Book Review: Former.ly-The Rise and Fall of a Social Network by Dane Cobain

In UK-based author Dane Cobain’s novel Formerly: The Rise and Fall of Social Network, protagonist Dan Roberts is living in London with his journalist girlfriend, Sarah, and trying to eek out a living as a freelance computer programmer. Dan is passionate about programming, but it’s not exactly doing a lot to pay the bills or pay for the flat he shares with Sarah.

Low on funds, Dan is desperate for a full-time job, so he’s pretty happy to get a steady gig as a programmer with the social media platform Former.ly even though the interview process is less than orthodox (drinking is involved). Former.ly is a website where people can share their innermost secrets, yet, the caveat is that these secrets won’t be made available until the person dies. Yes, Former.ly relies on death. Death is imperative to Former.ly’s success.

Dan has no idea what he’s exactly getting into, but he’s happy to accept a regular paycheck. At the helm of Former.ly are its two founders, John and Peter. John and Peter are at first shrouded in mystery, but it isn’t long before Dan realizes (as do the ready) that both of them have nefarious things in mind. John has a vicious temper and is a total control freak. Peter is also a control freak, but he seems (on the surface) to be more measured than his fellow founder of Former.ly.

Dan’s co-workers include Felicity, who goes by the nickname Flick. Flick works as Former.ly’s office manager/PR girl. Abhi is a fellow coder. Kerry is the media guy who films the people for their video diaries. And later on, comes along Nate who is Former.ly’s custodian, but knows a lot more than he initially lets on, and Elaine who works on the financials of Former.ly. Elaine is a bit of an outlier at Former.ly considering she’s in her fifties and has grandchildren.

It isn’t long before Dan’s job at Former.ly takes over his own life. He’s working ungodly long hours and spending more time with his coworkers than with his beleaguered girlfriend. Dan and Sarah agree to break up; their relationship long past repair.

Former.ly is getting more and more successful, and the founders decide it’s time to go public. After a launch party, one of the journalists dies under very mysterious circumstances. At first Dan and his coworkers think the journalist’s death is just an unfortunate circumstance, but they soon turn suspicious of John and Peter, and the going ons at Former.ly. Yet, at this point their livelihood is of utmost importance. They need their jobs.

John and Peter decide some changes need to be made at Former.ly. They want to move Former.ly from Jolly Old England to Palo Alto, California, one of the epicenters of all things tech. Yes, this means most of the staff of Former.ly have to move to Palo Alto. Moving is never exactly uncomplicated, especially when one is moving to a whole new country. Dan’s fellow coder, Abhi, expresses hesitancy over moving to Palo Alto. He has family in England, and his wife is expecting a baby. But somehow Abhi is supposed to be more committed to Former.ly than his pregnant wife. Abhi never ends up in Palo Alto. Instead, his lifeless body is found in the River Thames. Could it be a tragic coincidence or something far more sinister?

Despite his reluctance, Dan moves to Palo Alto and gets sucked up even more into the high tech world (he ends up driving a Tesla), but he is convinced something completely evil is going on with John and Peter. And he’s committed to get into the crux of what is really happening at Former.ly and Nate, the custodian (and so much more) is along for the ride. Former.ly continues to be riddled with death, break-ins, and lots of other wicked activities. And it doesn’t help the police are getting involved. Will Dan be able to find out what is really going on at Former.ly or will he end up in huge trouble or ever worse, dead?

Former.ly is a fascinating look at tech culture and how it overwhelms the people who work in this very high-stakes world. The mysterious thriller aspect just makes Former.ly so much more interesting, and it has a twist at the end that truly had me shocked. I’m usually not a fan of tech bros, but Dan Roberts is a rather compelling reluctant hero.

