The Body Institute

by Carol Riggs

Overview

"The Body Institute is a roller coaster of a book. This fast-paced sci-fi thriller grapples with issues of identity and scientific technology run amok in a society only two steps ahead of our own, while scrutinizing an all-encompassing obsession with being thin which is very much part of the here and now. Readers will love the twists and turns and be prompted to question their own relationship to technology, body image and the ever-growing power of mega-corporations." - C.K. Kelly Martin, author of Yesterday and Tomorrow

Meet Morgan Dey, one of the top teen Reducers at The Body Institute.

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, Morgan can temporarily take over another girl's body, get her in shape, and then return to her own body-leaving her client slimmer, more toned, and feeling great. Only there are a few catches...

For one, Morgan won't remember what happens in her "Loaner" body. Once she's done, she won't recall walks with her new friend Matt, conversations with the super-cute Reducer she's been text-flirting with, or the uneasy feeling she has that the director of The Body Institute is hiding something. Still, it's all worth it in the name of science. Until the glitches start...

Suddenly, residual memories from her Loaner are cropping up in Morgan's mind. She's feeling less like herself and more like someone else. And when protests from an anti-Body Institute organization threaten her safety, she'll have to decide if being a Reducer is worth the cost of her body and soul...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633751255
Publisher:	Entangled Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 5.40(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Carol Riggs is the author of The Body Institute, her debut novel. She enjoys reading, drawing and painting, writing conferences, walking with her husband, and enjoying music and dance of all kinds. You will usually find her in her writing cave, surrounded by her dragon collection and the characters in her head. www.carolriggs.com

Editorial Reviews

12/01/2015
Gr 8 Up—Morgan Dey is a teenage Reducer at the government-funded Body Institute. Through Electromagnetic Resonance Transfer (ERT), Morgan's brainmap can be temporarily removed from her own body and inserted into a client's. From there she works out, loses weight, and leaves the client with a slimmer body and a lower government tax rate. It's good for the health-care system and completely safe for Reducers and Loaners—or so the Institute says. When Morgan starts experiencing memories that belong to her Loaner body, she begins to wonder whether ERT is as technologically sound as advertised. After protests by an anti-Institute extremist group turn deadly, Morgan must decide whether Reducing is worth the risk to her body, mind, and life. Interesting and timely ideas about government-controlled health care and the obesity epidemic provide a solid foundation for this well-paced dystopia. While character development is relatively shallow and dialogue—particularly between Morgan and love interest Vonn—sometimes comes off as forced and stilted, there are enough twists and suspense to keep readers hooked. Unfortunately, the ending wraps up too abruptly and easily to be believable, and ambiguity about a sequel leaves the fate of several characters murky at best. VERDICT Die-hard dystopian lovers, especially fans of Lissa Price's Starters (Delacorte, 2012) may enjoy this.—Kelsey Johnson-Kaiser, La Crosse Public Library, WI

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