2030

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Glad you opened this thread thecalhouns. Thank you.

Downloaded the audible version of 2030 and just finished it last night. A very enjoyable and thought provoking book. I thought quite a good job for a first novel. The economic outlook for America by 2030 was however frightening because it could definately come to pass as his book suggests.

The idea of floating retirement communities for the "Olds" was a great idea.

Like some reviews, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and forced. But while the characters were a little superficial and I would have liked a little more development of them, they were all interesting and held my attention. I guess one of the best compliments you can give a book is that I was sorry to have it end and wanted to know more.

Phantom Fan

I bought 2030 because I was of the opinion that Albert Brooks was a good screenwriter, and that this could translate into a decent novel.
I enjoyed the novel. I liked the plot development. I thought Brooks' depiction of the future was creative and within the realm of possibility. The book wasn't so much science fiction as a novel that takes place in a future that could happen.
I liked how all his subplots came together in the end of the book.
I'm impressed with Brooks as an artist, as an actor, writer, and director of films and now as an author. By the way, check out his tweets, they're funny!

This is from my review on goodreads:

Reading this book, I couldn't help but feel as if I were reading a historical text rather than a futuristic thriller, I mean the story seemed so realistic to me, it's uncanny. In the year 2030, cancer has been cured among other ailments that have allowed longer lifespans, that would seem like a good thing right? but here the Boomer generation has outlived it's expected run and as a result is sucking on all the resources and has huge political control. The Millennials or Generation Y (my generation) have now entered their forties where they struggle to make ends meet in a economically deteriorated United States that has gradually lost its superpower status and is drowning in a massive deficit. This leaves the youth, generation z and beyond, with a uncertain future and filled with resentment against the boomers or "the olds." Eventually, through some acts of terror, a major earthquake, and political scandals, the end result leaves the reader with a chilling feeling. The "one world" society concept in the end does seem very Orwellian.
It's been months since I finished this novel and it still haunts me in someways. The diverse cast of characters is interesting though some I felt I could do without. Nevertheless they all contribute greatly to giving readers insight into this satiric but very possible future. I guess it mainly has to do with Brooks taking current day issues such as the economy, the national debt, healthcare costs, and the social safety net and illustrating the worse possible scenarios. I guess on some level it could be a warning by the author that if action is not taken to approach the issues of our day, it could dearly cost us in a mere 20 years. Like George Orwell with "1984," Brooks takes the very issues that concern us and uses them to paint sort of a nightmarish tomorrow going to extremes but at the same time still making it very believable. What I appreciate about this book is that it s not your typical modern day science fiction thriller with aliens, AI, or time travel but it's focus towards the economic and social aspect of the society. The technology will raise some brows such as the holographic movies that are now played in theaters and it would cost 60 bucks to see as traditional 2-D film or a watch that allows you to video call people, but consider this, go back to 1992 and explain to the average teenager the concept of smart phones and social networks. In a very gradual way, Brooks gives us insight to every possible aspect of life in this future, which works when you are writing from different viewpoints. With that, there really isn't a side the author takes, which makes it easier to sympathize with many of the characters. And like "1984," there was no finished ending to the story, just a ending where there is no more text after the last page. This leaves with a very open ending and a hint that Brooks may not be finished with this future yet.
This book could also be a commentary on this issue of class structure. 'The olds' could be representative of the top rich 1 or 2% while the middle aged and young are the bottom of the barrel majority, making sure no one attempts to get ahead of them. In the novel, the olds hold much of the wealth and obviously major political power, leaving the middle aged with very little to work with but enough to get by, as the middle class is facing today, while the youth are underrepresented and filled with rage, having no security in their future, as the lower class of today has no economic security. The book goes to show that whoever has the money, has the power. And the current status of economics and political structure in America today, this future is not the very far off. Though I have to admit that I found it hard to believe the Americans in this future were overwhelmingly accepting of the policies the president put forth. I mean, can you see the republican party eagerly willing to nominate a foreign born candidate who can not even speak English very well to run for president? I guess if those with the money want it, than why not. Absurdities such as the ending do have these realistic depictions which is why this book deserves to be up there with titles such as '1984,' 'Brave New World,' and 'Fahrenheit 451.'
And like the futures in the above listed dystopia novels, our society is not that far off.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of this type of literature and to those who aren't as well.

Well... It's been almost 4 years since the last post about 2030 so clearly I'm late to the party.

I read 2030 a couple of months ago. I really enjoyed it, I thought it was a great read.

Clearly it's fiction, the future won't play out exactly like that, but I thought the events in the book were entirely plausible.

For one thing, with our real world national debt as large as it is and consistently growing every day, if that often predicted huge earthquake hits California one day I think it's outright likely our government would have trouble marshalling the funds and resources to deal with it. A foreign power stepping in to help, for a price, is probably exactly how it would play out.

I also find it believable that if medical science achieves breakthroughs that drastically extend life expectancy we certainly could see a social civil war of the young versus the old.

All in all, I thought 2030 was a clever book.

Brooks is a genius so I'm sure the book is worth reading. Gonna get to it this summer.