Hazards of Time Travel by Joyce Carol Oates

Adriane lives in a future world that is completely controlled by the government where everything is monitored, pre-determined, and uniformity rules. She gains the unwanted attention of the authorities due to her free-thinking Valedictorian speech and is sent to an unusual prison of sorts. Her treasonous tendencies must be stripped away so they teleport her back in time to a boarding school in 1959 to spend her 4-year sentence under a new name. Mary Ellen, Adriane's new identity, is so terrified that "Big Brother" is watching her every move that she barely speaks to anyone, doesn't try to stand out and doesn't try to make friends. She does find a kindred soul in another exile and does the unthinkable - falls in love and begins to think for herself. I found it very interesting that this future limited any free thought, ambition, and individuality and she is exiled to the late 50's/early 60's where women saw college as a means of finding their future husband but it was also the beginning of free speech and radical thought. The writing is choppy which fits Adriane/Mary Ellen and her intense fear of being singled out and extinguished. For those who favor HANDMAID'S TALE or VOX, this book will ignite a fire in you.