Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Society. Tattoos. Outcasts and Traitors.

"The Bar Code Tattoo," is the first of a four book series written by Suzanne Weyn. In the year 2025, all teenagers in Kayla Reed's society are getting a tattoo the day they turn 17. The tattoo is supposed to make everyone's life easier, No cards, no paperwork, a scan of the arm and that is it. Simple, right?

 The closer Kayla comes to her seventeenth birthday, the more complications start to occur with the tattoo. It is not until the tragic death of a loved one that Kayla is alarmed. Kayla decides she is not comfortable with getting tattooed, which of course means that everyone else is going to reject her and think she is abnormal simply because she is different. Well, almost everyone else. Kayla starts to become close to a group of people who have also noticed the strange occurrences that arise due to the tattoo.  Kayla and this group begin to try and encourage others to reject the bar code as well, informing others about the complications with the code. 

Soon, the tattoo is no longer an option, but a law.  The police and government begin to spread lies about Kayla, placing blame on her for her mother's death. Her mother died when she attempted to burn the bar code off her own arm, burning the house down instead. Since Kayla does not have a tattoo, the government turns her into the primary suspect. She runs away because  she is afraid the police will arrest her and force her to be coded. With this act, she becomes a target all around the country. She continues running  in hopes of finding help. The bar code tattoo is destroying her life, but she remains strong and fights it. Her true perseverance and determination shine through, as she finds herself and breaks free of the corrupt world she was living in. 

Will Kayla be caught by the police?  Can she trust the people around her? What will Kayla do about the tattoo if it is now a law that she must be coded? Find out by reading the first book of "The Bar Code Tattoo" series. All four books are available in the high school library. 

Written by: Alex C.