{"product_id":"the-farm-isbn-9781984853776","title":"The Farm","description":"\u003cb\u003eNATIONAL BESTSELLER • Life is a lucrative business, as long as you play by the rules.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSkimm\u003c\/i\u003e Reads Pick • \u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Week • Belletrist Book Pick •\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e“[Joanne] Ramos’s debut novel couldn’t be more relevant or timely.”—\u003ci\u003eO: The Oprah Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY \u003ci\u003eTime \u003c\/i\u003e• \u003ci\u003eGlamour \u003c\/i\u003e• \u003ci\u003eReal Simple\u003c\/i\u003e • \u003ci\u003eGood Housekeeping \u003c\/i\u003e• \u003ci\u003eMarie Claire \u003c\/i\u003e• \u003ci\u003eTown \u0026amp; Country\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Nestled in New York’s Hudson Valley is a luxury retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, personal fitness trainers, daily massages—and all of it for free. In fact, you’re paid big money to stay here—more than you’ve ever dreamed of. The catch? For nine months, you cannot leave the grounds, your movements are monitored, and you are cut off from your former life while you dedicate yourself to the task of producing the perfect baby. For someone else.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines, is in desperate search of a better future when she commits to being a “Host” at Golden Oaks—or the Farm, as residents call it. But now pregnant, fragile, consumed with worry for her family, Jane is determined to reconnect with her life outside. Yet she cannot leave the Farm or she will lose the life-changing fee she’ll receive on the delivery of her child.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Gripping, provocative, heartbreaking, \u003ci\u003eThe Farm \u003c\/i\u003epushes to the extremes our thinking on motherhood, money, and merit and raises crucial questions about the trade-offs women will make to fortify their futures and the futures of those they love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNOMINATED FOR THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“So many factors—gender, race, religion, class—may determine where you come down on the surrogacy debate. . . . Ramos plays with many of these notions in her debut novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Farm\u003c\/i\u003e, which imagines what might happen were surrogacy taken to its high-capitalist extreme. . . . The stage is set for lively book chat.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e(Editors’ Choice)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A thrilling read.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNew York \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Grippingly realistic.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Brilliant.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNew York Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A provocative idea, and Ramos nails it . . . Crisp and believable, this smart debut links the poor and the 1 percent in a unique transaction that turns out to be mutually rewarding.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wow, Joanne Ramos has written \u003ci\u003ethe \u003c\/i\u003epage-turner about immigrants chasing what’s left of the American dream. . . . Truly unforgettable.”\u003cb\u003e—Gary Shteyngart, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eSuper Sad True Love Story \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eLake Success\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Heady, chilling . . . [Ramos] peoples her book with figures who are appealingly engaging—or, at times, engagingly repellent.”\u003cb\u003e—NPR \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What’s so striking about \u003ci\u003eThe Farm\u003c\/i\u003e isn’t that it imagines a frightening dystopia. This isn’t a hundred years in the future, it’s next week. This is reality, nudged just a touch to its logical extreme. Its very plausibility is a warning shot.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Richly rendered and engrossing . . . [Ramos] has the acute gaze of the immigrant girl made good. Her book is a necessary one. . . . A great read.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Handmaid’s Tale \u003c\/i\u003evibes are strong, but the ‘holy sh*t this book is genius’ vibes are stronger.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eCosmopolitan\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Unnervingly plausible . . . a suspenseful page-turner . . . Ramos inhabits [her characters] with affection, sensitivity and a keen ear for voice. Together, these women tell a story of an America in which ‘you must be strong or young if you are not rich.’”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A haunting read . . . Ramos has crafted a real page-turner that combines all the hottest issues of the day: inequality, race and women’s battle to reclaim their bodies from commodification by big business, with the eternal questions of how much we can sacrifice before losing ourselves completely. . . .  The result is an entertaining novel that is also a serious warning.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Times \u003c\/i\u003e(UK)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[\u003ci\u003eThe Farm\u003c\/i\u003e] hits home hard—a thrilling read about the myth of meritocracy, the way some people get ahead in life before they’re even born.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNew York\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A sharp takedown of the idea of American meritocracy.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eRefinery29\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Farm\u003c\/i\u003e is a smart, thoughtful novel about women, choices, and the immigrant experience that asks the question: How far would you go for the American dream?”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePopSugar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A timely investigation of how much control we really have over our own situations, especially when it comes to women’s choice . . . With glimmers of Kazuo Ishiguro’s \u003ci\u003eNever Let Me Go\u003c\/i\u003e and the dystopian eeriness of \u003ci\u003eThe Handmaid’s Tale\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Farm\u003c\/i\u003e is equal parts entertaining and creepy.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePureWow\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ramos has written a firecracker of a novel, at once caustic and tender, page-turning and thought-provoking. This is a fierce indictment of the vampiric nature of modern capitalism, which never loses sight of the very human stories at its center. Highly recommended.”\u003cb\u003e—Madeleine Miller,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e#1\u003ci\u003e New York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of\u003ci\u003e Circe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoanne Ramos \u003c\/b\u003ewas born in the Philippines and moved to Wisconsin when she was six. She graduated with a B.A. from Princeton University. After working in investment banking and private-equity investing, she became a staff writer at \u003ci\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/i\u003e. She currently serves on the board of \u003ci\u003eThe Moth\u003c\/i\u003e and lives in New York City with her family. \u003ci\u003eThe Farm\u003c\/i\u003e, her debut novel, is a national bestseller and has been chosen by over 50 media outlets in America and abroad as a “must read” in 2019. \u003ci\u003eThe Farm \u003c\/i\u003ewas longlisted for the Center of Fiction’s 2019 First Novel Prize.It is Jane’s first day. Her interview at Golden Oaks was only six weeks ago, but it seems like everything has changed. An unknown baby lies in her stomach, and she is a hundred miles away from Amalia, surrounded by strangers. The smiling woman who greeted her in the Dorm’s lobby this morning took not only her suitcase and wallet but her cell phone, so Jane has no sense of the time, and she feels even more cut off from her daughter.