Name: Speak
ISBN: 9780356506081

Louisa Hall

She cannot run. She cannot walk. She cannot even blink. As her batteries run down for the final time, all she can do is speak. Will you listen? From a pilgrim girl's diary, to a traumatised child talking to a software program; from Alan Turing's conviction in the 1950s, to a genius imprisoned in 2040 for creating illegally lifelike dolls: all these lives have shaped and changed a single artificial intelligence - MARY3. In Speak she tells you their story, and her own. It is the last story she will ever tell, spoken both in celebration and in warning. When machines learn to speak, who decides what it means to be human? 'TRANSFIXING' New York Times 'BRILLIANT' Huffington Post 'INCREDIBLE' Buzzfeed 'HYPNOTIC' Guardian 'A MASTERPIECE' NPR

Speak

A thoughtful, poignant novel that explores the creation of artificial intelligence—illuminating the very human need for communication, connection, and understanding In a narrative that spans geography and time, from the Atlantic Ocean in the seventeenth century to a correctional institution in Texas in the near future, told from the perspectives of five very different characters, Speak considers what it means to be human, and what it means to be less than fully alive. A young Puritan woman travels to the New World with her unwanted new husband. Alan Turing, the renowned mathematician and code breaker, writes letters to his best friend's mother. A Jewish refugee and professor of computer science struggles to reconnect with his increasingly detached wife. An isolated and traumatized young girl exchanges messages with an intelligent software program. A former Silicon Valley wunderkind is imprisoned for creating illegally lifelike dolls. All five characters are attempting to communicate—with estranged spouses, lost friends, future readers, or computer programs that may or may not understand them. Although each speaks from a distinct place and moment in time, they all share the need to express themselves while simultaneously wondering if they will ever be heard, or understood. In dazzling and electrifying prose, Louisa Hall explores how the chasm between computer and human—shrinking rapidly with today's technological advances—echoes the gaps that exist between ordinary people.

A Novel

Amy Thibodeau

Beautiful sentences, interesting premise but something left me stuck. I never felt moved forward by the story and occasionally found it hard to continue. 

Reminded me a bit ofCloud Atlas but didn't grab me in the same way.

Alfredo santos

First of al, It was a short read. It reminded me of cloud atlas in the sense that there are different timelines and different points of view from the story telling perspective. While I did enjoy the elegant prose, i feel it lacked a bit of an extra punch to the overall story. The book lives up to its title in the way that it highlights this basic human need of communication and learning. Do i recommend it? yes! But you might want to google some of the characters if you arent familiar with their story.

SnarkByThePage

Really thought provoking book. It stayed with me and prompted lots of discussions with others. Impressive work.

Speak

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