Rash

In 2076 in the United Safer States of America, verbal abuse, obesity, and other dangerous activities including sports are against the law. The penalty for breaking any of the laws is a lengthy prison term, and 24% of the population is incarcerated and responsible for doing much of the country's manual labor--without pay. For Bo Marsten, 16, the punishment for allegedly spreading a rash through school is a prison sentence, which is suspended, but then he goes to jail for lack of self-control after he hits a classmate. His prison is located in the far north of Canada, near Churchill, and he spends his time working on a pizza assembly line (and playing on an illegal football team). This story has several elements: satire, sports story, science fiction, and an adventure story all wrapped into one. Written by Pete Hautman, it was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in 2007.