The Diamond Age is what I would call techno science fiction. It took a bit to get into the story but then I was hooked. The primary story (at least for me) was the coming of age of a girl, who survives a threat-filled world to emerge as a leader. Credit for her survival goes to a book! But not just any book. This book, designed to help one girl to growup strong and self-sufficient, bonds with its first reader. It knows when the girl is in danger -- immediate or chronic -- and helps her figure out how to survive. The book changes its techniques as the girl ages, finally leaving the decisions solely to her.The story takes place in a future world but all the problems of the current world are there in some form -- greed, violence, politics, class struggle. But so also are people who make a difference.