For the Win by Cory Doctorow

Young people fight for justice worldwide in Cory Doctorow's For the Win. In the near future, the arena of sweatshop labour has broadened to include online gamers, a workforce of mostly teens. The concepts of labour union organizing, market forces, inflation, pyramid schemes and more are folded into the adventure and Doctorow manages to balance it all with enough action and suspense to keep up a forward momentum. The story moves back and forth around the world with a large cast of characters. Not all of them emerge unscathed -- or alive -- which is partly why the plot is so engaging.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by George Newbern [Listening Library; 16.5 hours]. Newbern uses subtle intonation shifts and slight accents to distinguish the many voices, which are mostly from China and India as well as the U.S.A.

Readalike: Ready Player One (Ernest Cline).