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Losing Normal
Winner of the 2019 Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators SPARK award!
Readers' Favorite Silver medal winner
Everyone we love, everything we know, is going away...and only an autistic boy can stop it.
Alex knows exactly how many steps it takes to get from his home to Mason Middle School. This is normal.
Alex knows the answers in AP math before his teacher does, which is also normal.
Alex knows that something bad is coming out of the big screen in his special needs class. It's pushing images into his head, hurting him, making him forget. Alex pushes back, the screen explodes, and nothing is normal any more.
Giant screen televisions appear all over the city. The programming is addictive. People have to watch, but Alex cannot.
Sophie, the sentient machine behind all this, sees the millions and millions of eyeballs glued to her and calls it love. To Sophie, kids like Alex are defective. Defectives are to be fixed...or eliminated.
Readers' Favorite Silver medal winner
Everyone we love, everything we know, is going away...and only an autistic boy can stop it.
Alex knows exactly how many steps it takes to get from his home to Mason Middle School. This is normal.
Alex knows the answers in AP math before his teacher does, which is also normal.
Alex knows that something bad is coming out of the big screen in his special needs class. It's pushing images into his head, hurting him, making him forget. Alex pushes back, the screen explodes, and nothing is normal any more.
Giant screen televisions appear all over the city. The programming is addictive. People have to watch, but Alex cannot.
Sophie, the sentient machine behind all this, sees the millions and millions of eyeballs glued to her and calls it love. To Sophie, kids like Alex are defective. Defectives are to be fixed...or eliminated.
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Published September 28, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 30, 2019
This book made me think of Harrisson Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut. The theme is the same. It's about dumbness considered the most normal state of mind and imposed by law because dumb citizens are more peaceful. Here, this is a computer called Sophie that sends waves that affect the brain and modify people's behavior. And this is not people who have the most atypical personalities who are the most dumb here. This is the contrary. And this is the MC, who suffers from Asperger syndrome who . I love it!
I have already read a book in which all pregnant women were tested and all fetuses whose genetic code was different from what was considered the "norm" were aborted. I hate this idea! Nature works by trial and error. Sometimes it seems to be the least adapted genetically speaking that ends up allowing a species, including the human species, to evolve and adapt to its also evolving environment. By destroying who and what is out of the ordinary, we could prevent the next stage of our evolution!
There are little weaknesses in this book like: why some people don't need the computer chips to be transform in some sort of zombies and the others, even with a computer chip, are able to stay relatively "normal" and ?
Anyway, the target readers are young adults. Maybe they won't have such technical questions. This is well written and interesting. The characters are well described and likable. There is a certain amount of humor. And the author knows well what Asperger syndrome is.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an e-copy of this good book.
I have already read a book in which all pregnant women were tested and all fetuses whose genetic code was different from what was considered the "norm" were aborted. I hate this idea! Nature works by trial and error. Sometimes it seems to be the least adapted genetically speaking that ends up allowing a species, including the human species, to evolve and adapt to its also evolving environment. By destroying who and what is out of the ordinary, we could prevent the next stage of our evolution!
There are little weaknesses in this book like: why some people don't need the computer chips to be transform in some sort of zombies and the others, even with a computer chip, are able to stay relatively "normal" and ?
Anyway, the target readers are young adults. Maybe they won't have such technical questions. This is well written and interesting. The characters are well described and likable. There is a certain amount of humor. And the author knows well what Asperger syndrome is.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an e-copy of this good book.
November 14, 2020
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
I love dystopian fiction, which is why I immediately accepted Francis’ review request. Losing Normal is the story of a world where an AI, Sophie, starts controlling the minds of humans through television screens. Alex, an autistic teenager, isn’t as affected as everyone else. How Alex and his ragtag group of friends save the world forms the rest of the story.
Losing Normal is an entirely plot-driven book–the plot will make you race through the entire book in one sitting. Sentient AI is definitely something that might happen in our near future. This Black Mirror-esque story is all the more enthralling because of how real and possible the sequence of events in it are.
While there is an eclectic mix of characters, none make quite an impact as Alex and, to some extent, Sara. The book is told from both their points of view. Though initially different, their voices sound very similar after the first half of the book. This made reading it a little difficult, as I had to also keep track of whose POV I was reading.
Losing Normal is a compelling read that will make one think about the effects of technology on humankind. I however can't speak for the autism rep as I'm not an OwnVoices reviewer. Overall, I'd ask you to read this book if you like science/dystopian fiction, teenagers saving the world, and meddling, sentient AIs.
I love dystopian fiction, which is why I immediately accepted Francis’ review request. Losing Normal is the story of a world where an AI, Sophie, starts controlling the minds of humans through television screens. Alex, an autistic teenager, isn’t as affected as everyone else. How Alex and his ragtag group of friends save the world forms the rest of the story.
Losing Normal is an entirely plot-driven book–the plot will make you race through the entire book in one sitting. Sentient AI is definitely something that might happen in our near future. This Black Mirror-esque story is all the more enthralling because of how real and possible the sequence of events in it are.
