He makes an excellent argument that employers and governments exploit workers and citizens, and that businesses ensnare customers with loyalty programs. I don’t think we need to read an entire book to get that–and it’s only in the last few pages that he suggests a few strategies to combat rampant gamification. Step 1 is simply awareness!
Filed under New fiction
The US, by law, conducts a census every 10 years and, also by law, the raw data collected during the event becomes available 72 years later to protect the respondents’ privacy (it works for those of us who don’t live extremely long lives, at least.) Democracy’s Data: The Hidden Stories in the U.S. Census and How to Read Them is an exploration of the 1940 census, which starts slowly and cautiously but soon blossoms into a fascinating book. Each chapter explores a different aspect, some of which I was not too interested in, for instance the one about census jobs being distributed through patronage. But other chapters, especially the ones that discuss what data was chosen to be collected, and how it was organized, are well-constructed and show how a seemingly neutral data collection and data cleaning exercise can surface racism, sexism, and other exclusionary practices. My favorite part of the books are the actual pages that the enumerators filled out, complete with the names of those they counted, their ages, relationships, incomes, and various comments, both from the enumerator and the individual who coded (and re-interpreted) the data. Highly recommended!
Filed under Non fiction
How weird it is that naturalized citizens are somehow considered to be “less” than others, even though they specifically worked to become citizens, and had to pass an exam that many others would fail, I think. But the author of Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America does not just share how strange it is to be treated as a pariah, reaches deeply and into old history to show how white male supremacy lingers, and indeed is embedded into both constitution and mores. I thought the book could be repetitive and blustering, but the ideas were interesting.
Filed under Non fiction
Those of us with physical addresses never think twice about it: of course, the mail carrier or the UPS driver will find us, of course, anyone visiting can just plug in the address into Google Maps, of course the property we live on is recorded in some official record. But The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power reminds us that most of the world does not enjoy such luxuries (and it’s not just in the developing world, some rural folks in the US have no street addresses). It also shows how government developed addresses mostly to track its citizens, and tax them, and how naming streets is an essentially political act.
The book is full of interesting insights about the power of something as apparently simple as a street address.
Filed under Non fiction
The author of The Affirmative Action Puzzle: A Living History from Reconstruction to Today, a historian, attempts to answer the very difficult question of whether affirmative action was successful, is still successful, and what kinds of affirmative actions are both effective and accepted by the citizenry. It’s interesting to trace the history of affirmative action from the pretty bland language of the Civil Rights Act to today, and the ups and down of public support for affirmative action in general and quotas in particular. Stir in some sexism and the brew becomes ever more interesting.
Filed under Non fiction
If you are looking for a happy story, Broke: Hardship and Resilience in a City of Broken Promises is not for you. Not that there are not a few happy, inspiring stories in it, but the general mood is more than gloomy. After losing its manufacturing base, Detroit shed many of its residents, and with them its tax base–and of course it’s often the more affluent people who have the means to leave in the first place. The author chooses to follow a few who stayed, and through their experience we see how poor record keeping surprised homeowners with sky-high tax bills, years after the purchase, how those bills included water bills that previous owners never paid (why?), and how other mistakes meant arrests and even prison for some. Of course, there’s the whole saga of the bankruptcy that left streets unlit, crime unpunished, and, perhaps saddest of all, children un-taught. It’s not pretty.
Perhaps the Silicon Valley thinkers who are emoting about the consequences of AI and robots could take a look at what government can do when business models change instead of engaging in their ritual displays of hand-wringing? This book is the story of what not to do.
Filed under Non fiction
Starting during WWI, the US government, under the Orwellian name of “The American Plan” started to stalk and forcibly detain women to subject them to often brutal medical exams and equally brutal and ineffective medical treatment for STI. The Trials of Nina McCall: Sex, Surveillance, and the Decades-Long Government Plan to Imprison “Promiscuous” Women takes as its starting point one of these women and follows the lawsuit she brought against the government (she lost!), and meanders its way, slowly and methodically, thought WWII. While that treatment of women is shocking and well worth publicizing, I would have preferred a Cliff version of the events. (Yes, trial transcripts are incredibly boring.)
P.S. There’s hope. Tomorrow’s book is one I liked very much. Bad series this week!
Filed under Non fiction
Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life makes an uplifting case: that providing shared spaces such as libraries and parks, we can create connections and improve everyone’s life. While I agree with the thesis, and love the special treatment the author gives to libraries (my local branch provides 95% of the books reviewed here!), I have to say that the book is overly ambitious, not that well organized, and makes sometimes preposterous claims. As an example of the last point, the author explains that the American Society of Civil Engineers issues regular reports on the state of the infrastructure in the US — but should also rate the health and food infrastructures. Goodness gracious! Let the engineers stick to what they are good at.
At other points in the book, he praises Carnegie to the heavens (for creating libraries) while sharply accusing various Silicon Valley CEOs of not investing properly in charitable organizations. It might be worth noting that Andrew Carnegie was not a particularly decent boss or competitor… With that, the book has some inspiring stories of libraries and reclaimed parks, but don’t read it expecting a rational discussion of benefits.
Filed under Non fiction
Filed under Non fiction
The life story told in Called to Rise: A Life in Faithful Service to the Community That Made Me is fascinating, as we follow David Brown from a childhood with a single (and fierce!) mother all the way to the head of the Dallas police department. The personal story, complete with the tragic, drug-related deaths of a brother and his son , is haunting and inspiring at the same time.
The book is also interesting when it discusses policing approaches in large cities, although the language swarms with clichés and expressions that sound like they are coming straight from a (not so enlightened) soft skills training session. And overall the writing could use a good editing assist.
Filed under True story
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