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2040: A Fable
Set in Bruce Piasecki's actual neighborhood outside of this historic revolutionary town Saratoga Springs, New York, this Fable begins with the discovery that one of his family's neighbors are conspiratorialist, people of profound passion and misinformation. During a lovely dinner despite three years of The Virus, they dine together, and are intrigued by the neighbors Parrot, military equipment, and literary excellence. Suddenly, the neighbors leave for Maine; and the protagonist George develops his lifelong friends Winston and Abe, as they weather many insults from storms and other harms. Winston is a tax attorney; and Abe is a daily journalist, who had met George during their elite training in college.
The seven book author Thaddeus Rutkowski does a fine introduction drawing the hilarious parallels between Bruce Piasecki's reflections on freedom and fate during their undergraduate years in the 1970s, and the lasting themes of this Fable.
The endorsements for this Fable have arrived from Istanbul Turkey, Australia's northern regions, Ireland, Scotland and throughout the professions, from experts on white supremacy, social unrest, and philosophy. Much of the book is an exploration of the power of the works of Bob Dylan, Fellini, the Italian film legend, and a others like Chaucer and Milton, without being heavy or burdensome. In fact this book is about the need for freedom in a time of state surveillance.
Structured in ten chapters, a Rabbi endorsing this book reflects on how sum of its lessons are fitting his religious and spiritual teachings; while others reading this book have commented on how much fun it is to read. One calls it a Kalie scope on family, love and friendship. Another reflects on how reading this book was a wild adventure.
The best thing to take from creative writing like this Fable is a sense of freedom. In reflecting on the protagonists discovers both with and against his strong wife and daughter, and with his friends since college, the reader finds the writing informative, persuasive and full of delight. A homage to social justice, like the rest of Bruce Piasecki's work, some believe in their endorsements that this book will be even more worthy by 2040.
The seven book author Thaddeus Rutkowski does a fine introduction drawing the hilarious parallels between Bruce Piasecki's reflections on freedom and fate during their undergraduate years in the 1970s, and the lasting themes of this Fable.
The endorsements for this Fable have arrived from Istanbul Turkey, Australia's northern regions, Ireland, Scotland and throughout the professions, from experts on white supremacy, social unrest, and philosophy. Much of the book is an exploration of the power of the works of Bob Dylan, Fellini, the Italian film legend, and a others like Chaucer and Milton, without being heavy or burdensome. In fact this book is about the need for freedom in a time of state surveillance.
Structured in ten chapters, a Rabbi endorsing this book reflects on how sum of its lessons are fitting his religious and spiritual teachings; while others reading this book have commented on how much fun it is to read. One calls it a Kalie scope on family, love and friendship. Another reflects on how reading this book was a wild adventure.
The best thing to take from creative writing like this Fable is a sense of freedom. In reflecting on the protagonists discovers both with and against his strong wife and daughter, and with his friends since college, the reader finds the writing informative, persuasive and full of delight. A homage to social justice, like the rest of Bruce Piasecki's work, some believe in their endorsements that this book will be even more worthy by 2040.
244 pages, Paperback
Published July 12, 2021
About the author
Bruce Piasecki
34 books12 followersNYT bestselling author, speaker, advisor on shared value and social response capitalism. For more thoughts find me on Medium at http://brucepiasecki.medium.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 17, 2026
I got a free copy from Goodreads in exchange for a review.
The book is about a man named George who describes his life in his small town in the year 2040. A year where a past virus has limited travel, where "Event Police" document everyone's every move, and where a post-WWII world order is run by "the Big Eight". It is clearly meant to be a cautionary tale about the evils of letting one's inviduality and critical thinking waste away under the onslaught of the convenience of safety and technology.
So why would I give it only 2 stars? The idea was good. The execution was very uneven. Some of it was very good. A lot of it read like what a person would see in a dream - jumping from scene to scene, inside references only the person having the dream would get, and much that just didn't seem to fit. Then it ends with a nice little list of things to do to resist the loss of individuality and critical thinking while surviving in the technological world the author clearly fears is here.
The book is about a man named George who describes his life in his small town in the year 2040. A year where a past virus has limited travel, where "Event Police" document everyone's every move, and where a post-WWII world order is run by "the Big Eight". It is clearly meant to be a cautionary tale about the evils of letting one's inviduality and critical thinking waste away under the onslaught of the convenience of safety and technology.
So why would I give it only 2 stars? The idea was good. The execution was very uneven. Some of it was very good. A lot of it read like what a person would see in a dream - jumping from scene to scene, inside references only the person having the dream would get, and much that just didn't seem to fit. Then it ends with a nice little list of things to do to resist the loss of individuality and critical thinking while surviving in the technological world the author clearly fears is here.
April 9, 2022
A thought-provoking, cautionary tale of a near (dystopian) future that includes thoughts and memories being stored and edited by machines, the Event Police, and increasingly hostile weather. There are many good insights in this book, and lessons and morals worth heeding, eye-opening to those still blind to the things happening all around us in society and in nature. The story kept me entertained and interested throughout, inspiring conversation in my household as I read this aloud, while listening to the seemingly endless rain pattering on the roof.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway!
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews