Writers of Young Adult sci fi are some of the most resilient people I know. Over and over we are told by traditional publishing that our genre is dead. Over and over we point to the fact that you can’t call a thing dead when 1) you refuse to purchase or market it and 2) marginalized writers haven’t been given a chance to publish it. Instead of believing in the self fulfilling doom and gloom prophecy (ironic, since dystopia is well within our wheelhouse) we soldier on writing books and exploring themes that can only be fully realized through the lens of sci fi.

Jamie Krakover’s Tracker220 is an example of such a book. Set in a future in which neural implants allow unlimited, immediate, access to the internet and tech, while also allowing the government unlimited access to our brain functions, this story asks so many important questions. How much intrusion into our personal data are we willing to sacrifice for faster tech? Why should unfettered access to our data be the stipulation required for web based services? How much should we allow tech to encroach on our personal space? And most dear to my heart – how do we reconcile all of this electronic plethora with observance of Shabbat, a time when Jews are meant to unplug and focus on the people around them and our connection to God?

These questions are already being raised by current modes of social media and personal computing but by speeding up the timeline and placing the computers into our very brains, Krakover allows the reader to contemplate what the end game is for all of the devices we regularly use and take for granted. The protagonist, Kaya, is not an orthodox Jew. She’s never had a tech free Shabbat, although her father extolls their virtue as he recalls the days before Tracker220 technology was forced on the population. In fact, she views the secret society attempting to take down Tracker tech as terrorists. Until her very own tracker begins to malfunction, showing her just how limited the promise of “unlimited freedom” the authorities purport her Tracker affords her, truly is.

The story is full of suspense and cool motorbike chases, along with a dash of romance and familial bonds, but at its core this is a story about modern technology, personal choice and how far is too far when it comes to tech. It is a question universally faced across all age groups, but especially by teens who are faced by a barrage of social media choices and pressured to use them to stay in touch with their peers. I am glad this story is there for them, that much like Kaya the author did not allow traditional authority to dictate her choices, because it is much needed.

Note – I received a copy of this book from the author, no strings attached, MONTHS before I even conceived of the idea of BookishlyJewish, because she knows how much I like sci fi and she is a generous person.

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E Broderick is a writer and speculative fiction enthusiast. When not writing she enjoys epic games of trivial pursuit and baking. She currently lives in the U.S. but is eagerly awaiting the day a sentient spaceship offers to take her traveling around the galaxy.