A.D.D.: Adolescent Demo Division [Hardcover]

Douglas Rushkoff (Author), Goran Sudzuka (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: January 31, 2012 | Series: A.D.D.: Adolescent Demo Division

The Adolescent Demo Division are the world's luckiest teen gamers. Raised from birth to test media, appear on reality TV and enjoy the fruits of corporate culture, the squad develop special abilities that make them the envy of the world--and a grave concern to their keepers.

One by one, they "graduate" to new levels that are not what they seem. But their heightened abilities can only take them so far as the ultimate search for their birth families leads to an inconceivably harrowing discovery.

Written by Douglas Rushkoff, world-renowned media theorist, Frontline TV correspondent and author (Ecstasy Club, Media Virus and Program or Be Programmed, TESTAMENT), with full color art by Goran Sudzuka and Jose Marzan Jr. (Y: THE LAST MAN).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Smart, exciting, and timely, A.D.D. is one part prophecy, one part critique, and one part action story, a heady mix." —Cory Doctorow

“ADD’s laser-guided smart missile zeroes in on the black undercurrents of gaming culture, celebrity and the pharmaceutical industry to target the secret wars being waged behind our monitor screens. In a world defined by ubiquitous media, best-selling wargames, autistic disorders and the commodification and exploitation of youth, Doug Rushkoff and artist Goran Sudzuka vivisect the zeitgeist with a sleek tale of tomorrow’s children, that’s part social sci-fi and part “X-Men” for the PlayStation generation.”—Grant Morrison

About the Author

Winner of the first Neil Postman award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity, Douglas Rushkoff has written a dozen best-selling books on media and society, including Cyberia, Ecstasy Club, Media Virus, Coercion (winner of the Marshall McLuhan Award), Get Back in the Box, and Life Inc. He has written and produced the PBS Frontline documentaries Digital Nation, The Persuaders, and Merchants of Cool. A columnist for The Daily Beast and Arthur Magazine, his articles have been regularly published in The New York Times and Discover, among many other publications. His radio commentaries air on NPR and WFMU, his opeds appear in The New York Times, and he is a familiar face on television, from ABC News to The Colbert Report. Rushkoff has taught at New York University and the New School, played keyboards for the industrial band PsychicTV, directed for theater and film, and worked as a stage fight choreographer.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (January 31, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401223559
• ISBN-13: 978-1401223557
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #830,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Mutant Video Gamers in Trouble! May 10, 2012

By Rachel A. Calabia

Format:Hardcover

This ambitious graphic novel depicts a world where a special brand of teenagers are pampered and feted to do one thing: play video games. They appear on a popular reality show and get to test the latest technology. They are a tightly controlled group whose every move is monitored by Next Gen Inc. Sheltered from the real world, they are the superstar guinea pigs of media conglomerates and the idols of other kids.

Yet nothing is quite what it seems. When Lionel, one of the teen gamers, witnesses a death he thinks is real, he begins to question everything he knows. With fellow gamers Takei and Kasinda, Lionel embarks on a journey to find the truth about the A.D.D.

"A.D.D." is a slick production with beautiful artwork and coloring, yet the overall effect is somewhat lacking. The ending feels rushed, as if some pages of the story were mistakenly edited out during production. Somehow, I feel the author has much more to say but didn't have the space to expand his complex ideas. It's a pity, because a lot of effort went into the creation of the world that has its own unique slang and technology.

It is almost certain that "A.D.D." will be popular among hardcore gamers and readers who can't get enough of works reminiscent of "Ender's Game." Personally, I am now more interested in reading the author's theories on autism and mass media than any possible sequels.

(This review originally appeared in the San Francisco/Sacramento Book Reviews.)

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice try but doesn't satisfy April 1, 2012

By Dr. B. Iverson

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I liked the concept idea for the book. The drawings were okay, but the story just didn't make sense. I am over 60, so I asked some of my college students to read it and tell me what they thought, and their reviews were similar.