Aramid

by Paul Haddad

"Aramid" is a sci-fi thriller set in 2080 about a humanistic girl robot corrupted by her high school creators... resulting in potentially deadly circumstances.

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 16, 2016

About the author

Paul Haddad is the author of several books about his native Los Angeles, including the L.A. Times Bestseller "Inventing Paradise: The Power Brokers Who Created the Dream of Los Angeles," "Freewaytopia: How Freeways Shaped Los Angeles," and "High Fives, Pennant Drives, and Fernandomania: A Fan’s History of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Glory Years (1977-1981)." His book "10,000 Steps a Day in L.A.: 57 Walking Adventures," also an L.A. Times Bestseller, has published two editions. As a writer and contributor, his work has appeared in such media as the L.A. Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, The Times (UK), LAist, ESPN, NPR, and HuffPo. He is also the author of three novels. An MFA graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Haddad has been nominated for multiple Emmys as a documentary producer.

Reviews

[Andrea Stoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

[ I received this book directly from the author with a request for an honest review. It did not effect my opinion in any way]



“Change and innovation lead to advancements in thinking. History is defined by rebels who challenge the status quo.”

As senior year begins, Dr. Daniel Quidnotsky and his Advanced Auto Tech class have been given an amazing opportunity. They and four other schools have been chosen to compete in the 2080 Fifth Annual Auto -Tron Nationals in Washington, D.C. Jenna, Beth, Riv, Troy and the "new guy" Sam will spend the year developing an Auto Tron, aka a "rep", to fulfill or possibly exceed the standards set by the panel of judges chosen by NATE, whose sole purpose was to oversee the entire highly-functioning, artificial intelligence industry, pulling together the nation’s best private contractors and engineers. NATE would own the ATs in the long run despite the students programs. Every student was guarenteed a full ride scholarship if their rep won, and their school would receive a substantial donation

And so it begins. The five brilliant kids design a one of a kind AT, who they name Aramid. Aramid will be the first female Auto-Tron. As the year progresses, her abilities and knowledge base begin to merge into something no one has really ever seen. And each student succumbs to a certain aspect of Aramid as they too begin to coalesce into a family.

"But what’s the point of progress strictly for the sake of progress? If we don’t stop to ponder its purpose? Or consider the ramifications to both humans and robots? Is all progress good? Or is there a line after which progression becomes regression? Even a rainbow has a limited spectrum."

I really LOVED this book. Paul Haddad has taken pieces of many differing fables, myths and fairytales, mixed in some Carlo Collodi (" Pinocchio") and added a splash of Gene Roddenberry to produce a fast paced, growing up, ethics and morality "play" for the 21st century aimed at Young Adults. This is a book worth searching out. I highly recommend it.

[Jeff Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that deserved more attention upon release. It actually may hold more relevance now with the rise of A.I. than it did when it was originally released. The story of a female rep bot, the titular Aramid, builds from your standard Y.A. setup to something much deeper and more nuanced that anyone can relate to, even if they are well past the target demographic. You've got bullies, corruption, sexual tension, double-crosses and a love story. Relevant, thought-provoking and very well-written.

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Chris (age 16) for Reader Views (11/16)

Nothing is normal in this world, including Aramid. Aramid is a replacement robot for a human. The main plot in “Aramid” by Paul Haddad is describing the struggles and problems of this human replacement, along with her adventure throughout the novel. I think the author was very successful in carrying out the purpose of the plot, as it was a very adventurous and eye-catching book.

Trying to put it down was very hard and I really enjoyed this novel. The author writes great as he uses literary devices in his novel to describe what is going on or what will happen such as this one: “Sam’s snide remark cuts deep (Haddad 62)”. Along with this, he uses imagery to describe a deeper thing and it feels as if you are a part of their story and a part of Aramid’s life.

With the twist and turns, there are other characters such as Sam, who tries to control Aramid along with many others, including a girl named Beth. It seems as if the dilemmas in the sci-fi thriller are intriguing in my mind as I enjoy science fiction and other forms of it. This novel should generally be for ages 14 (if advanced), or 15 and up along with people that enjoy science fiction and things that convey sci-fi. My personal opinion was that the book is one of the best that I have read in the past year and I really enjoy Haddad’s writing style as well as his constant breathtaking stories. My personal experiences would be that I have been through a lot, but nothing compares to Aramid’s troubles, along with the ups and downs the book brings.

I really loved the cover as it conveyed the duplicate of the picture she was a human replacement robot for (determined after reading book) because before I thought it was just a plain same old same old book cover. I believe the editing and publication was done well, but my input for future publications would be to use larger font as well as move the sentences on the cover to under the title or at the bottom so it doesn’t take attention away from the whole novel cover.

I gave this book 5 stars because I really enjoyed Paul Haddad’s intriguing and adventurous writing style in “Aramid” and hope to read future books by him, maybe even a sequel to this wonderful read! I found “Aramid” very engaging and really enjoyed this novel!

[Michelle Olms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book