F.
I don't usually review books, but the number of negative reviews of this book forces my hand. Perhaps it could be written in a different fashion, and the author truly lacks writing capacity. I don't buy into that. The book can be finished in 2 or 3 hours, without skimming it as has been suggested.
My first contact with Lanier was “You're Not A Gadget”, suggested to us in college. A few years later I would be gifted ”Who Owns The Future”, and, if anything, his writing has gotten better. It's conversational, simple, to the point. To dismiss his arguments on the basis of whether he can deliver research paper-level writing is folly.
Occasionally a book deserves a rating that isn't strictly tied to how it is written, but must get an extra star simply for relevance to society. I do the same with movies, punitively distributing or withdrawing a full star from a movie that is either important or more of the same. Like it matters. Sometimes the experience or knowledge of something trumps other more objective criteria.
And so, “Ten Arguments...” gets 5. It's important, almost mandatory reading. I left my last social network in 2013, prompted by “You're Not A Gadget”. Ever since, when I try to join another mass behavior modification network — such as Twitter, last year —, I'm filled with anxiety. You might be too.
The current business model of social media is designed to compound on the worst aspects of our communal behavior. It's destroying your soul. It's making you into an asshole. Etc., etc. You get the point.
As one of the techies, like Lanier, I confirm we're crying for the help of the masses to change a system constructed to destroy what's best in us. I build this stuff, and feel as if “Ten Arguments...” could be the rallying cry for change. If you know of a better book on the subject matter, read that one.
But read this book, too. Read it now.
I understand now why the 2013 movie got hit by the critics. The Great Gatsby is a sad book. The movie fails to capture the melancholy of Gatsby's dream, and the empathy you feel on moments of pure humanity throughout the book. Tobey Maguire isn't a proper Carraway to me, but as the character himself says:
‘In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.”'
The only part of the book that failed to interest me was Nick's description of the people that came to Gatsby's parties. I felt for a moment as if I had picked up War and Peace. It's nothing but a long, very long list of names. Perhaps the author is trying to give you a sense of how extensive was the group of people that “crashed” Gatsby's parties, yet failed to be there he most needed them.
Well, I'm not a proper critic and can't write clever reviews, so I'll state simply: The Great Gatsby is excellent.
This type of writing is appalling. I don't need a book to start with an apology for the author being white, or male, or having time to cook. My sincerest apologies if I'm displaying bigotry, but being able to afford healthy food and having the capacity to cook it isn't a privilege, it's a basic human right. If having access to nutrition is something to apologize for, we've messed up tremendously as a society. Food is a right. As to the findings of the book itself: I skimmed it a bit and found some of it far-fetched. But it wouldn't matter anyway, because I'm tired of reading non-fiction that is 70% fluff, woke agenda, or blaatant anecdata.
Goddammit, I despise this book, myself for having bought it, and all the new-age esoteric stupid misogyny bullshit that it represents. I hope I learned NOTHING from this book, and I'm glad I read it while single before eventually finding the person I would marry.
If you're convinced by this dichotomous perception of reality and people, and somehow need a black-and-white representation of the ridiculously complex network of interpersonal behaviors that compose a relationship between 2 adults, you might a) not be an adult, or b) need a lot of therapy.
Regardless of your above situation, don't buy this book.
A few good ideas amidst crappy writing, tons of nonsense, and an all-around detestable style of story-telling. What a (f*cking) stupid book...
The OG book that made me understand why my brain worked a certain way. It's been now more than 10 years, but the lessons stayed with me. My brain (and possibly yours) sends signals with an intensity that's not the same as an extrovert's. That's fine. There's a reason for it. You'll learn to cope and make your life work for your own needs.
I'll forever be grateful to Susan Cain for helping me discover who I was.
(One day I'll re-read this and write a proper review.)