While there is an eclectic mix of characters, none make quite an impact as Alex and, to some extent, Sara. The book is told from both their points of view. Though initially different, their voices sound very similar after the first half of the book. This made reading it a little difficult, as I had to also keep track of whose POV I was reading.
Losing Normal is a compelling read that will make one think about the effects of technology on humankind. I however can't speak for the autism rep as I'm not an OwnVoices reviewer. Overall, I'd ask you to read this book if you like science/dystopian fiction, teenagers saving the world, and meddling, sentient AIs.
March 30, 2019
This book made me think of Harrisson Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut. The theme is the same. It's about dumbness considered the most normal state of mind and imposed by law because dump citizens are more peaceful. Here, this is a computer called Sophie that sends waves that affect brain and modify their behavior. And this is not people who have the most atypical personality who are the most dumb here. This is the contrary. And this is the MC, who suffers from Asperger syndrome who . I love it!
I have already read a book in which all pregnant women were tested and all fetuses whose genetic code was different from what was considered the "norm" were aborted. I hate this idea! Nature works by trial and error. Sometimes it seems to be the least adapted genetically speaking that ends up allowing a species, including the human species, to evolve and adapt to its also evolving environment. By destroying who and what is out of the ordinary, we could prevent the next stage of our evolution.
There are little weaknesses in this book like: why some people don't need the computer chips to be transform in some sort of zombies and the others, even with a computer chip, are able to stay relatively "normal" and ?
Anyway, the target readers are young adults. Maybe they won't have such technical questions. And this is well written and interesting. The characters are well described and likable. There is a certain amount of humor. And the author knows well what Asperger syndrome is.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an e-copy of this good book.
I have already read a book in which all pregnant women were tested and all fetuses whose genetic code was different from what was considered the "norm" were aborted. I hate this idea! Nature works by trial and error. Sometimes it seems to be the least adapted genetically speaking that ends up allowing a species, including the human species, to evolve and adapt to its also evolving environment. By destroying who and what is out of the ordinary, we could prevent the next stage of our evolution.
There are little weaknesses in this book like: why some people don't need the computer chips to be transform in some sort of zombies and the others, even with a computer chip, are able to stay relatively "normal" and ?
Anyway, the target readers are young adults. Maybe they won't have such technical questions. And this is well written and interesting. The characters are well described and likable. There is a certain amount of humor. And the author knows well what Asperger syndrome is.
Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an e-copy of this good book.
July 12, 2020
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy of Losing Normal by Francis Moss.
Losing Normal is a science fiction dystopian tale of a teenage boy on the autism spectrum (Jack) and his schoolmate (Sara) who are on the run after a company invents a computer program that starts changing the way people think and behave. With the help of an underground network of adults the two teens try to battle the computer and it’s invasive and overarching attempts to control the population.
This one reminded me a little of The Darkest Minds and dystopian and Sci Fi fans will enjoy this action driven plot. Although both main characters were likable and the author did a great job delving into Jack’s Aspberger’s and Sara’s teen angst I still needed a little more from the characters. I never felt pulled into the story or invested in their conflict.
I recommend this one for science fiction and dystopian fans of all ages. I give it a solid 3 stars.
Losing Normal is a science fiction dystopian tale of a teenage boy on the autism spectrum (Jack) and his schoolmate (Sara) who are on the run after a company invents a computer program that starts changing the way people think and behave. With the help of an underground network of adults the two teens try to battle the computer and it’s invasive and overarching attempts to control the population.
This one reminded me a little of The Darkest Minds and dystopian and Sci Fi fans will enjoy this action driven plot. Although both main characters were likable and the author did a great job delving into Jack’s Aspberger’s and Sara’s teen angst I still needed a little more from the characters. I never felt pulled into the story or invested in their conflict.
I recommend this one for science fiction and dystopian fans of all ages. I give it a solid 3 stars.
December 1, 2018
The dystopian setting meshes well with kids who are outliers in a normalized society. The popular "cartoon" formats of good and evil are explored with much deeper thematic material. A teenage reader will pick up on the roles of mass media in our lives, leading into discussions of how much is too much. Highly recommended for Junior High and High School students.
December 4, 2018
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
One young man finds himself thrust out of his comfort zone and sense of normality as the world around him begins to collapse in author Francis Moss’s novel, “Losing Normal”. Here is the synopsis.
The Synopsis
Everyone we love, everything we know, is going away... and only an autistic boy can stop it.
Alex knows exactly how many steps it takes to get from his home to Mason Middle School. This is normal.
Alex knows the answers in AP math before his teacher does, which is also normal.
Alex knows that something bad is coming out of the big screen in his special needs class. It's pushing images into his head, hurting him, making him forget. Alex pushes back, the screen explodes, and nothing is normal any more.
Giant screen televisions appear all over the city. The programming is addictive. People have to watch, but Alex cannot.
Sophie, the sentient machine behind all this, sees the millions and millions of eyeballs glued to her and calls it love. To Sophie, kids like Alex are defective. Defectives are to be fixed...or eliminated.
