Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Dominique

Imagine a future where all you needyour credit card, personal information, and your ID could all be accessed with a swipea swipe of your barcodea barcode that happened to be tattooed permanently to your skin. Convenient, huh? Or maybe scary? If you think thats convenient, there are many who are with you, as this tattoo is a reality in Kaylas world, set sometime in the not-too-distant future. But if you think this idea is scary, if not a bit suspicious also, well, Kayla and a few scattered others couldnt agree with you more!

Kayla and a few friends resist this new barcode, as they arent entirely trustful of this new bar code tattoo and all the too-cheery propaganda that is being shown about it. There have been some mysterious and questionable activity with the barcode, and Kayla believes the tattoo is the source of her parents apparent descendents to madness and eventual deaths. There is a small group, however, that believes the tattoo violates their rights, as well as thinking that there is a bigger, more dangerous deception and conspiracy behind the tattoos, and they strive to learn more about it and expose it to the world. The tattoo is spreading rapidly and some important things, such as college and scholarships, are becoming impossible with out the tattoo. Choices and resisting becomes harder and harder and hearing that the government is making the tattoo a requirement for all those over 16 does not brighten the lives of any of the tattoos opponents and resisters. Life seems more desolate than ever, but there are others that share the same mind set with Kayla, if she knows where to look.

With betrayals and run-ins with authorities and other dangerous problems, Kayla and a few friends are on the run, trying to find others who share their opposition to the tattoo as well as look for hope for some way to get rid of the tattoo for everyone, once and for all. Can she find a safe haven to start this monumental task? Or will even her closest friends turn against her?

Although an excellent view on the future and a great read, I wont deny that I was rather disappointed about the ending. I felt like the author was building up to this fantastic and huge climax, only to be let down and severely disappointed that there were only a few paragraphs to describe the apparent end with (what I felt to be) a lack of much-wanted details. Nevertheless, I enjoyed The Barcode Tattoo, which was well written with a few well-thrown twists that had me on the edge of my seat, wondering if all would be well, and if Kayla and her friends would all come out of the danger safely.
For those who enjoyed the book but felt unsatisfied by the ending, fear not!there is a sequel! The sequel is a must-read for those who wish to find out more!

The whole idea of having a barcode permanently stuck on your skin seems awfully eerie, since there are so many things that could go wrong and could happen as seen in this book. And to be branded and labeled like cattle or food you buy at the super-market just doesnt seem all that fun to me.