Book Review: Touch by Courtney Maum

In Courtney Maum’s novel Touch, the protagonist, Sloane Jacobsen, is a highly regarded and world reknowned trend forecaster. She uses her intuition to predict trends that will become huge and she’s very well-compensated for knowing which trends will become popular and affect our lives . For instance, she forecasted the concept of “swiping.” Sloane left Paris soon after her father died when she was very young, and she’s pretty somewhat estranged from her mother and her sister, Leila.

But as Touch begins, Sloane is back in the states, and she’s brought her French boyfriend, Roman, along. Sloane has been hired by New York City based tech giant, Mammoth by its CEO Daxter. Daxter, or Dax as he is often called, has hired Sloane to consult Mammoth on an upcoming conference where they will promote the idea of immersing oneself fully into technology and abandoning the idea of human touch.

However, Sloane finds herself swerving away from Mammoth’s mission. Sloane is envisioning a future where people will want genuine human interaction, touch, and empathy towards others. Dax is appalled, and he comes up with the idea of hiring Sloane’s boyfriend, Roman, as a consultant. Roman’s views align with Mammoth’s ideas of non-touching and fully immersing into high tech. Roman is also a proponent of non-penetrative sex (he and Sloane haven’t had sex in nearly two years) and the idea of anti-natalism, not having children. Plus, he wrote a an op-ed for the New York Times promoting non-penetrative sex and it went viral. And as we know, any idea that goes viral is considered good if that idea is completely bonkers.

Sloane is appalled. And she’s beginning to question many choices she’s made in her life. She wonders why she’s spent such a long time with Roman, especially considering he seems more interesting wearing a Zentai suit (google Zentai suit if you must know) than being intimate with her. And Sloane also regrets leaving her mother and her sister after the tragic death of her father. She hopes to make amends with both of them and regain a connection, especially considering her sister is pregnant with her third child.

The concept of Touch was quite interesting. It gave me some insight on the concept of trend forecasting and the work that goes into it. And I had to laugh over the addiction many of us have to our tech devices. I must admit my smart phone is never far away.

But I also liked Sloane believing actual human connection is imperative and is what people will want in the near future. Though technology has in some aspects made our lives better, we are social creatures (yes, even us introverts), and we desire to make connections to our fellow human beings. Though in Touch, one of Sloane’s best relationships was with Anastasia, an Alexa like component of the driverless car that gets Sloane from point A to point B.

And then there is Mammoth and it’s CEO Dax, which hits on every stereotype of tech culture and tech companies. I think Maum was trying to be satirical in writing about Mammoth, but something about it just left me kind of depressed. I felt many of the employees, and especially Dax, were just shallow and solipsistic, not open to any new ideas. But Maum is spot on when it comes to portraying as the high tech douche bro. She gets it.

For the most part, I like Touch. It is well-written and kept my interest. But it ended quite predictably when Sloane is about to take a test, and I don’t mean an eye test. Perhaps, Sloane is somewhere living off the grid, homeschooling her children, and now denouncing the childfree and the idea of women having careers. Heck. I’ve seen it happen.

Book Review: Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig

“When anger trawls the Internet,
Looking for a hook;
It’s time to disconnect,
And go and read a book.”
-An Ode to Social Media from the book Notes on a Nervous Planet by Matt Haig

Years ago I discovered a wonderful other, Matt Haig. Haig is the writer of Reasons to Stay Alive, one of the best books I’ve read on the issues of depression and mental health.

We live in a very chaotic world. The pandemic is still going on. Mass shootings seem to be a daily occurrence. There is racial strife, there are people still unemployed, and our planet is becoming more corroded. We’re stressed and anxious, and our continuously connected digital world is making our lives a bit crazy. So that is why Haig’s 2018 book Notes on a Nervous Planet so timely.

Notes on a Nervous Planet is a collection of essays that reflects on how certain advancements in technology like social media can actually create difficulties in achieving happiness. He also examines how our addiction to technology can be a difficult one to break. And Haig fully confesses he has a hard time letting go even though he realizes getting wrapped up in an argument on Twitter or thinking you constantly have to be connected to your devices isn’t always a good thing.