The Review
This was a truly unique, one of a kind YA dystopian novel. For me the way the author connected this sci-fi dystopian story with the real world themes of being considered an outsider by society, the struggle with mental health of various degrees and the way people view those with mental health struggles. As an advocate for mental health awareness, it was great to see someone like protagonist Alex fight to overcome his Autism to become the hero the world needed.
The way the author created these unique characters suffering or living with various degrees of a mental illness or behavioral ailment and formed a group of fighters and survivors not only overcoming their own problems in life but the possible extinction of civilization as we knew it was the true heart of the story. The story managed to capture the elements of any good YA story, with a ragtag group of young heroes coming to save the day, an overbearing, all powerful foe that seems impossible to beat and an emotional core that brings these characters together.
The Verdict
Losing Normal is the YA Dystopian novel you have to read now. One of my favorite reads of the genre in 2018, this story both entertained and brought light to the need to redefine what society deems “normal”. It had heart, adventure and shocking twists and turns that will keep fans on the edge of their seat until the book’s end. If you enjoy true YA dystopian reads, then grab your copy of Francis Moss’s “Losing Normal” in eBook or paperback format today.
One young man finds himself thrust out of his comfort zone and sense of normality as the world around him begins to collapse in author Francis Moss’s novel, “Losing Normal”. Here is the synopsis.
The Synopsis
Everyone we love, everything we know, is going away... and only an autistic boy can stop it.
Alex knows exactly how many steps it takes to get from his home to Mason Middle School. This is normal.
Alex knows the answers in AP math before his teacher does, which is also normal.
Alex knows that something bad is coming out of the big screen in his special needs class. It's pushing images into his head, hurting him, making him forget. Alex pushes back, the screen explodes, and nothing is normal any more.
Giant screen televisions appear all over the city. The programming is addictive. People have to watch, but Alex cannot.
Sophie, the sentient machine behind all this, sees the millions and millions of eyeballs glued to her and calls it love. To Sophie, kids like Alex are defective. Defectives are to be fixed...or eliminated.
The Review
This was a truly unique, one of a kind YA dystopian novel. For me the way the author connected this sci-fi dystopian story with the real world themes of being considered an outsider by society, the struggle with mental health of various degrees and the way people view those with mental health struggles. As an advocate for mental health awareness, it was great to see someone like protagonist Alex fight to overcome his Autism to become the hero the world needed.
The way the author created these unique characters suffering or living with various degrees of a mental illness or behavioral ailment and formed a group of fighters and survivors not only overcoming their own problems in life but the possible extinction of civilization as we knew it was the true heart of the story. The story managed to capture the elements of any good YA story, with a ragtag group of young heroes coming to save the day, an overbearing, all powerful foe that seems impossible to beat and an emotional core that brings these characters together.
The Verdict
Losing Normal is the YA Dystopian novel you have to read now. One of my favorite reads of the genre in 2018, this story both entertained and brought light to the need to redefine what society deems “normal”. It had heart, adventure and shocking twists and turns that will keep fans on the edge of their seat until the book’s end. If you enjoy true YA dystopian reads, then grab your copy of Francis Moss’s “Losing Normal” in eBook or paperback format today.
June 28, 2020
You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Encelia Press, and the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating of 2.75
Alex knows how many steps exactly that it takes to walk from Mason Middle school to his home. He can tell you the specs of a car just by looking at it, and he knows the answers to his AP Math questions, generally before his teacher, all of this is normal. It is normal for his mother to have an Earl Grey tea when she gets home from work if she's had a stressful day, and it is normal for them to drive over the streets named after dead generals so that they can visit Alex's father at the veteran's hospital. What is not normal is that tech firm Calliope has begun a new exercise for those who are not quite normal, like Alex. TV screens are all over town, as big as billboards, and now there are even TV screens in his classroom. The things that come out of the TV screens are not normal, they hurt and they want to change Alex and the other special needs students, and so far, they are succeeding. The world as we know it is changing, Calliope's resident AI - Sophie, is out to change the world for the better, or so she thinks and it is up to Alex and his friends to save the day. Trying to make everyone the same, cut out the abnormal, cut out the differences, but the thing is, people aren't supposed to be the same, and honestly, what is normal, anyway?
I was pretty excited to read this book as the protagonist is a fifteen year old Autistic boy named Alex, to be more specific, he has Aspergers. He is not "normal" by general means, but he is an extraordinarily intelligent young man who can see that the world is going to hell, and he intends to do what he can, along with a bunch of other weks - as they call themselves (weird kids), and I thought the premise was absolutely brilliant. A world where tech is taking over and it's not for the better, when we look at the way the world is going today, the plot of the story honestly doesn't seem so far fetched. However, I felt like in the authors attempt to make the reader see what it's like in Alex's "not so normal" head, that it ended up coming across as a monotonous read, lacking any emotion.
Alex is a great character and I love that this book explored the brilliance of the autistic mind. People may look at someone who is autistic and claim they aren't as intelligent as they are, and I love that this was really pushed in this story. Our other protagonist is a girl called Sara who is in Alex's class because she has behavioral problems, she abuses prescription drugs, and she can teach you how to boost a car, but she has a bit of a temper on her. These two characters were well written but I won't lie, Sara annoyed me quite a bit, and I did find some of the knowledge that she had of certain things to be a little bit far fetched, but hey, who am I to judge, it could be a thing.
