Everything Is Known: The Straight Shooter of the World by Liza Elliott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For her Graduate Thesis Skyla Roseau wants to write about Big Data and how it permeates everything I the world from big to seemingly indifferent. Similar as in Orwell’s novel 1984, there are forbidden words that will get you picked up and then you disappear. Skyla’s brother and her Fiancé warn her repeatedly to be careful about her verbiage and how she presents her thesis but when she ignores their advice and uses some of the forbidden words, she unleashes a world of trouble for not just herself, but also her brother and fiancé. They escape and go on the run and inadvertently are joined up with the resistance in order to bring about the downfall of Big Data.
In the vein of Orwell’s novel, the Netflix series Black Mirror, amidst others, this is a story about a world where nothing is private anymore. Everything is known as the title suggests and we cannot choose to opt out anymore if we want to be full members of society. It is interesting, and intense and the pacing is fast once things go south. Even though this is set in the future, this could easily be thought to happen right now, if we look to China with its new social citizen monitoring program.


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