who does not speak them, it shows how unintelligent the main characters may be. The language is something we will discuss as a class and not read out loud. However, if you have a problem with this book, please let me know and I will supplement another text for your student. If you agree to allow your student to read this novel, please sign on the line below. __________________________________________________ _________ Signature Sincerely, Irene Mayfield Business/Marketing Instructor DECA/School Store Advisor

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