'Klara and the Sun' by Kazuo Ishiguro

Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro (4.0)

I find it interesting that the same author of ‘Remains of the Day’ wrote this book about an AF, a robotic artificial friend for young people. Though if you have read any of Ishiguro-san’s books, you realize he writes more about the characters and their motivations than the plot. I liked that this novel is told from the perspective of Klara, the AI. Looking through her innocence adds another filter to the reader’s understanding of this new world, which makes it more puzzling and interesting. We are introduced to Klara’s life in the store, as she and the other AFs wait to be chosen by some lucky child. From the start, we realize that Klara is ‘special’ in that she appears to observe more around her than her peers. As she shares her insights throughout the story, sometimes they will be surprising to the reader. I liked that we are at our own disadvantage since we don’t know exactly what has changed in this version of our future. Once she is chosen and goes home with a family, we slowly get more information through her observations. I won’t reveal these as I believe much of the joy of reading this book is that journey with Klara.

'Just Mercy' by Bryan Stevenson

 Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson (4.5)

This is a very moving and very sad retelling of Mr. Stevenson’s experiences as a lawyer helping death row prisoners and children held for life without parole. Many of us realize that whether you agree with the death penalty as an effective punishment/deterrent, there is plenty of evidence that it has not been administered fairly. It’s still shocking to hear how bad the ‘justice’ was for Walter, the man on death row who dominates the book. The casual way the judge and prosecutors ignore the hundreds of people who were with Walter at a party when the alleged murder takes place; the fact that the only eye witness can’t identify Walter and is completely unreliable; the lack of evidence and motive; all these and more leave the reader astonished and incredulous. As much as I felt for the innocence of Walter, the imprisoning children who have done the crime for their life without parole was even more disturbing. While it certainly was not pleasant to read, it is important for us all to recognize that these are not issues limited to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, but still happen and Mr. Stevenson continues to fight for these injustices. This book is very thoughtful and thought provoking. 

'Attack Surface' by Cory Doctorow

Attack Surface, Cory Doctorow (4.0)

Cory Doctorow has done it again – he has such a way of taking something I know to be true, and creating a page turning story that informs and scares at the same time. As the second follow-on book to ‘Little Brother’, I think it carries the torch well. He follows a secondary character pursue contract cybersecurity somewhat in parallel to ‘Homeland’, the second book in the series. As usual, the pace is frenetic, and the technology spins one’s mind. I try to slow down my reading to catch all the nuances, but the writing does not encourage that! As with most of his books, some characters are a bit one-dimensional, but I read Doctorow for the imaginative plot and thoughtful message. This delivers both. In the dedication and ‘Afterwords’ it is clear how close this book is to reality and Doctorow strikes an alarm that we should all heed.