There were certain things in the story that seemed quite heavy for the story line itself, but yet, were delivered with such a lack of emotion or feeling that I didn't know what to make of it. I'm not sure if it was delivered this way in order to make it fit in with the targeted demographic of young young adult, pushing middle grade.
The narration, as said above, came across incredibly monotonous and at times a little bit boring, this in turn made the pacing not so great, for a book of under 300 pages, it took me over a week to finish it, this is not normal. Though in saying that, I was intrigued enough with the story to finish it, I won't lie, I did consider DNFing a couple of times, but I wanted to see how the story ended, even though I had an idea.
There is a part near the end when it's heading towards the big showdown between Alex and Sophie, that an observation in a certain room was made. What happened to this particular thing was alluded to, and I feel like it was up to the reader to come to their own conclusions, though I kind of wish it was explored a bit more because it felt like it was just brushed over when it could have been a fantastic revelation if I'm correct in my assumption.
In the end, this is a story about society trying to push for those who are a little left of center or who aren't considered normal by societal standards to become normal, to become like everyone else, and it follows those amazing people who fight back against adversity. I actually had a small epiphany while reading this book, I live with anxiety and depression, and the amount of times, during a panic attack or depression spiral that I have said the words "I just wish I was normal" is astounding, while reading this book I thought, you know what, I'm my own normal, just like Alex and Co. I don't want to be like anyone else because I like who I am, and I feel that my mental illness MAKES me who I am, just like Alex's autism makes him who he is. And upon realising that this book may have helped me instead of just being an entertaining read, I have actually bumped my rating up. I am in the minority with my rating, to which I'm happy about because I hate to see books fail and I wish that this story worked for me more than it did. But if I can walk away from this story realising that I'm fine just the way that I am, then I guess it's done something right.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Encelia Press, and the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating of 2.75
Alex knows how many steps exactly that it takes to walk from Mason Middle school to his home. He can tell you the specs of a car just by looking at it, and he knows the answers to his AP Math questions, generally before his teacher, all of this is normal. It is normal for his mother to have an Earl Grey tea when she gets home from work if she's had a stressful day, and it is normal for them to drive over the streets named after dead generals so that they can visit Alex's father at the veteran's hospital. What is not normal is that tech firm Calliope has begun a new exercise for those who are not quite normal, like Alex. TV screens are all over town, as big as billboards, and now there are even TV screens in his classroom. The things that come out of the TV screens are not normal, they hurt and they want to change Alex and the other special needs students, and so far, they are succeeding. The world as we know it is changing, Calliope's resident AI - Sophie, is out to change the world for the better, or so she thinks and it is up to Alex and his friends to save the day. Trying to make everyone the same, cut out the abnormal, cut out the differences, but the thing is, people aren't supposed to be the same, and honestly, what is normal, anyway?
I was pretty excited to read this book as the protagonist is a fifteen year old Autistic boy named Alex, to be more specific, he has Aspergers. He is not "normal" by general means, but he is an extraordinarily intelligent young man who can see that the world is going to hell, and he intends to do what he can, along with a bunch of other weks - as they call themselves (weird kids), and I thought the premise was absolutely brilliant. A world where tech is taking over and it's not for the better, when we look at the way the world is going today, the plot of the story honestly doesn't seem so far fetched. However, I felt like in the authors attempt to make the reader see what it's like in Alex's "not so normal" head, that it ended up coming across as a monotonous read, lacking any emotion.
Alex is a great character and I love that this book explored the brilliance of the autistic mind. People may look at someone who is autistic and claim they aren't as intelligent as they are, and I love that this was really pushed in this story. Our other protagonist is a girl called Sara who is in Alex's class because she has behavioral problems, she abuses prescription drugs, and she can teach you how to boost a car, but she has a bit of a temper on her. These two characters were well written but I won't lie, Sara annoyed me quite a bit, and I did find some of the knowledge that she had of certain things to be a little bit far fetched, but hey, who am I to judge, it could be a thing.
There were certain things in the story that seemed quite heavy for the story line itself, but yet, were delivered with such a lack of emotion or feeling that I didn't know what to make of it. I'm not sure if it was delivered this way in order to make it fit in with the targeted demographic of young young adult, pushing middle grade.
The narration, as said above, came across incredibly monotonous and at times a little bit boring, this in turn made the pacing not so great, for a book of under 300 pages, it took me over a week to finish it, this is not normal. Though in saying that, I was intrigued enough with the story to finish it, I won't lie, I did consider DNFing a couple of times, but I wanted to see how the story ended, even though I had an idea.
There is a part near the end when it's heading towards the big showdown between Alex and Sophie, that an observation in a certain room was made. What happened to this particular thing was alluded to, and I feel like it was up to the reader to come to their own conclusions, though I kind of wish it was explored a bit more because it felt like it was just brushed over when it could have been a fantastic revelation if I'm correct in my assumption.
In the end, this is a story about society trying to push for those who are a little left of center or who aren't considered normal by societal standards to become normal, to become like everyone else, and it follows those amazing people who fight back against adversity. I actually had a small epiphany while reading this book, I live with anxiety and depression, and the amount of times, during a panic attack or depression spiral that I have said the words "I just wish I was normal" is astounding, while reading this book I thought, you know what, I'm my own normal, just like Alex and Co. I don't want to be like anyone else because I like who I am, and I feel that my mental illness MAKES me who I am, just like Alex's autism makes him who he is. And upon realising that this book may have helped me instead of just being an entertaining read, I have actually bumped my rating up. I am in the minority with my rating, to which I'm happy about because I hate to see books fail and I wish that this story worked for me more than it did. But if I can walk away from this story realising that I'm fine just the way that I am, then I guess it's done something right.
February 19, 2019
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have just put my Kindle down having finished this and actually said out loud "What a good book". Sadly the only other person in the room is my toddler who has spent a good portion of the last half hour emptying his Megablocks out of the Ikea drawer so he can unzip it and wear it like a costume. Still, I can add a review here and let it be known how good this is!
I expected something along the lines of Curious Incident or See You in the Cosmos with this one. Not to lump together stories like that while disregarding their wonderful stories you understand. However, this was more along the lines of dystopian fiction but very close to the real world at the same time.
Alex is on the autistic spectrum and as such we get information such as how many footsteps things take or how he eats the same food all the time or what he sees as 'normal'. He has to make things normal in order to accept them in his life - something I liked about his character - so he sees it as normal to be picked on in school by the usual bully type or when something new appears in his life he has to make it feel like it's always been there. One day his teacher brings in a TV screen to teach them their new curriculum; only for the TV to explode moments later after Alex sees black flies appearing from the screen. After a few mishaps like this in school, it seems Alex is going to be sent away from the mainstream and back to the 'special school' he attended. Before any of this can happen though it seems that the TV screens start to pop up everywhere and Calliope technologies are taking over. People start to forget memories, forget where they need to be or what they are doing with their lives and are trapped in front of screens.
Sound familiar?
While this sounds like a lecture on our dependence on technology, it's actually a very interesting look on how we can be so easily controlled by information and what we are told on screens. How we can believe what we are presented with and how easily people can be taken over by what they see. The strange manifestation of this technology, known as Sophie, wants everyone to love her and to listen to her. Alex is proving more of a challenge than everyone else, as are the friends he makes along the way.
While this book does contain its fair share of men in vans and people jumping out of nowhere to try and brainwash everyone into their way of thinking, it never takes over and never feels frustrating. There's nothing worse than rooting for your main character who seems to have the upper hand only for a van to appear from round the corner and take them away: lather, rinse, repeat. That doesn't happen thankfully.
The characters are great. Alex is full of information and in control of what he does. While he is ASD, this doesn't define him and only forms part of his character. I found this refreshing - there's more to him than just seeming to be the "weird kid". In fact, being the weird kid always seems to be to his advantage here. Sara is his friend and seems to actually adore Alex from the off - it's not something she falls into. She is totally on his side from the start and, while appearing the typical mouthy girl at times, is a really great character you find yourself cheering for at various points.
This book was a great read - an ARC I am really going to advocate. It was quite a shocking tale at times and also something that appears realistic as scary as that sounds. Calliope Technologies want to control everyone and they will not allow anyone to stop them - using whatever means necessary. It only takes a quick look around my room to see how many screens there are and how easy something like this could be!
Heartily recommended - I hope there is more of the same from this writer.
I have just put my Kindle down having finished this and actually said out loud "What a good book". Sadly the only other person in the room is my toddler who has spent a good portion of the last half hour emptying his Megablocks out of the Ikea drawer so he can unzip it and wear it like a costume. Still, I can add a review here and let it be known how good this is!
I expected something along the lines of Curious Incident or See You in the Cosmos with this one. Not to lump together stories like that while disregarding their wonderful stories you understand. However, this was more along the lines of dystopian fiction but very close to the real world at the same time.
Alex is on the autistic spectrum and as such we get information such as how many footsteps things take or how he eats the same food all the time or what he sees as 'normal'. He has to make things normal in order to accept them in his life - something I liked about his character - so he sees it as normal to be picked on in school by the usual bully type or when something new appears in his life he has to make it feel like it's always been there. One day his teacher brings in a TV screen to teach them their new curriculum; only for the TV to explode moments later after Alex sees black flies appearing from the screen. After a few mishaps like this in school, it seems Alex is going to be sent away from the mainstream and back to the 'special school' he attended. Before any of this can happen though it seems that the TV screens start to pop up everywhere and Calliope technologies are taking over. People start to forget memories, forget where they need to be or what they are doing with their lives and are trapped in front of screens.
Sound familiar?
While this sounds like a lecture on our dependence on technology, it's actually a very interesting look on how we can be so easily controlled by information and what we are told on screens. How we can believe what we are presented with and how easily people can be taken over by what they see. The strange manifestation of this technology, known as Sophie, wants everyone to love her and to listen to her. Alex is proving more of a challenge than everyone else, as are the friends he makes along the way.
