Sunday, February 16, 2020

2/17/20 @9:30am pst - Megan Angelo joins host Janeane to talk about Followers - A Novel

An electrifying story of two ambitious friends, the dark choices they make and the stunning moment that changes the world as we know it forever

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“Megan Angelo’s “Followers,” with its terrific writing about terrifying ideas, is destined to be such a talker that you must read it immediately or risk being out of the loop when your friends start saying things like “She’s such a Marlow!” or “What Would Floss Do?”” —Washington Post
“This dark, pitch-perfect novel about our dependence on technology for validation and human connection is as addictive as social media itself.” —People

“Followers is an engaging confection wrapped around a thoughtful critique of how we live our lives online, and how we value others based on their curated personas.” —USA Today

“Meet, an all-too-real nightmare wrapped in an influencer bow...one you won’t be able to look away from.” —TheSkimm

“If anyone is going to explore a future version of our high-tech, internet-obsessed culture, please let it be Megan Angelo. Followers is pure gold.” —Abbi Jacobson, bestselling author and co-creator of Broad City


Orla Cadden is a budding novelist stuck in a dead-end job, writing clickbait about movie-star hookups and influencer yoga moves. Then Orla meets Floss—a striving, wannabe A-lister—who comes up with a plan for launching them both into the high-profile lives they dream about. So what if Orla and Floss’s methods are a little shady—and sometimes people get hurt? Their legions of followers can’t be wrong.

Thirty-five years later, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow discovers a shattering secret about her past. Despite her massive popularity—twelve million loyal followers—Marlow dreams of fleeing the corporate sponsors who would do anything to keep her on-screen. When she learns that her whole family history is based on a lie, Marlow finally summons the courage to run in search of the truth, no matter the risks.

Followers traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection.

Professor Stephanie Reich, UCI professor of education and expert on youth and social media

LISTEN to today's show featuring UCI professor Stephanie Reich Stephanie Reich , UCI professor of education and expert on youth and soci...