pickMy final challenge check in for January is this slim novel by a Dutch author for #FoodandLit.
I‘m not sure enjoyed is the right word here - and after reading some of the “rules” for what content gets left up, flagged, or taken off the fictional social media platform in the book, you‘ll see that words matter - but this book made me think about how we strive to put things (and people) into boxes vs seeing the bigger picture.
pickA rather bleak novella about a group of people working at a firm where they moderate online content for a significant, unnamed client. In only a handful of pages, it demonstrates the bureaucratic, corporate-speak nonsense the determines what remains online and what goes. It also shows, rather than tells, in incredibly detrimental nature of such work, and its impact and insidious effect on those who work in the industry. Depressing but important.
pickThis is a tough little novella to get through because it follows the dire reality of content moderators who sort through the worst of the worst of online content for work. Kayleigh's devolving relationship with her girlfriend and coworker, Sigrid, paints a picture of how the employees mental health is upended by their job. Lots of TWs but the topics are rarely explored in more than passing detail.
pickThis was short and quite difficult - it explores the impact of content moderation on a meta style tech giant. It‘s a novella with an abrupt ending but in it builds a sense of dread as folks react in different ways to what they see - from numbness to believing. Great example of an unreliable narrator
so-soThis is an odd one that didn‘t really go anywhere…
Read for reading prompts
3.75/5
Library book 📖
pickKayleigh works at a social media platform as a moderator, reviewing uploaded content and deciding what can stay up and what has to be removed – she watches hundreds of videos depicting violence, child abuse, animal abuse, self harm and acts of terrorism every day. It's an interesting premise and I really liked the way this book was written, but it ended so abruptly and without any real closure. 😔
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
#dutch #dutchauthor 🇳🇱
pickGrabbed this novella today without knowing much about it. Upon finish I was surprised by the extremes of opinions. If you‘re looking for gore, you won‘t find it, although there isn‘t a lack of disturbing events, they just aren‘t the focus. Instead this is a slow psychological exploration of how internet trauma can warp good people. Or, maybe they weren‘t really such good to begin with. Some say the ending is abrupt, I felt it was an epiphany.
pickA family from Kosovo finds refuge in Belgium. Jimmy befriends the family, their son Tristan becomes his best friend. When the family gets summoned to leave the country, Tristan has a plan that can assure them of being allowed to stay in Belgium. He needs Jimmy‘s help. Jimmy will do anything for his friend. A great short read.
(Pic: Chefchaouen, Morocco)
#BirthdayPixieReadathon
#52books #PublishedIn23
Just finished this audiobook, but it wasn‘t really what I expected and I‘m glad I didn‘t buy the book. I thought it was about MORE. I expected it to be deeper. But it wasn‘t. The idea was interesting but the story ended up being mainly about one side of a probably toxic relationship. Also the ending was super random I felt.
2/5⭐️
pickDefinitely a disturbing novella about a fascinating, dark topic. Didn‘t ‘get‘ the ending so it felt abrupt, but will be thinking about it for days.