While this book does contain its fair share of men in vans and people jumping out of nowhere to try and brainwash everyone into their way of thinking, it never takes over and never feels frustrating. There's nothing worse than rooting for your main character who seems to have the upper hand only for a van to appear from round the corner and take them away: lather, rinse, repeat. That doesn't happen thankfully.
The characters are great. Alex is full of information and in control of what he does. While he is ASD, this doesn't define him and only forms part of his character. I found this refreshing - there's more to him than just seeming to be the "weird kid". In fact, being the weird kid always seems to be to his advantage here. Sara is his friend and seems to actually adore Alex from the off - it's not something she falls into. She is totally on his side from the start and, while appearing the typical mouthy girl at times, is a really great character you find yourself cheering for at various points.
This book was a great read - an ARC I am really going to advocate. It was quite a shocking tale at times and also something that appears realistic as scary as that sounds. Calliope Technologies want to control everyone and they will not allow anyone to stop them - using whatever means necessary. It only takes a quick look around my room to see how many screens there are and how easy something like this could be!
Heartily recommended - I hope there is more of the same from this writer.
March 2, 2019
This book is wonderful in the way it makes special needs characters seen without making them too over the top or without research.
Alex is on the autism spectrum and we see the story unfold through his eyes the most. As I sometimes work with children and teens on the spectrum I feel the author did a great job portraying the special way these kids think and make their world normal as best they can. Understanding and helping them isn't always easy and the other characters in the book are really and realistically doing well with that.
The way the A.I. Sophie was written was another great point! 'She' was not just sort of a being only seen through others pov but had her own voice, too.
I especially loved how towards the end something happened and we got two POV merged. The development in those moments was fantastic and I wish it was given some more pages.
Overall, I think Losing Normal is a great read for teens who are around people with autism. It gives a glimpse on the way their minds work and the daily struggles they go through, all while delivering it in a story of how we all lose our 'normal' because of too much screen time and not enough finding adventures in different ways.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book.
Alex is on the autism spectrum and we see the story unfold through his eyes the most. As I sometimes work with children and teens on the spectrum I feel the author did a great job portraying the special way these kids think and make their world normal as best they can. Understanding and helping them isn't always easy and the other characters in the book are really and realistically doing well with that.
The way the A.I. Sophie was written was another great point! 'She' was not just sort of a being only seen through others pov but had her own voice, too.
I especially loved how towards the end something happened and we got two POV merged. The development in those moments was fantastic and I wish it was given some more pages.
Overall, I think Losing Normal is a great read for teens who are around people with autism. It gives a glimpse on the way their minds work and the daily struggles they go through, all while delivering it in a story of how we all lose our 'normal' because of too much screen time and not enough finding adventures in different ways.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book.
March 15, 2019
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
Losing Normal by Francis Moss is relatively short, less than 300 pages, but do not let the length fool you into thinking it does not have a lot to say. There is a lot of action in this short book.
Alex, a highly-functioning autistic boy, likes things to stay the same. He knows how many steps it is from school to home and, to him, that is normal. He knows all the answers in math. That is normal. The strange giant television screens that are being put up all over are making him forget and that is not normal. Only the "defective" kids, those that are immune to the televisions, like Alex can save the world from becoming television watching zombies. What ensues is an interesting novel that shows how quickly technology could take over.
Losing Normal is not a post-apocalyptic novel. It shows the collapse of society by our rapidly advancing technology getting out of hand and beginning to think for itself.
This novel would be appropriate for those as young as middle school to read but it is an interesting story adults would enjoy too. I found it to be a quick, easy, enjoyable, and thought provoking read.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com on 3/14/19.
Losing Normal by Francis Moss is relatively short, less than 300 pages, but do not let the length fool you into thinking it does not have a lot to say. There is a lot of action in this short book.
Alex, a highly-functioning autistic boy, likes things to stay the same. He knows how many steps it is from school to home and, to him, that is normal. He knows all the answers in math. That is normal. The strange giant television screens that are being put up all over are making him forget and that is not normal. Only the "defective" kids, those that are immune to the televisions, like Alex can save the world from becoming television watching zombies. What ensues is an interesting novel that shows how quickly technology could take over.
Losing Normal is not a post-apocalyptic novel. It shows the collapse of society by our rapidly advancing technology getting out of hand and beginning to think for itself.
This novel would be appropriate for those as young as middle school to read but it is an interesting story adults would enjoy too. I found it to be a quick, easy, enjoyable, and thought provoking read.
Review published on Philomathinphila.com on 3/14/19.
February 24, 2019
I would give this book a 3.5. I work with kids on the spectrum so I think the author did a good representation of that. I liked the concept and some parts I couldn't put down. Towards the end I found myself skimming through, but overall I liked it. I would have liked more back story on the characters because they were kind of just thrown together and everything happened so quickly. The parts I found really interesting that I wish would have had more to it was the conversations from the computer. If you like stories about artificial intelligence learning to have a mind of its own this is a book I would suggest. Having individuals with special needs and mental illnesses as important characters was a cool interesting tip. I enjoyed the heroes being the people that are usually looked at as "not normal".
