Bringing up Mike by Mark Duncan is a book that introduces us to Joe, who is a teenage prodigy. He makes drastic changes to his life when he attends high school incognito with an artificial intelligence named Mike. The book intertwines many stories over the course of a school year following a teenage genius who grew up too fast due to his intelligence, a couple who is mourning the death of their son, a former mobster, and a girl who is struggling to attend college. It's a book about second chances and what can happen when people embrace them.

I can honestly say I have not read a book about an artificial intelligence before, but once I got into Bringing up Mike I wondered why I hadn't or maybe I was just waiting for a book like this to come along. Mark Duncan does a fantastic job of bringing a science fiction to life for us as we watch not only what it's like to try to fit in when you're not quite normal like Mike and artificial intelligence, but how other people deal with emotions that come out through difficult situations in life. The book covers the gamut of human emotions and really does bring you in with a great flow and characters you can't help but feel connected with. I really would recommend that anyone who enjoys the genre or who just wants to read a great, well-written, emotion filled book give this one a read; you won't regret it.

Bringing up Mike by Mark Duncan is not your average coming of age novel. Joe is the youngest Caltech graduate to receive a doctorate. And Mike is his faithful personal assistant. Since the deaths of his parents, Joe has become an emancipated minor who does top secret work for the government. Mike is really an artificial intelligence that Joe has created. Needless to say, Joe is not your normal teenager. Things go south for Joe in Utah when his juvenile antics get him suspended. With a bunch of free time on his hands, Joe decides to follow the advice of “Dear Amy” and try to make some friends. Joe ends up living with George and Martha in Tennessee. A delightful match made in heaven. Joe’s life changes drastically in the nine months he lives in Shelbyville. He discovers girls, buys a horse, learns to ride and care for him, rediscovers family and eats really well.

Bringing up Mike is a multi-faceted, seriously fun-loving work of fiction. This narrative is full of lighthearted limericks, puns and clichés. Yet, at the same time, it covers tough issues that young adults face, using meaningful metaphors, country music song lyrics and a few religious principles. The author’s writing style is simplistically real, scientifically intelligent and extremely sensory in description. Duncan’s settings are artistically scenic and change with the seasons, drawing you into the imagery. As a reader, you can hear the voice imitations and the musical melodies in the tone of the words. Furthermore, the food descriptions were written to heighten your taste buds. Mark Duncan guides you through the plot like a feisty horse on a lead rope - gently, but with a firm grip. To sum it up in the author’s words, the plot has “multiple, simultaneous battles that eventually result in a win.”