In the Algorithm We Trust - by Ryan David Ginsberg (Paperback)

About the Book

A near-future America where indoctrination is systematic, oppression is salvation, and reality is whatever the Algorithm declares.

Book Synopsis

The path to Hugo's perfect life is simple. Wear his device, follow the demands of the Algorithm, and gather his data. But if he refuses, he risks a life of endless torture.

Ginsberg's frightening story is timely in an era when citizens of [a] divided United States are more than ready to blame 'the other' for the nation's problems. -Kirkus Reviews

Following the Siege of Washington, D.C., the power of the Algorithm is made absolute. Now, every left ear bears a Data Gathering Device, granting the Algorithm access to every thought and desire. Cameras surveil Americans' every move. Dissenters are publicly tortured. The history of pre-Algorithmic Times has been altered. And border walls keep all foreigners out and Americans in.

This is the America Hugo Rodríguez is born into. A Data Gathering Device is implanted at the moment of his birth, immediately beginning his process of indoctrination. Every moment of his life, even the moments he spends in the crib, is dedicated to gathering data for the Algorithm to then use in its customization of everything: his TV shows, his education, his friendships, relationships, and his propaganda. But when Hugo visits his first zoo, where he sees all dissenters are kept on public display, he learns for the first time what is really at stake. Not just his perfect life. Not just his Perfect Match. But his freedom.

A chilling and provocative satire, In the Algorithm We Trust focuses not on rebellion and uprise, but instead the most critical element of any dystopia: those who just go along with the system, until they too become complicit.

Review Quotes

Ginsberg's frightening story is timely in an era when citizens of [a] divided United States are more than ready to blame 'the other' for the nation's problems. -Kirkus Reviews

Sobering. -Kirkus Reviews

There are two novels that everyone concerned about personal freedom in an unfree world [should read]: '1984' by George Orwell and now 'In the Algorithm We Trust' by Ryan David Ginsberg. -Midwest Book Review

Ever since I finished this book, the rewritten truths, manipulations of fear and pleasure, and the re-defining of what it means to be American haven't left my mind. -Jake Stowell, author of The Gauntlet

'In The Algorithm We Trust' is the scariest thing I've read all year. -Jake Stowell, author of The Gauntlet