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eJane rolls up her sleeve and extends her arm, wondering if she is getting another shot, and why, since she is already pregnant.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe Coordinator straps a bracelet onto Jane’s wrist, rubber or rubbery looking, and pushes a button that makes its thin, rectangular screen light up. “This is a WellBand. Custom-made for us. I gave you red ‘cause it was just Valentine’s day!” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJane stares at it. Mrs Davis used to wear something like it, a circle of blue plastic like a child’s toy that looked strange next to her diamond tennis bracelet, the gleaming ovals of her nails. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“It tracks your activity levels. Try jumping.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eJane begins to jump.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“See?” the Coordinator angles the bracelet face toward Jane. The green zeroes that had once filled the screen have been replaced by orange numbers that climb steadily as Jane hops, growing short of breath.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“You can stop,” says the Coordinator, but in a friendly way. She holds Jane’s wrist and guides the bracelet over a reader attached to a laptop until the reader bleeps. “There. Now you’re synched up with our Data Management Team. Let’s say your heart rate spikes—this happens, it’s usually no biggie, but it can also signal some underlying irregularity in your heart, pregnancy being a strain on your tick-tocker,” the Coordinator—Carla?—pauses, waiting for the severity of this possibility to set in. “We’ll know immediately, can whisk you in to see a nurse. Or if you’re not getting enough exercise, we’ll have Hanna all over it.” Carla grins, “All over \u003ci\u003eyou\u003c\/i\u003e.” Her freckled cheeks fold into dimples. Jane has never seen so many freckles in her life—freckles on top of freckles receding into freckles.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Hanna…?”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“She’s our Wellness Coordinator. You’ll get to know her \u003ci\u003ereal well\u003c\/i\u003e,” Carla winks at Jane. She runs through a tutorial of the WellBand—its various monitors, timers, the alarm and snooze and panic buttons, the GPS locator, calendar, alerts, how to receive announcements.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“How do the clothes fit?” Carla’s eyes rake over Jane, head to toe and back up again.  Jane feels her face grow hot. In truth, she has never worn clothes so thin and so soft. Just this morning in her winter coat, she was freezing. Ate and Amalia waited with her on the street outside their apartment building for the car to arrive, Amalia buried under so many layers of wool and fleece that Jane could barely see her face. But here, in clothes light as air that fit her perfectly, Jane is warm. Jane says so to Carla.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Cashmere,” Carla answers matter-of-factly. “Golden Oaks doesn’t skimp, that’s for sure.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThere is a knock on the open door. “Hi Jane,” sings Ms Yu, giving Jane a stiff hug.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Hello Ms. Yu,” Jane jumps to her feet.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Please.  Sit.  I just wanted to make sure you’re settling in.” Ms Yu takes a seat on the bench next to Jane. “How’s the morning sickness? Is your room okay? Did you meet Reagan?”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I feel okay, only a little tired,” Jane answers. “The room is beautiful. So are the clothes.” Jane rubs the cashmere on her thigh with her palm, “I have not yet met my roommate.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMs Yu frowns slightly.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“But,” Jane says quickly, not meaning to get her roommate into trouble, “I have only been here since nine o’clock, and I had the check-in with the nurse. I have been busy.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMs Yu’s face relaxes. She places a hand on Jane’s hand. “I’m guessing Reagan was tied up with an appointment. She’ll be around soon, I’d think. This is your new home, we want to help you \u003ci\u003efeel \u003c\/i\u003eat home.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAt the word “home”, Jane’s throat tightens. It is past eleven, and by now Amalia is likely strapped into her bouncy chair, thighs jiggling from the chair’s battery-powered vibrations, waiting impatiently for Ate to fix lunch. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs if sensing Jane’s thoughts, Ms Yu asks, “How’s Amalia? Was the goodbye hard?”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eJane is pierced by gratitude that Ms Yu, who is so busy, remembers Amalia’s name. She shifts her gaze to the wall so that Ms Yu cannot see her eyes, which are teary. “It was fine. Amalia is almost seven months now; she is a big girl. And she has my cousin.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“She’s in good hands, then.” Ms Yu’s voice is kind.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eJane still does not trust herself to face Ms Yu. She can hear Carla’s fingers tapping on a keyboard.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I know you know our policy, Jane, which is that we don’t allow visitors, and we don’t allow Hosts offsite unless at the request of a Client.” Ms Yu leans closer to whisper, “But I think we can convince your Client to let Amalia come see you.” \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Really?” Jane blurts, almost exploding with gratitude to Ms Yu.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMs Yu puts a finger to her lips and smiles. She asks Jane if she is ready for lunch and, when Jane confesses she was too nervous this morning to eat, leads her to the dining hall. Jane trails several steps behind, wiggling her toes in her new fur-lined moccasins, a tentative sense of well-being creeping over her. Ms Yu keeps up a constant stream of chatter, pointing out her favorite views of the mountains, giving Jane bits of trivia about the surrounding towns. As they walk, Jane imagines Amalia here—hiding beneath the soft blankets draped on the sofas, mesmerized by the fires crackling in the stone fireplaces.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Do you think you’ll feel at home here?” Ms Yu asks. She pushes the dining room door open with her shoulder.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Oh yes,” says Jane, and she means it.National bestseller; Belletrist book pick","brand":"Random House Trade Paperbacks","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304888717541,"sku":"NP9781984853776","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781984853776.jpg?v=1767739297","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-farm-isbn-9781984853776","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}