In Notes on a Nervous Planet, Haig claims he’s not so much anti-technology, as he is human connection. We need to log off every once in a while, stop comparing to the images we see on Instagram, stop binge watching Netflix, and so on. Granted during the pandemic, it may be more difficult to connect face to face, but perhaps the pandemic is making us more aware the importance of seeing each other in the flesh rather than Zoom or Facetime, though I am grateful those things exist.

If there is a message in the pages of Notes on a Nervous Planet, it is this: We are special and we matter. We need to connect in what makes us uniquely human and interesting. We need to appreciate what we have and not focus on what we don’t have, especially when it comes to prestige and material wealth.

Haig writes in a way that is both comforting and relatable. He never lectures; he just lays it honestly and realistically. It’s okay to disconnect from the smartphone, from the laptop, and the television. Look for other things to stimulate you whether it’s cooking a fine meal, practicing yoga, or reading a good book. Now excuse me while I disconnect from this blog and take a walk.

Book Review: Make Almost Anything Happen-How to Manage Complexity to Get What You Want by Tim Kilpatrick

It’s no secret we live in a very difficult time. We deal with complex issues both personally and professionally. And at times our situations make us crazy with self-doubt wondering how we can better manage our lives.

Fortunately, health care strategist, systems engineer, and entrepreneur Tim Kilpatrick might have the answer in his book Make Almost Anything Happen: How to Manage Complexity to Get What You Want.

Make Almost Anything Happen is divided into six distinct parts:

1. Mission
2. Impacting People
3. Impacting Realities
4. Impacting Activities
5. Strategy
6. Iteration

Part one describes how to define and develop a mission or goal you want to achieve. This is of utmost importance.

Part two examines how the mission impacts people in various ways.

Part three focuses on how the mission affects our reality and the reality of others.

Part four defines what activities will benefit from the mission by studying people and realities affected by the mission.

In part five, we develop a strategy framework. The strategy framework delves into how the mission we’ll accomplish with a planned out complex system.

And finally in part six-iteration-is about learning by working on various activities, what Kilpatrick calls an “Enablement Framework.”

Throughout Make Almost Anything Happen, Kilpatrick provides ample examples on the people who made things happen by managing complexity. Some are well-known like Coco Chanel and the Wright Brothers. More currently there are names like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Sarah Blakely, the creator of Spanx.

And there are names of people not as well-known like Olympic Bob sledder Jasmine Fenlator and Edward Jenner who invented the small pox vaccine.

Unsurprisingly, a book about managing complexity is, well, complex. While reading this book, I was overwhelmed by the information, data, ideas, and requirements outlined by Kilpatrick. I suggest using Post-it Notes, highlighters’ and journaling to keep track of all of the pertinent details.

Fortunately, Kilpatrick’s writing isn’t dry and stuffy. He writes in a friendly tone and implies this book can be used personally as well as professionally. For instance, one of Kilpatrick’s personal missions is to be a better father, a very worthy goal.

Make Almost Anything Happen is a pretty heavy duty book, but should be read in the workplace, the classroom, and on the homefront.

Book Review: Shrill-Notes From a Loud Woman by Lindy West

I’ve been a fan of writer Lindy West since her Jezebel.com days. Whether she was writing about pop culture or social issues, I found her writing voice to witty and wise,  a welcome relief from tiresome clickbait and lazy listicles.

So it was a thrill to read West’s memoir Shrill: Notes From a Loud woman.

Growing up,  West was nerdy, shy and fat, not exactly a recipe for success. Yet, she was able to find success, both professionally and personally, once she became an adult and found her voice.

And though her voice brought her admirers it also brought her haters,  mostly obnoxious trolls.

You see West is a woman with an opinion. She’s also fat. How dare she!

Through her feature articles and opinion pieces, West expressed her disdain for rape jokes and the struggles with body shaming. In response, she often faced horrific comments telling her she should be raped and ripped her apart for not being a tiny size two.

