NPR just gave a rave review to a novel about an eco-journalist taking on Big Tech

[highplainsdem]

https://www.npr.org/2026/07/16/nx-s1-5895124/cloudthief-review-nathaniel-rich-data-centers

George Orwell famously wrote that it takes a constant struggle to see what's in front of one's nose. That may be truer than ever. These days we barely register things that 20 years ago would've seemed downright bizarre — like people staring down at their phones in busy crosswalks. The unnatural comes to seem natural.

Until it doesn't. This has happened with the proliferation of data centers all over America. After years of ignoring their mushrooming growth — there are over 4,000 in the U.S. — the public now sees them clearly and doesn't like what they represent, be it soaring energy bills or the advent of job-killing AI. People now oppose having data centers in their communities. In real life — and in movies like Eddington — politicians are now pulled between their constituents' desires and the devouring needs of Big Tech.

The hatred of data centers ignites the action in Cloudthief, a boisterous new novel that's equal parts heist thriller and cry in the digital wilderness. It was written by novelist Nathaniel Rich, who may be best known for ecological non-fiction such as his 2019 book Losing Earth. Setting his story back in 2014 — when tech billionaires were still considered visionaries, not bullying moguls — Cloudthief centers on a brainy young man who, like the guy in the Leonard Cohen song, is just some Joseph looking for a manger.

-snip-

More on Nathaniel Rich here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Rich_(novelist)

and here:

https://nathanielrich.com/

[SheltieLover]

1. Kick

[biophile]

2. Always looking for a recommendation on a good book!

Thank you!