Makers

I liked this story more than my three stars indicates, but I think over time this story will fade to three stars in my memory.

3D-printing, Disney rides, corporations threatening to sue over IP are all things you read in Boing Boing. These are explored in the novel. While I like the exploration of these in novel form, the story took me a while to get into. However, I like that the story followed the characters throughout their lifetime.

A little heavy, but worth reading purely for Doctorow's depiction of the joy (and pain) of creating. Doctorow really Gets It, and lives the model, and my admiration for him continues to grow.

IMO, it wasn't up to Doctorow's usual standards. The story didn't hold me, and his portrayal of overweight folks really rubbed me the wrong way. (Oh yes, they're all waiting for a cure that lets them eat 10,000 calories per day - and when they finally get thin they do nothing but worry about their wardrobe when they're not sleeping with each other).

Particularly disappointing because I know he can do far better. Gave up about half way through...

The first part of this book made me angry. The main POV character, a journalist who becomes a successful blogger by writing about nerds making stuff, smelled strongly of author insertion and it pushed some personal buttons of mine with regards to how it presented people with weight issues. I think the issues raised by Lester and the fatkins diet could be interesting if developed into their own story, but as a subplot to a larger work it felt sloppy and disrespectful.

Later sections of the book were better than the beginning, but never quite rose to good - characters seem flat and two-dimensional, and are motivated primarily by a desire to move the plot forward. I can appreciate that Doctorow was trying to write a sci-fi novel that focused on the science of economics, but I can't say I enjoyed it.

A funky and interesting book about people who make things. Doctorow's not known for his talent with the written word, but he can tell a damn good story. It made me want to go out and make things, which I think was the point. We can all be cultural makers!