Good afternoon Earthlings! I just finished reading a book called The Circle by Dave Eggers. I couldn’t help but review The Circle, because it was THAT good. Now before I tell you anything about the book, (because I know not all of you are avid book readers) later on this year a feature film based on The Circle will be released. According to studio production in Hollywood, the film is set for release in late April, and here’s the kicker the stars of the movie are Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. So, with that being said you already know this story has to be incredible if Emma and Tom signed on to the project!
The book takes place in the not so far future from today. Society has turned to social networks to provide solutions to life’s problems. Currency, photos, products, and human behavior have totally been taken over by The Circle. The Circle is the Social Network that absorbed all of the networks we use and love today. We learn that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and a few other made up companies were taken by The Circle. The book starts out as a Millennial’s utopia, but we all know utopian societies only last for so long…
The original creator of The Circle is named Ty. He is your typical hacker type who prefers baggy hoodies and privacy to designer duds and fancy parties. Of course some shut-in can’t run the world’s largest company by himself. We are then introduced to Bailey and Stenton; the two men that complete “The 3 Wise Men” including Ty. Bailey is a family man whose belief in transparency and information sharing is the main ideal that constructs The Circle. Stenton is your run of the mill corporate shark billionaire, who has very little emotion but what seems to be endless amounts of power.
As I read The Circle the themes of transparency, information sharing, and corporate greed translate perfectly into the world we live in today. This story is relatable and eerily mimics a lot of the things we fear most today. The Circle shows how hard it is for people in their 20’s to find jobs, forge relationships organically, and really uncovers how social pressures can leave permanent scars on humanity. I think The Circle is relevant today more than any other dystopian novel I have read in the past year. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say this book has you on edge from start to finish. I completed all of its 497 pages in 48 hours, the themes wrap you up in such a way that the story does not let you put it down. I felt like after reading The Circle maybe social media is going to far…or maybe further is what we need. The book leaves you contemplating so many different emotions, and to me that is the proof of perfection. If I have finished a book but for days after I am still mulling over the story and all of its different possibilities, that’s when I know a book is great. I highly reccomend The Circle to anyone and everyone! It explores things that people of all ages can appreciate. It might open your eyes to certain ideas we are being exposed to now as citizens of the world that you didn’t realize before reading The Circle.