Free for a Fee

Amazon.com shocked customers yesterday when it reached out to hundreds, if not thousands of Kindles and simply deleted texts that users had not only purchased, but had started to read. A literary coitus interruptus, Amazon spoiled the readers’ descent into Orwellian masochism with nary a warning or apology.

Sometime on Thursday, users had an eerie feeling that they were being watched, receiving emails stating that their purchases were being refunded. When they connected to the Kindle’s WhisperNet, the purchases in question were automatically deleted. Some could only wonder: how often could this happen? Perhaps the Thought Police Amazon Customer Service team could cut off your books whenever they wanted to.

With Amazon’s tramping on the works of Orwell, customers felt their utopian world of tree-saving e-book consumption trampled upon. They lamented their un-e-books, finding themselves feeling hollow. With what could their hearts be filled to restore the escape they crave?

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