keithdt

The Freedom To Tell Others How To Live Their Lives

Revisado: 05-27-24

Great book. The religious far right in its anti-scientific, anti-enlightenment, anti-democratic, authoritarian brainwashed state of being is all for freedom - that is their freedom to make everybody live the retrograde medieval fundamentalist lifestyle they wallow in.

Only problem with the book is that it severely taxed my ability to listen to the inane, preposterous nonsense of those she quotes or interviews. Often didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Really, it's scary stuff. Highly recommend to everyone with a functioning brain.

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Worthwhile Book on Border Politics - Solid 4

Revisado: 05-14-23 El oyente recibió este título gratis

NOTE: I received this audiobook for free in return for promising to write an unbiased review.

Definitely worth listening to (or reading) for anyone interested in border topics. Main thrust of the book is that much of border enforcement is political theatre regardless of results. After hearing the introduction, I thought maybe he overstated the case, but he piles up a lot of supporting evidence. The book is really strong on data and references to actual events, implying impressive research. It was a little dry and academic in places and for an audiobook it required a lot of hitting the replay button because the info was often presented pretty densely. I found the earlier history (which made up the previous editions) more compelling than the newer material which seemed less focused (as well as more well known).

Some miscellaneous thoughts about the book:
1) Would have like some comments on to what extent the politicians involved were intentionally creating policies they knew would be ineffective as opposed to actually wanting to achieve results but being unable to.
2) More about why illegal immigration and drugs are seen as problems to the extent that they are; what causes such great passion about these.
3) More about the demand side of the equation, especially demand for drugs (and how the U.S. stacks up against other countries). And why there is so much less support for treatment and for programs to curb demand.
4) Relatedly, some thoughts about better approaches to the border issues. I believe that unchecked use of drugs above the level of marijuana can is undesirable for a society (the reason the Chinese pushed back against the British opium trade in the 19th century, leading to the Opium War and eventual subjugation of China). I also think that leftist though I am, the idea of open borders is putting the cart before the horse. The world isn't ready for it, and it would just create chaos, when there are such differences between nations.
5) More about which Mexicans and Central Americans come to the US and their reasons for coming. Also, why Mexico fails to provide adequate opportunities for them and why it lags so much behind the U.S.
6) I think big missing points in the book are the failure to link the border issues to both the consequences of globalization and to capitalist economics.

All that said, the book is a solid and intelligent effort and worthy of a listen (or read) if you're interested in the topic of borders in any way.

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Better Afterword Than Story

Revisado: 10-13-22

The afterword was very good. For me, the story was not so good, choppy and uninvolving.

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Fantastic narration! Excellent story!

Revisado: 07-21-21

I don't like to write reviews for audible titles (though I almost always give a rating). However, IMHO this was as fine a narration as any of the many hundreds I've heard over the years. Some people didn't seem to like the narrator, but to me it was just super. As for the story, in the first part I was thinking it was way overrated (I've seen it mentioned as the best short story ever), but as it progressed it kept getting better and the ending portion really elevates it to something special (though as for best story ever, that's seems to me a silly attempt to label anything).

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Didn't care for it

Revisado: 03-22-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Note: I received this audio-book in return for the promise of an honest review.

I requested the book based upon the description, which sounded very promising,. Unfortunately, for me the book didn't live up to my hopeful expectations. Others may like it more than me, as a lot of my issues had less to do with the quality of the writing than my own beliefs and attitudes.
I had a number of issues with the book, and in fact wouldn't have finished it if not for the promise of the review. My issues were (in rough order):
1) That the AI's have human-like emotions, without having anything corresponding to the bio-chemical systems that underlie these emotions in humans. And here one should consider the evolutionary causes of emotions and further the whole evolutionary backdrop of what it is to be a living being
2) Which connects to the second issue, which is that these AI's come across as just like us (expect smarter and somewhat more benevolent. I personally found this to be implausible.
3) That the focus of the book is on the AI's and not on humans. In fact, the 2 main AI's are the only characters that have any degree of character development. I was interested in the book because it seems important to develop an understanding of how AI might impact the human world. But this book comes across almost as a civil rights for AI tract.
4) I found the obsession with gender identity annoying. Which connected to issue 3 steeped the book too deeply in postmodern identity politics for my liking.
5) I thought way too much time was devoted on virtual reality and games.
6) Found it rather elitist (in a Silicon Valley kind of way); I don't recall any character who isn't a scientist, business person or other high level functionary (other than maybe the glimpses of the anti-AI people we get, though none of those are actively portrayed as individual people). No ordinary, everyday humans to be found.
7) Didn't like the ending in that it seemed one of those inconclusive traps to g et you buy the next book (not that this book was unique or particularly egregious in this aspect.

What I liked best about the book were the social movements against the AI and the business aspects of the book. Although, they could have been expanded upon more, especially the social movements. Overall, I would have preferred a book that was more about humans and less about AI and where the human characters were more than stick figures in a plot. The writing of the book was respectable for what the book was, I just wasn't thrilled by what it was. I did find the last 1/3 of the book somewhat more engaging than the first 2/3. The narrator was ok, but didn't do much to enhance the book.

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Clever Little Story

Revisado: 02-24-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

Note: I received this audio-book for free with a request for an honest review.

Clever, entertaining little story with an interesting ending. Maybe a bit too concise; might have been better with a little more development of the characters and scenario. Narrator was good but not great; well suited to the material but maybe a touch too low-key.

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Master of the Run-On Sentence

Revisado: 08-30-19

I thought the audiobook version of this was somewhat problematic because Katznelson is an Olympic Gold Medal level practitioner of the run-on sentence. Never did I have to rewind an audiobook so often or so many times. This is especially true if, like me, you listen while doing other things like making dinner or cleaning. Further, the narration by Scott Brick (who I am not a big fan of) was passable at best.
As for the book, on the plus side, I learned a good deal, with their being a lot of interesting detail and SOME interesting analysis. I thought the sections on racial politics were the strongest part of the book On the minus side, I feel the book pays far too little attention to economic issues, in particular talking too much about "democracy" and too little about "capitalism". Also, the book was bloated and not well structured.

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Felt Like a Dated & Elitist Essay

Revisado: 08-31-18

This felt to me like a dated & elitist essay. Probably made worse since I had (coincidentally) just listened to The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, a nonfiction title about how things would go on earth if humans suddenly disappeared. London's book rang false to me in how the scenario played out. The cultural assumptions seem very dated (and were probably somewhat outdated even then). The human reversion to barbarity struck me more as colonialist nonsense then anything. Also, it seemed very elitist and snobbish with an almost worshipful portrayal of a formerly rich, "cultured" woman, in contrast to the "savages" who predominated. Hadn't thought of London as elitist, especially knowing he wrote the book "People of the Abyss" about the poor of 1902 London. Strangely, his treatment of nature seems more modern and closer to the mark than his socio-cultural analysis. Also, because of the way the book was structured, I found it somewhat dull, lacking in narrative tension. It read more like an essay to me. In spite of all of these shortcomings, I'm still giving it an overall 3 (though borderline) because it is still rather original and imaginative and because London does have writing skill. The narration is somewhat better than the book.

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Excellent and Timely Book

Revisado: 01-26-17

With the opioid crisis a significant issue in today's America, this book both sheds light on that issue and tells a fascinating, if seedy, story that played a part in it. Not only is it worthwhile for being timely, but it is interesting and well-written. Narration maybe a cut below the book itself.

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