Rash is the seventh stand-alone young adult book by local author Pete Hautman. His fifth novel for young adults, Godless, won him a National Book Award in 2005.
Aimed mainly at the 12-18 age group, readers of all ages will enjoy Rash. Set in the future, Rash is reminiscent of such classic adult books as 1984 and Brave New World.
In 2074, the USA has changed drastically and is now the USSA-the United Safer States of America, a country where individual freedoms have been sacrificed for safer cities.
When teenager Bo Marsten breaks too many laws, like name-calling and fighting, and finally is accused of causing a rash that plagues his school, he is sentenced to prison, following in his father's footsteps. In fact five of Bo's relatives are currently incarcerated for various infractions.
But prison is no longer a place for whiling away hours in a jail cell, thinking about one's crimes. Inmates are put to work -hard work-because in this future society prisoners make up the majority of the labor force.
Bo begins laboring at a prison pizza factory 14 hours a day, but is soon recruited for the prison football team (football is now illegal on the outside) and a much easier work schedule -except for the football training. The precautions and protective gear of the USSA do not exist inside prison walls and Bo begins a dangerous game of anything goes football amid eminent threats of hungry polar bears waiting for anyone who dares climb the prison yard fence.
Football fans will enjoy the fast-paced play-by-play scenes:
I had slipped past Rogers and Pineapple. Free and clear, I ran straight downfield along the fence. Fragger, half a second from being obliterated by Rhino, sent the ball sailing in a clean, high arc. It was long. I put on a burst of speed and stretched my arms out, willing them to grow longer. The ball touched my fingertips and, like magic, I had it.
Bo is kept company by an A.I. being of his creation named Bork. This well-developed character pops up throughout the story and adds humor, intrigue, and help for Bo's dire, incarcerated situation.
Another strong influence in Bo's life is his outspoken grandfather, another Marsten rebel: "The whole country's gone off its nut. I'm living in an insane asylum," he often states. But when Bo's grandfather and Bork step up for his legal defense, will they help or hurt Bo's prospects of freedom?
Rash is a quick read with strong active voice, great characterization and an excellent story. The world created is eerily believable and will resonate with readers, making them wonder: Could this be where we're headed?
- Kristin Johnson