Very LeFreak – yes, that is the main character’s first name – is a 19-year-old freshman at Columbia University. Smart, sassy and a total It Girl, Very is constantly plugged into something. More often than not, she’s plugged into more than one something.

Her future at Columbia is headed down the toilet, so her friends and sole family member step in with a technology intervention. Without the Internet and her gadgets, Very is forced to look at her actual life instead of the one she has manufactured with the help of technology.

This book really hit home for me because of how much time I spend connected to the Internet in some fashion. Life as I know it depends on connectivity. I’m not sure how many people I’d actually be in touch with if it weren’t for the Internet, and I know for damn sure I wouldn’t have as many friends.

Despite all that, while reading “Very LeFreak,” I kept thinking back to my one (sort-of) real camping experience. We were completely unplugged the entire week, and the only life we knew was the immediate life we lived there on the mountain. The world shrunk down to just us, and it was just so NICE.

A technologically advanced life sometimes feels like your brain and appendages are stretching immeasurable distances, and, as awesome as it is to know no distance that’s too far, that can get really exhausting sometimes.

“Very LeFreak” is a fun, coming-of-age story that really made me think about just how important it is to keep a true balance between real life and Internet life. I wouldn’t give up my Internet life for anything because of the amazing real-life friends I’ve met, but real life has much sweeter dimensions to it that the Internet can never provide.

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2 Responses to ‘Very LeFreak,’ by Rachel Cohn (139/365)

  1. Jessica says:

    I haven’t read this book yet because I hate characters with stupid names. :-\ After I read a book about a girl named Ever, I realized they piss me off. Is it going to bug me?

  2. Jenny says:

    Her name is actually Veronica, but she’s a free sprited type who decided “Very” was more fitting. The “LeFreak” is also self-named, but you never learn her real last name. She’s kinda wacky. 😛

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