Books finished in July:
(Warning: reviews are unpolished and quickly written.)

Interface (2005) by Frederick George and Neal Stephenson. Political near future sci-fi thriller. Media operator Cy Ogle takes political polling to a new level, using continuous tracking of people’s emotions to fine-tune political messages. Add to that the ability to control the messenger (the politician), and he has a powerful mix to serve the interests of the Network. Cory Doctorow’s repeated endorsements were what drew me to the book in the first place. Doctorow saw the part about the politician Earl Strong as the prediction of the rise of Donald Trump. I am not so sure, Earl Strong is a minor character in the book, and, unlike Trump, is undone quite quickly in his political ambitions. We could certainly use some real life Eleanor Richmonds, however I doubt that she would have been enough to stop Trump. I liked the book, but would not go so far as Doctorow in calling it a “masterpiece”.

Ratings and old books are in the library.