Elections and Tech Futures: Read Malka Older’s ‘Infomocracy’
An MEP Literature Book Group, meeting alternate Mondays at 5 pm ET
“It’s been twenty years and two election cycles since Information, a powerful search engine monopoly, pioneered the switch from warring nation-states to global microdemocracy.” So begins Infomocracy, Malka Older’s political thriller of a science fiction story, one whose path we may have already started down. NPR’s review called it “kinetic and gripping,” and all the more so now.
Executive Director of Global Voices, Malka Older has worked at the intersection of writing and activism for many years. She brings her connection to global justice to this, her debut novel, and all she has written since.
This summer and fall, our Reading Science Fiction Politically book group has pursued a midterm elections series, exploring climate crisis, artificial intelligence, a reawakened Klan, and more by way of four recent novels and selected short stories. We now turn just before the November elections to our selection most connected with the struggling electoral system.
Have you noticed that, as contemporary politics veers into the fantastical, more writers have embraced the fantastical, speculative, visionary, horror to explore politics realistically? If that contradiction intrigues you, we welcome you to our twice-a-month reading group.
Jump in any time to sample the best of socially-conscious and political literature traditionally called science fiction. We read it to get ready for this year’s elections, envision the futures we seek and empower our commitments, enliven our reflection, and energize our communities.
Here’s our recent list:
- Next Up: Infomocracy, Malka Ann Older
- Ring Shout, by P. Djèlí Clark (author event September 28)
- We Will Rise Again: Speculative Stories and Essays on Protest, Resistance, and Hope, edited by Malka Older, Annalee Newitz and Karen Lord
- The Terraformers, Annalee Newitz
- Forfeiture, JP Nebra
Please bookmark this page for coming selections