Hidden City

Reach for this book when your teenager begins to question the hidden scripts of social media, peer pressure, or the trade-offs between comfort and freedom. It is a profound tool for the high schooler who feels like an outsider or who is struggling to maintain their individual identity in a world that demands constant conformity and superficial happiness. The story presents a futuristic World State where pain and conflict have been engineered away through technology and conditioning, but at the cost of deep human connection and art. By exploring the journey of John, an outsider who enters this polished society, the novel examines themes of loneliness, the necessity of suffering for true joy, and the ethics of a controlled life. It is an essential read for developing critical thinking about the role of technology and government in our personal lives.