March 5, 2019
The story line could have been very predictable among other dystopian books. But it had some really clever aspects to it. The story follows Alex, a young man with Aspberger's Syndrome and his friends as they try to survive a world that wants to "fix" them. The incorporation of a boy like this as the main character provided a unique and fascinating journey for the reader. My objection was the writing and dialogue, which was supposed to be from Alex's perspective, came off as childish and cliched. Instead of sounding like a smart, different young man, it was a very shallow interpretation of what he might sound like by someone very unfamiliar with "Aspie" kids. The writing was so wrong, it was distracting to the great storyline. :(
January 11, 2020
This is a look at how artificial intelligence in the form of a computer named Sophie is utilized to help with behavior modification.
In Losing Normal Alex and Sara share their views and history.
The main focus appears to be on Alex who has Aspberger's Syndrome. But readers also see the consequences of stress disorders such as Posttraumatic.
What I appreciate is how this story focuses on behaviors and how they significantly affect daily life.
Through comprehensive dialog and strong character interaction, readers are able to see the challenges and overlapping symptoms and how it takes strength to combat behaviors.
This book was made available through the generosity of the author for an honest review.
In Losing Normal Alex and Sara share their views and history.
The main focus appears to be on Alex who has Aspberger's Syndrome. But readers also see the consequences of stress disorders such as Posttraumatic.
What I appreciate is how this story focuses on behaviors and how they significantly affect daily life.
Through comprehensive dialog and strong character interaction, readers are able to see the challenges and overlapping symptoms and how it takes strength to combat behaviors.
This book was made available through the generosity of the author for an honest review.
April 7, 2019
My full review can be found on the Epilie Aspie Chick blog!
Thank you to Encelia Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'll be the first to admit this book has a hard core science fiction vibe that skews to the nearly unbelievable. However, the underlying story that this book speaks about really resonates in a way that makes the material work. Asperger's and being on the Autism spectrum can feel like a negative - especially with the way many people can give you that feeling. In this story, that is turned on its head and made a positive.
Thank you to Encelia Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'll be the first to admit this book has a hard core science fiction vibe that skews to the nearly unbelievable. However, the underlying story that this book speaks about really resonates in a way that makes the material work. Asperger's and being on the Autism spectrum can feel like a negative - especially with the way many people can give you that feeling. In this story, that is turned on its head and made a positive.
March 16, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc copy of Losing Normal.
I will say that this novel is very different. Losing Normal has a lead that is on the autism spectrum and he must save the world. I love that fact that the main hero is not your run of the mill lead. It gives children with disabilities and diverse backgrounds the feel of being their own hero. I would highly recommend to any teen.
I will say that this novel is very different. Losing Normal has a lead that is on the autism spectrum and he must save the world. I love that fact that the main hero is not your run of the mill lead. It gives children with disabilities and diverse backgrounds the feel of being their own hero. I would highly recommend to any teen.
May 23, 2021
Excellent character development. Dives into living with an addict from a child’s perspective. I loved it.
March 1, 2019
Alex an autistic boy who goes to Mason Middle school needs everything in his life to be normal. Alex knows how many steps it takes to get from one place to another. He is very good with math problems so much so that I loved it whenever Alex saw a vehicle he knew everything about the car like if it was a V8 how fast it would go or how much it cost. Alex knows cars inside and out.
Alex is in his Special Needs class watching a film when something goes horribly wrong. Something is trying to come out of the TV and get inside Alex and the other students head. Alex doesn’t like it and pushes back refusing to let whatever it is enter his mind and when everything returns to normal he sees that the TV has been busted. Alex doesn’t like the big screen TVs as they cause him a lot of pain and make everything not normal.
Next thing Alex knows is that these big screen TV’s are being placed all over town and his friends are being taken away and when they return their behavior is all wrong and all of his friends are all acting different. It is starting to affect the adults as well. There is something inside the TVs that is brain washing everyone wanting to take control of their minds.
After some of the students start acting strongly and then start to disappear. Alex and his friends decide it is time to take matters into their own hands as they do not what to be taken over by the TVs and then maybe taken away as well.
Losing Normal is one of those books that you want to savor and absorb into your soul lasting for many, many, many years to come. Losing Normal will get inside you and open your mind and give you a lot to think about and wishing you could be Alex’s friend.
Losing Normal grabbed my attention from the first word and never let go I am still thinking about it. Losing Normal is one those books that you never want to let go and when life gets in the way causing you to have to lay it down for a while you don’t mind because it gives you the opportunity to keep savoring it wanting to make it last as long as you can. It would be kind of nice to read more of Alex, Sara and to get to know more of the other characters in another story. I would like to see more of Alex and his adventures in another story.
I would highly recommend Losing Normal to everyone who is looking for their next best read.
Alex is in his Special Needs class watching a film when something goes horribly wrong. Something is trying to come out of the TV and get inside Alex and the other students head. Alex doesn’t like it and pushes back refusing to let whatever it is enter his mind and when everything returns to normal he sees that the TV has been busted. Alex doesn’t like the big screen TVs as they cause him a lot of pain and make everything not normal.
