Play Book Tag discussion

Playground by Richard Powers - 5* - My Review

Todd Keane, a white youth from a wealthy family, and Rafi Young, a black youth from a rough neighborhood, are both intelligent high school students with an interest in games such as Chess and Go. They become fast friends. Todd becomes a scientist-programmer interested in artificial intelligence. He is an early developer of a combined social media and gaming platform propelled by artificial intelligence. Rafi devotes his life to literature and poetry. Ina Aroita is an artist, who grew up in a series of Naval bases across the Pacific. The three meet at the University of Illinois, and both men are smitten with her. The three develop a strong bond. Evelyne Beaulieu is a diver and lover of the ocean, its environment, and all its creatures. She is older than the other three, coming of age during a time when women are not welcomed into scientific fields. Each of the four has ties to the (real) Pacific Island of Makatea, which becomes the site targeted for a corporation’s plans to build and launch autonomous cities into the ocean. The island’s residents must decide whether to allow the project to proceed, weighing jobs, money, and growth against destruction of the local ecosystem, particularly coral reefs and marine life.

The storyline follows the lives of the four protagonists and how they influence each other. A rift eventually separates the friends, and this conflict drives the plot forward. Richard Powers has an impressive ability to fashion an engaging story out of diverse topics – in this case, marine biology, art, literature, environmentalism, artificial intelligence and other technologies. One of the primary themes is the connection between humans and nature, particularly with respect to play. Humans play, animals play, and the ocean can be viewed as a playground for both. The area of science and technology is also a playground in many respects (e.g., instances for experimenting with computer programs are called “sandboxes.”) Games and gaming involve play. Richard Powers is one of my favorite authors. He is a fabulous storyteller, and he has, once again, created a beautiful narrative that addresses many relevant topics in today’s world. I loved it. I am adding it to my list of favorite books, and I am certain it will be on my short list of top reads for the year.

I received an advance reader's copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Thanks for the review. I look forward to reading it when it is released.

I was surprised that I got approved since I only requested it a couple weeks ago. It's on my personal Shortlist, and can see this one winning the Booker Prize.

It does sound like a winner. I've got my library requests in.
Thanks!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Thanks for the review. I think Richard Power's work varies from book to book. I have loved some of his work, hated (DNF) other books. This book looks great. I look forward to it and thank you very much for posting a review to entice others, like me. Peace, janz