For all to be perfect, all imperfections must be eliminated.

A cautionary tale Kirkus Reviews called frightening, timely, and sobering, In the Algorithm We Trust examines a near-future America where indoctrination is systematic, free will is seen as a burden, and reality is whatever the Algorithm declares.

Following the Siege of Washington, D.C., Lamar T. Haddington, the creator of the Algorithm, has taken over the presidency. Data Gathering Devices are implanted in every left ear, granting the Algorithm access to every thought. Cameras are installed to surveil every move. Dissenters are publicly tortured. The history of pre-Algorithmic times is altered. And border walls are constructed to keep all foreigners out and Americans in.

This is the America Hugo Rodríguez is born into, where the Algorithm dictates his every moment in pursuit of data. Data that the Algorithm then uses to curate his perfect life. But to get this perfect life, Hugo must first prove his loyalty to the Algorithm.

RYAN DAVID GINSBERG is an educator by day and a writer of fiction and poetry by night. He lives in California’s Central Valley with his wife and three dogs. In the Algorithm We Trust is his debut novel.