Social Blunderer

Oh boy! The Cult of We tells a mind-boggling story. There is a sharp, almost sarcastic edge to some of the writing that reminded me of the cutting interludes in The Big Short but Brown and Farrell, for the most part, treat all the characters involved in the WeWork debacle with compassion. They genuinely want to understand why Adam Neumann did what he did and how so many people fell under his spell.
Adam comes across as mercurial. Almost absurdly charismatic and incredibly driven with unequalled skills as a salesperson and dealmaker. Brown and Farrell make clear a key aspect of his personality was his pathological need to push for more. It is a double-edged sword that drives him to great success and blinds him to the risks that he is exposing himself and those around him with his actions. There should have been adults in the room to tell him no. This is not an entirely sympathetic portrayal. Adam’s greed, cruelty and inability to take ownership for his mistakes speak for themselves.

It is fascinating to read how SO many people in the fields of finance, property, and technology fell under WeWork’s spell. Brown and Farrell smartly contrast the almost willful blindness of bankers, investors, celebrities, and employees to that of Regus owner’s clear-sighted understanding of WeWork’s business model.

Taking place over so many years and with many people making important decisions, this might have been incomprehensible and difficult to follow. This, however, is quality writing that cuts through a complicated maze of personalities and complex financial products, presenting the story of what happened in a way even a dolt like me could understand. This is a book filled with moments that I found astounding. The sums of money involved are almost unbelievable. This is a book about delusions both on a small and grand scale. It works both as a character study and as a warning that WE are all vulnerable to the defects of people like Neumann and Elizabeth Holmes because greedy humans believe the lies they want to hear.

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Matthew Green is a magnificent storyteller. He writes with curiosity, compassion, and, cleverness. 

Green’s exploration of how fragile even the largest of our cities can be to either environmental change or human frailty is engrossing. Settlements die when humans leave them, and whether this is due to flooding or war, they leave their mark on the land and in the memories of those that once lived there.

Green’s tales evoke feelings of melancholy, rage, and helplessness. For me, this was especially true in the chapters about Dunwich and Capel Celyn (both of which were drowned). He has a great knack for putting into historical perspective the lives of the people that lived in these doomed places; explaining how these settlements played a role in a grander geopolitical context or even in the evolution of human societies.

This is a fascinating look at periods of British history that is engrossing and beautifully written. Like many of the best non-fiction books, it ignited my imagination and not only stimulated my intellectual interest but also captivated me emotionally.  

Very highly recommended. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. If you buy the book with this link I get kicked a little money.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Wow! What a memoir. One of the most readable books I have read this year. Ypi writes with clarity and conciseness that is just a pleasure to behold. That isn’t to say that there are not beautiful sentences because there are. The passages describing the civil war are powerful and elegant.

Comparisons to Educated by Tara Westover are apt, but the book also reminded me of The Death of Stalin. The strange and oppressive rules that families living under a dictatorship must abide by. The often funny and farcical situations that arise in both social and professional settings as a result. The coded double-speak and fear of informers influences everything that happens in Ypi’s young life. They are also far too often deadly serious. The section about Lea complaining to neighbours about a lack of Hoxha portrait was nail-bitingly scary. Ypi’s parents hid their true feelings about the regime so well that she believed that they loved it.

Her parents are described with love. Their resilience and industriousness make them admirable, but they have flaws that are also laid bare. Ypi”s mother hates the state and to me came across as an almost Ayn Rand-ish free-market advocate, while her father is an idealist that that dithers. Having to navigate adolescence in a country that goes from dictatorship to democracy is a clever metaphor for the uncertainty of going from childhood to adulthood.

The book ends by asking more questions than it answers. It is a plea for political decisions to be made in a way that keeps in mind that they affect real people. I think the central question is can flawed people devise a way of living that makes us free?

Maybe the best memoir I have read this year and certainly one of the best books of 2021.

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Fizzing with humour Black Buck is full of dynamic prose. As a satire, it balances earnestness and cynicism almost flawlessly. I love a running gag and Buck being likened to different famous African Americans was cringe-inducingly delightful. Asksaripour’s writing in some ways oddly reminded me of Terry Pratchett’s socioeconomic commentary in the Discworld books. The satire here is firmly aimed at the people in power and the systems they operate in.

It is easy to see this book adapted to the big screen. If it was the 80’s/90’s it would be easy to see Buck being played by a young Eddie Murphy. The novel has vibes from Brewster’s Millions, Trading Places and more recent takedowns of big business such as The Big Short.

The book is not without its flaw. It only really picks up steam and get flying in the middle. The final chapters saw some key characters making decisions that felt less driven by any consistent emotional or logical rationale but rather by Asksaripour’s need to place character’s at certain locations.

Despite this, I had an exceedingly fun time reading Black Buck. Very Highly recommended.

Garthwaite’s depiction of her as an intelligent and fierce woman who passionately loves her husband, the Duke of York, is compelling. The book is at its best when the two of them verbally spar, Cecily, urging York to be more ambitious and ruthless in order to protect their family while York feels that this is best accomplished by being loyal almost to a fault.

That said the novel features significant time jumps which I felt a bit jarring. As a result, it drifted a bit in the middle until the final conflict is set up. Despite being told in the 3rd person, the narrative focuses on Celcily’s experiences and as result, I occasionally felt a bit lost as to the context in which certain things happen. I also took issue with the depiction of King Henry VI. While not a great king he did lay the foundations of institutions that the UK still benefits from today. For a novel looking to challenge traditional narratives, I felt more could have been done around this.

For the most part, Garthwaite writing is engaging. Cecily is a complex and formidable character that hooks you in. However, the book suffers from uneven pacing. I was tempted to give this four stars. A really good debut novel.

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As a huge fan of More or Less, I was very excited to be given an ARC from Netgalley.

How to Make the World Add Up is a deeply aspirational book. It convincing advocates that numbers and statistics have world-altering powers. Harford wants a world where we all better understand what these numbers mean, how they are calculated and collected, and what if anything we should do about them.

Harford’s writing is full of humanity. He knows for laypeople these are complex and often messy topics but he tackles them with such good nature and humour you can’t help feel enthused. The rules themselves are straightforward enough to follow and the examples Harford uses throughout to illuminate his points are thought-provoking.

Harford like the best communicators makes you feel smart for understanding the concepts he is explaining. How to Make the World Add Up features some of the best storytelling he has ever done and I think he a must-read for everyone unsure about what numbers mentioned to prove a point actually mean.

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This is a sobering polemic on political apathy and a visually stunning reminder of the genuine threat that democracies face.

It cleverly uses historical examples to validate the points about the actions one should take to safeguard their democratic freedoms.

By mixing photographs, collages, and illustrations, Krug expertly amplifies Snyder’s message. The graphic edition is eloquent and impassioned in its call for all of us to make every effort we can to avoid tyranny. It can be rage-inducing to read but at its heart is the significance of being kind, being active and, as the book itself puts it, not accepting the traps of inevitability.

Along with Save It for Later by Nate Powell, On Tyranny is another excellent example of how persuasive graphic novels can be when exploring themes as complex and as perplexing as what we can do as individuals to make our communities and counties better places to live and prosper. Highly recommended.

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