Next thing Alex knows is that these big screen TV’s are being placed all over town and his friends are being taken away and when they return their behavior is all wrong and all of his friends are all acting different. It is starting to affect the adults as well. There is something inside the TVs that is brain washing everyone wanting to take control of their minds.
After some of the students start acting strongly and then start to disappear. Alex and his friends decide it is time to take matters into their own hands as they do not what to be taken over by the TVs and then maybe taken away as well.
Losing Normal is one of those books that you want to savor and absorb into your soul lasting for many, many, many years to come. Losing Normal will get inside you and open your mind and give you a lot to think about and wishing you could be Alex’s friend.
Losing Normal grabbed my attention from the first word and never let go I am still thinking about it. Losing Normal is one those books that you never want to let go and when life gets in the way causing you to have to lay it down for a while you don’t mind because it gives you the opportunity to keep savoring it wanting to make it last as long as you can. It would be kind of nice to read more of Alex, Sara and to get to know more of the other characters in another story. I would like to see more of Alex and his adventures in another story.
I would highly recommend Losing Normal to everyone who is looking for their next best read.
September 16, 2019
Losing Normal keeps you guessing. The chapters switch between characters and nothing is truly normal. The videos are not safe! Sara and Alex try to fight back against “losing normal” for themselves and their families. #LosingNormal #NetGalley
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February 5, 2019Losing Normal is a young adult fiction story about an autistic boy named, Alex. This young brave boy is different and that is what makes this story compelling to read. Sophie, a sophisticated machine is controlling everyone’s mind and believes that everyone loves her. Alex does not conform to her plan and that becomes a problem for both. He realizes what Sophie is doing and as he makes a team to fight against her and the control, the story takes off displaying a unique perspective on how one’s difference can be effective.
Alex has a beautiful personality and that also made the storyline amusing to read. Social media and its effect on youth these days is a trending topic and the author skillfully uses this in her plot.
What is norm cannot always appear to be as such. At times, one needs to lose the norm to find it and that is the beauty of this story. I particularly enjoyed the fact that this novel is written for the youth and its dystopian nature added to its thrilling nature.
The dialogue between the characters was very well suited to their age. This is another fact many authors do not pay attention to, however; I was pleased to see that this book respected that nature.
I recommend this book to young adult science fiction readers.
Alex has a beautiful personality and that also made the storyline amusing to read. Social media and its effect on youth these days is a trending topic and the author skillfully uses this in her plot.
What is norm cannot always appear to be as such. At times, one needs to lose the norm to find it and that is the beauty of this story. I particularly enjoyed the fact that this novel is written for the youth and its dystopian nature added to its thrilling nature.
The dialogue between the characters was very well suited to their age. This is another fact many authors do not pay attention to, however; I was pleased to see that this book respected that nature.
I recommend this book to young adult science fiction readers.
February 19, 2019
This review can also be found on: Artsy Draft.
Rating: ⇾ 3 stars ⇽
I received an eBook from Xpresso Blog Tours in exchange of honest review. If you know me, I’m always all in when it comes to dystopian/post-apocalyptic story. If you don’t, well… know you do, right? 💁♀️ Losing Normal is not quite a post-apocalyptic story. It’s rather a toward-apocalyptic story if that makes sense? Apparently, our technology keeps evolving and it’s about time where the sentient machine (in this case, an artificial intelligence called Sophie) is taking over the world by controlling the human mind through screens. Little did she (or it?) know, not every human being can be controlled the way she wanted to. And here comes Alex, the autistic teenager that fights back this technology.
Few things that I like about this book:
✅ Autism representation. I’ve been trying to do more exploration with my readings and that includes to read more diverse characters. This book has a good representation of autism on Alex, its main character. We are able to see how Alex mind works and how his autism affected his actions. And not just his actions, but basically the whole story.
✅ A super dynamic story. Everything happened really fast and full of actions. This is the kind of book that will bring you from one scene to another without really allowing yourself to take a breath. It’s that intense.
✅ Solid messages and values. This book illuminates current issues that have been happening in our society. The using of technology might be very useful in our life at the moment, but we can’t deny that we are also experiencing side effects like technology addiction. The AI take-over is something that can happen to use in the future and I think it’s great for the author to increase awareness on this particular area, even when this book is labeled as a work of fiction.
Few things that I don’t like about this book:
❌ Too fast + technical. This is probably just my issue, but I was struggling to follow the story as the writing is full of computer-based and technological terms that I’m not completely familiar with. This becomes even harder because the story went super fast and I feel overwhelmed to keep up with everything that happened.
❌ Lack of characters depths. Because this story is very plot-driven, it didn’t give as much attention to its characters. With its multiple POVs, which I usually have no problem with, it was a challenge to follow the story, because there are no particular differences between these two characters/POVs. I can’t really sense their personality differences since the writing made them sounds like almost the same person.
However, if you’re a fan of technology gone bad & taking over the Earth, or just a binge-watcher of Black Mirror, I believe you’d enjoy this story. It’s a decent piece that will constantly put you on the edge!
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