Read And Revel

In The Algorithm We Trust follows Hugo, from the day of his birth in a distant future America. As his mother screams and pushes her way through labor his father is at the window, desperately searching for a drone delivered package. The nurse reminds him that the package will come as soon as the Algorithm sees fit- and it finally does in the exact time necessary for Hugo’s new earpiece to catch his very first breath. Hugo grows and learns in a world where everything from what he eats, what he watches, and every social interaction (scheduled by the Algorithm) is all seen as experiments for the Algorithm to learn you completely. You do not need to know yourself when the Algorithm can tell you exactly who you are. His only goal in life- to be a perfect Patriot and be selected for his Perfect Match. 

This book was intriguing from start to end, set in our own world that’s been twisted and molded into “Perfection” by an Al algorithm that legally must control every facet of your life. If you enjoy 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Black Mirror, and other futuristic dystopians that hold up a mirror on our modern day world, you will enjoy this book. 

Reflecting on confirmation bias, modern online dating and swiping, cancel culture, and many aspects of modern American politics are handled thoughtfully in this book. We also see how AI and algorithms are shaping thought, culture, religion, and extremism in the world today and we often see an “us vs. them” mentality in anyone who disagrees with the current administration and anyone who is seen as “un-American” today. When religion, government, and consumerism combine, what happens next?

In much dystopian media we often see the rebels, those who fight against, or at least try to fight against the status quo of their world, but what about everyone else? What does life look like when you fall in line, trapped in the mundane and mediocrity where you can see the injustice and harm unfolding in front of you, but the propaganda and “benefits” of your society is so ingrained you justify it to yourself and others. This book explores how all of those glorious benefits create a better today, where everywhere you turn you see “For all to be perfect, all imperfections must be eliminated.” Who doesn’t want a perfect world?

Number of Times I Wanted to Throw the Book Across the Room: Too many to count. 

Did the Book Pass the “One More Chapter” Test? I read this in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down. 

Perfect snack pairing: mac’n cheese

Character I Would Most Like to Have a Drink With: Henry

“…The Statue of Liberty now had a Data Gathering Device painted in her left ear, and donned a whole new placard: ‘Keep your tired, your weak, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free; we have no more room for such despicable human beings here in the United States of America.”

“Congratulations! Your love is now complete.’ Those were the only words they needed to know that their love was true; the Algorithm was the only blessing they could ever hope to receive or think to need.”

“Lucky for you,’ he said, ‘the Algorithm and I have come, and we have absolved that aimless, that loneliness, that pain, and now no American is left to wander, nor wonder.”

“Before you begin to burn, there are three rules you must know. The first rule is you must not read any of the contents included in the buckets of purchased propaganda. Everything burned inside this building is done so because they contain incredibly dangerous ideas that, if read, could cause incurable mental illness and a life rotting behind bars.”

If you’d like to get a copy you can find it here.

Thank you Ryan David Ginsberg for allowing me to have an advanced copy of this book. This is not a sponsored post, all thoughts are my own.

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