But even as I am glad our government was smart enough to put an end to that kind of thing, I hear Atlas’s voice in the back of my mind asking if it really was positive. Is taking away the voices of disagreement on the news similar to removing the words? Does someone choosing what gets reported by the news and what doesn’t limit our freedom?

I don’t know.

Things are peaceful. That’s what’s important. Nothing else should matter.

But maybe it does.

Maybe if the news reported on different stories, I’d know if what Atlas is saying about people disappearing is true. Maybe . . .

I take a deep breath, turn to the beginning of the book, and flip through the pages. There are wars with different names from the ones I was taught. Dozens and dozens of words I have to look up, like “revolution” and “uprising.” And when I find the chapter on World War II that Atlas told me to pay attention to, my heart goes cold.

Some of what we learned was the same, but so much was missing. First, the pictures of people being rounded up into a specific section of the city. Then the trains. The death camps. The bins of shoes left behind by those murdered by their own government. And the people inside Germany and Poland who tried to fight—to get news out about what was happening to those who could help—who hid people who were in danger, wrote papers and painted slogans to change minds. Group by group they were hunted down and killed by those they defied.

They were outnumbered—just like the Stewards.

I pull out my tablet and scroll through my school text just to make sure I am not mistaken about the differences. I’m not. The chapter on World War II is less than half the length of the one in the paper textbook. In fact, it appears that the entire on-screen textbook is half as long, even though it covers an additional eighty years of history. And the final page . . .

I read the words I read only a month or so ago for my history class. Then, I agreed with them. Now . . .

The consolidation of the media and reduction of internet providers combined with the restoration projects of City Pride has cemented the country’s positive return to a shared sense of community and culture. That sense of sameness has helped bridge many cultural and religious divides that have long plagued the country. It is clear from the success of these new laws and programs that government leaders will work to continue this trend.

I shove away from the table and walk down the hallway to my mother’s studio as words swirl in my head.

Limiting what people see on the screen so everyone sees one thing—believes the same ideas—feels wrong. Rose and I have been friends forever. We agree on a lot of things, but we have disagreements. I hate when we fight, but I’ve learned things from our arguments—often things about myself. My mother always told me actively looking and listening were the best ways to learn. I look at the stool I had been sitting on when she demonstrated what she meant.