Like We Care: A Novel

Music, television, cigarettes, junk food. In the world of Matthews’s bitingly satiric novel, these industries all rely on and take advantage of teenagers for a large proportion of their incomes. High-school senior Todd Noland has grown tired of it and develops a unique idea. Stop buying it. Stop buying the products, the hype, and the peer pressure. All of it. With the aid of fellow senior Joel Karstan, he organises a protest against the neighbourhood convenience store that is effective enough to attract the attention of Annie McCullough. A 20-something executive for R2Rev, a music video cable channel boasting edgy and offensive hosts, she is young enough to appreciate the protest yet savvy enough to help carry it and her career forward. As the media attention builds, the teens set their sights on a new cause – electing their history teacher to a seat on the town council.