Matched



Matched is the first book in the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie. It set in a future in which the government controls everything from work, to who you marry.

Inspirations and publishing history
The idea for Matched came in 2008 when Condie's husband asked her, "What if someone wrote the perfect algorithm for lining people up, and the government used it to decide who you married, when you married, etc.?". Condie was also inspired by a time when she chaperoned a high school prom and other experiences such as falling in love and becoming a parent.

Overview
Seventeen year-old Cassia lives in a futuristic, dystopian society where the citizens' lives are strictly controlled by the government. At the age of seventeen, citizens undergo a process known as "matching"- becoming paired up with another boy/girl selected by the authorities. She ends up being matched with her best friend, Xander Carrow, and is at first excited about their future together. However, when she's at home viewing her micro card on the port, something flashes and a familiar face pops up on the screen; Ky Markham, another friend of Cassia's. At first she is confused because she was matched with Xander, but then things are straightened out with her official. She soon starts to fall in love with Ky during their summer leisure: hiking.

Trivia

 * The book cover is green, which represents the green pill.
 * Citizens receive a green pill at 13, being the 2nd pill behind the blue.
 * Cassia also wears a green dress at her match banquet.

Awards and Recognitions

 * No. 1 New York Times Bestseller
 * Chosen as one of YALSA’S 2011 Teens’ Top Ten
 * Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Books of 2010
 * No. 1 Pick on the Winter 2010/2011 Kid’s Indie Next List
 * YALSA 2011 Best Fiction for Young Readers
 * YALSA 2011 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers
 * Amazon Best Books of the Month, December 2010
 * Winner of the 2010 Whitney Award for Best Youth Fiction: Speculative