Amiga Kindle Edition

Amiga is brilliantly plotted, well-crafted historical novel that follows the life of it's Latina protagonist, Laura Rodriguez, during two separate timelines: 1985-86 and the Fall of 2016.In 1985, Laura's a computer programmer struggling to break into the booming tech industry in Northern California where both her gender and ethnicity work against her. In 2016, Laura is now a member of the old guard in a recently acquired firm where layoffs are in the wind, and senior management wants to get younger and hipper. Stern balances both timelines perfectly, playing them off against one another, as we do a deep dive into the seminal moment when the younger Laura takes a chance on a risky start-up, then segue back to 2016 where career, family and personal crises threaten to tear the older Laura's hard won middle class life apart.Stern's prose is seamless, and both story lines move at a quick pace, each informing the other. Laura''s intelligence, strength of will, dreams and her very identity are tested against the backdrop of two tumultuous years, two decades apart. A gritty, realistic and sometimes harrowing portrayal of the challenges so many minority women have faced in America, I can't recommend this novel enough. Buy it. Read it. You won't be disappointed.

Amiga by Matthew Arnold Stern is stirring and gripping novel about the experiences of the computer programmer Laura Rodriguez in the nascent 1980s and later in millennial charged 2016. The novel deftly alternates between these two periods. The 1980s scenes unfold an inspiring story of software and coding innovation – in this case what sounds like an early version of Photoshop – even as ominous secrets about the family-run start-up are revealed; the 2016 story line features Laura now working for a millennial boss, Tammy – a combination of cluelessness, crassness, and savvy.In both storylines, Laura must summon her patience, intellect, and resourcefulness to navigate situations in constant flux. As Laura’s husband Kevin points out in the 2016 storyline, “Maybe the rules have changed, Laura. Everything has changed.” Indeed, in these parallel turbulent times, Laura’s nimbleness in dealing with being a woman in awkward positions (first as a young computer programmer and later an older figure in an industry currently embracing the shiny and new) becomes one of Amiga’s many pleasures. Another is how well Stern integrates the two stories as the Amiga computer that started it all returns to Laura’s life as does an old flame and a friend from the past.Stern fills the novel with smart, sly remarks like this one describing the dowager Mrs. Posner: “I could see her giving lavishly to worthy causes, possibly to cover up some misdeeds in their past.” Laura’s time as a programmer of the Amiga in the Posner family household, under the guidance of the visionary techie Peter, serves as a powerful grounding for the novel and as a formative experience in our heroine’s development. Ultimately, what really elevates the novel is the satisfying, if disturbing, climax that resurrects the dark legacy and secrets of the Posner family.As Laura explains, in the burgeoning 80’s tech world, “We were pioneers in a pristine, unexplored wilderness before we paved it over with an information superhighway. The Amiga made me feel like anything was possible …” That feeling of possibility is one of the novel’s great redemptive qualities and will make me consider the novel long after I return it to my shelf.

Laura Rodriguez wants to be a great computer programmer, but after not finding the 'perfect' corporate job with benefits, she stumbles on an ad about a need for a programmer in the oddest of places - in someone's home. She goes for it! She takes a chance. The good news, she discovers her young boss has brilliance and new creative ideas she never saw coming. The bad news, she gets wrapped up in a strange family with some bizarre secrets that haunt her for years.Amiga is one of those stories that sticks with you. You get enthralled in the excitement of the 80's tech era and then get shaken up by the mystery of human nature and how some mistakes can plague a family for generations.What a combination! Matthew gives us great writing, a strong plot, and a sweet romance that has you rushing through the pages to see if the love hangs in there through time. You can't pass up this read!

Amiga was a fast-paced, well-written novel that artfully juxtaposed the protagonist's past with her present. Laura, a young programmer of the 80's must deal with gender and racial inequality when taking a chance on a low-paying programming job working for the darkly mysterious Posnor family. Fast-forward to 2016, and we find Laura working for a millennial boss and grappling with the trauma of her present life and her shadowed past. The story beautifully came together for me, and Stern does a fantastic job creating strong, believable female characters and reveals only enough each chapter to leave readers wanting to know more.

Matthew Stern does an amazing job of weaving the past and the present together, never giving away too much too soon. The story is compelling and deals with issues such as suicide, rape, gender inequality, race/ethnicity, and ageism and delves into what it was like in the 80s with startup computer companies and new technology.

This is a fast moving story focused on two periods in the life of a California latina, separated by 30 years. she faces challenges prominent in the 1980's and new ones common in current society. We get to see her confrontations with racial bigotry, misogyny, family intrigue, entrepreneurial machinations, technological problem solving, modern medical miracles and, believe it or not, several other momentous issues.I highly recommend it to Millenials and Boomers both male and female.

I programmed on the Amiga when it first came out and also had a Vic 20 and Commodore 64, among other early home computers. It was fun to read this story and remember programming and how programmers started businesses. Mine was Regena. This author then took us to 2016 and had to weave past with present.