June 2019 Book Recap
Do you value your privacy? Then you absolutely need to read The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. Extensive, terrifying, and absolutely essential as a step towards *digital self-defense* — this book reads like a real-life Black Mirror/Matrix crossover.
At the very least, Zuboff’s book will make you a more conscientious digital consumer.
Quote for Pondering:
"The work of naming a strange form of power unprecedented in the human experience must begin anew for the sake of effective resistance and the creative power to insist on a future of our own making."
— Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
📚INHALED
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Politics, technology: “Das Kapital of the digital age."] // GoodReads Review
Under the Dome by Stephen King (F) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Sci-Fi, thriller: Better than The Stand, IMO.] // GoodReads Review
Recursion by Black Crouch (F) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Sci-Fi, time travel: Not quite as good as Dark Matter, but still binge-worthy.] // GoodReads Review
📚APPRECIATED
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Biography, art history: An engaging journey through notebooks and paintings.] // GoodReads Review
Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing by Robert Caro (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Autobiography, memoir: My first (but not my last) Caro.] // GoodReads Review
Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Philosophy, psychology: My 6th Holiday book, officially a fan.]
📚GUILTY PLEASURES
The Killer Collective by Barry Eisler (F) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Fast-paced thriller: Livia Lone Book 3; obsessed.] // GoodReads Review
You by Caroline Kepnes (F) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[Stalker, thriller: Loved the screen adaptation too.]
📚NOT AS INTERESTING AS YOU’D THINK
21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️[Generalized opinions, futurecasting: Sapiens and Homo Deus were much better.] // GoodReads Review
Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe by Lisa Randall (NF) ⭐️⭐️⭐️[Science, physics: Dry and a little … dark.] // GoodReads Review
📚EYE ROLL
The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison (F) ⭐️⭐️[“Thriller” / Extended rape fantasy? / A pervy good time? 🙄] // (My) GoodReads Review ***Hilarious 1 Star GR Review***
Bonus Quote!
“Surveillance capitalism’s ability to keep democracy at bay produced these stark facts. Two men at Google who do not enjoy the legitimacy of the vote, democratic oversight, or the demands of shareholder governance exercise control over the organization and presentation of the world’s information. One man at Facebook who does not enjoy the legitimacy of the vote, democratic oversight, or the demands of shareholder governance exercises control over an increasingly universal means of social connection along with the information concealed in its networks.”
— Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism