Kelli

Wished for more

Revisado: 09-17-24

I decided to read this book after reading an essay Lanier had written for Longreads. The subject is an important one and has increased my sensitivity in the area. I appreciate that.

However, I felt the prose was formulaic and many of the best insights left unexplored. I could have overlooked both of these, but the author continually references her work as both a writer and a person who teaches writing, so I hold her to a higher standard. The prose is so formulaic (e.g., every noun is preceded by two adjectives and followed by a metaphor or simile) that I found it distracting, and while she is clear in her point that her daughter has inherent value (a point which I suspect many people who choose to read the book already agree), I don’t feel she adds new insight to the subject.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Difficult to take seriously

Revisado: 09-29-22

I regret not returning this book within an hour of starting it. While not a long book, it is not a good use of time. Given that the author is a professor, I expected a more academically rigorous and credible work, even if written for a mass audience. Instead, she cites a serious of small studies done on college students (which are increasingly seen as problematic in their approach) and intersperses these with stories about how her family drains noodles and many references to her lack of sleep. I think the idea was to bring "real world" examples to each chapter, but then why does every story have to be about the author? The intense self-focus makes it difficult to think of the work as credible.

On top of that, the ENTIRE book is written in a sarcastic, slightly snarky tone, and the narrator amplifies every note of this sarcasm by choosing to narrate in what seems like a caricature of good elocution. As a result of both tone and content, I found the book lacking credibility. The topic, however, is an interesting one, and I would suggest potential readers look for other books instead.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Returned the title

Revisado: 10-03-21

Almost 20% into this book, the author is still covering the story of one person, including extensive narrative descriptions of home videos with everyday scenes. I believe the author is focusing on such details to try and bring a vividness to the tragedy of what happened, but instead, it feels like we've lost overview of the forest because of the trees. I returned the title since the author has given no hint that the remainder of the book will be more intellectually rigorous or enlightening on the topic beyond the sad details of one family's (admittedly heartbreaking) tragedy.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Not recommended

Revisado: 08-15-21

I found it difficult to connect with this book. The author clearly loves his subject, but it felt like he was more interested in his own fascination with it than in providing insights to and raising awareness in his audience. It is a matter of taste, but I believe the writing is supposed to convey intelligence and expertise but instead comes across as grandiloquent and disconnected. I lost too much interest to finish the book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Interesting until a pro-smoking ending

Revisado: 12-25-20

This book, which is well narrated, covers a few thousand years of tobacco's history. I learned many interesting facts and have a better understanding how we've ended up where we are today. 85% of the book is interesting and enjoyable. That said, the last 1-2 chapters are surprisingly pro-smoking. As another reviewer noted, the author does not mention the tobacco industry's cover up about how much it knew about smoking's effects on health. However, I was more surprised that the author openly questions smoking's health effects. In fact, his claims were so strong that I decided to read the studies on smoking's health effects (conclusion: yes, smoking is bad for your health). He also makes a claim that that smoking is not bad for society since it is cost neutral given that the cost of caring for those who smoke are offset by the fact that smokers die "on average, sixteen years earlier", which allows society to save on pension and later in life medical costs. Assuming the financial claim is factually correct, it is a narrow (and callous) way to justify smoking.

So overall, a decent book, but be aware that the perspective is biased.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 6 personas

Excellent as an audiobook

Revisado: 07-21-20

Well written and rivetingly narrated, this book is a gripping tale of the Shackleton expedition. The book is narrated so well that I prefer the audiobook over a print one.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña