Suggestions for books related to digital technology

Here is the brand new literary column offered by Philippe, Dominique's partner and a college literature professor, who shares with you his reading suggestions that are perfectly in line with our theme of the month: the digital world!

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    The only thing that interests everyone

    François Blais (1973-2021) is a prolific author who has won numerous awards. Also known for his children's novels (read the excellent Lac Adélard , a horror story aimed at ages 11 and up), his name made the rounds of the media last year with the posthumous and controversial publication of his latest children's novel , Le garçon aux pieds à l'envers . Known for his sometimes scathing and offbeat humor, Blais explores the science fiction genre in La seule chose qui intéresse tout le monde , his latest "adult" novel (the action takes place in 2098 in a Shawinigan of the future) when androids and artificial intelligence compete with the human race. Warning: you don't need to be a science fiction fan to be captivated by this short story of just under 200 pages. The masterful prose and the reflections it provokes make it a constant and stimulating reading pleasure.

    FRANÇOIS BLAIS. The very moment. 173p. $21.95.

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    The circle

    In the manner of the popular British series Black Mirror , which explores a near future by anticipating certain upheavals caused by technologies, the American author Dave Eggers strives, in The Circle , to depict a dystopia where a web company becomes a universal operating system establishing a hyper-digital era. This company, a kind of fusion of the GAFAM of this world and now more imposing and influential than any State, is driven by an ideal of transparency and benevolence which, pushed to its limits, suggests certain worrying excesses. We follow an ambitious young woman, Mae Holland, newly hired by the multinational and who will gradually be involved in certain experiments pushing the limits of privacy and human knowledge. Without giving anything away, the novel ends in a much more surprising way than its 2017 film adaptation (starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks) which is intended to be much more consensual…

    DAVE EGGERS. Gallimard. 511p. $18.25.

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    The digital cretin factory

    In recent years, reports and documentaries aimed at revealing the harmful effects of screens have begun to emerge and dampen the enthusiasm of the most convinced followers. One of the first to sound the alarm was neuroscientist Michel Desmurget, in a hard-hitting essay published in 2019, the title of which announces the controversial nature of the subject: The Making of the Digital Cretin. The Dangers of Screens for Our Children . Nourished by science and drawing on an impressive quantity of studies devoted to the effects of screens, the author teaches us that, contrary to popular belief, the proliferation of screens (and the time spent on them) is far from improving children's skills. On the contrary, digital consumption has negative effects on health, behavior, and intellectual abilities. The book, over 400 pages long, remains substantial but the author demonstrates a real talent for popularization and uses a tone that is sometimes sarcastic and not devoid of humor which makes the reading not only enlightening but also enjoyable.

    MICHEL DESMURGET. Points. 558 pp. $17.95.

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