West fully describes in Shrill what it was like to be caught up in hail storm of hatred. It was a time of loneliness and tears,  vulnerability and anger, but it was also a time where West found support, decency, empathy and a the will to go on as a writer and just person trying to live her life

But in the end West triumphed. She triumphed so much a troll even reached out to her to apologize.

Today, West is having the last laugh. Shrill is gaining lots of praise, including praise from two of my faves, Caitlin Moran and Samantha Irby. Now based in Seattle West now writes for GQ,  The Guardian,, and other assorted highly respected publications. She founded the advice blog for teenagers called I Believe You/It’s Not Your Fault. West is also blessed with a loving family and a happy marriage. Hmm, maybe being shrill isn’t such a bad thing.

Though Shrill is West’s story, it’s also the story of every woman with an opinion and  one who doesn’t fit into our society’s slender notion on how to behave…and look like. I highly recommend it.

Book Review: Voices From the Rust Belt – Edited by Anne Trubek

Just what is the Rust Belt? In simple terms it stretches from Milwaukee to Buffalo with cities like Chicago, Detroit, Flint, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh inbetween, cities that were once known as vibrant communities of manufacturing that have fallen on hard times but are trying to recapture their former glory. The Rust Belt is also a place I call home.

Sometimes romanticized,sometimes looked down upon, and often ignored, the Rust Belt is a place rich in history and tales so I was only to happy to find Voices from the Rust Belt, a collection of essays by people of all kinds who deftly write about what it is like to live in the Rust Belt.

After a brief introduction, which describes what is the Rust Belt and why it matters, Voices from the Rust Belt is divided into four parts.

1. Growing Up
2. Day to Day in the Rust Belt
3. Geography of the Heartland
4. Leaving and Staying

I pretty much loved all the essays written by talented women and men of all kinds. Some stories I could relate and others opened my eyes to experiences completely foreign to me. These stories are written by journalists, immigrants, students, artists, business owners, activists and working stiffs of all kinds who call the Rust Belt home. Nearly every one of theses writers impressed me and I was thrilled to find brief bios of the writers, which gave me further insight to these people beyond their written words. I also pondered what it would be like to see a well-made documentary on the Rust Belt – Ken Burns, I’m looking in your direction.

If I have any quibbles with Voices from the Rust Belt it is there is no voice from Milwaukee. Hmm, maybe in the sequel.

Book Review: The Common Good by Robert B. Reich

Considering I gave Robert B. Reich’s Saving Capitalism a rave review, it’s no secret I’m a huge fan of the former secretary of Labor under President Clinton. So I am thrilled to give Reich’s latest book, The Common Good, another rave review.

The Common Good is a call to arms to anyone who cares about the state of our country and all of its citizens.

And when I mention a call to arms I don’t mean guns and ammunition. This book is a call for us to bring a sense of empathy, sensibility and basic human decency when it comes to politics, business, religion, education, media, activism, and our communities as a whole. And The Common Good is written in an enthusiastic and perceptive manner that will connect with a wide audience.

The Common Good is divided into three distinct parts:

1. What Is the Common Good?

2. What Happened to the Common Good?

3. Can the Common Good By Restored?

Part one is a primer on the common good. It starts out using the sheer awfulness of Martin Shrekeli and how he fully encompasses what is not the common good.

As part one moves on Reich explains both the common good most of us share and origins of the common good.

In part two Reich examines what exactly happened to our nation’s common good through a 3-prong dismantling of the common good’s structure. Believe me, it’s not pretty.

But before readers gnash their teeth in despair, Reich wraps things up with a manifesto on how we can restore the common good, which includes leadership we can trust, the use of honor and shame, resurrecting truth and finally but most importantly reviving civic education for all citizens starting in grade school and high school.

Some of ideas may be a bit difficult to implement and others will be quite simple. But all are vital.

The Common Good is written in an audience-friendly style that instructs and inspires and will hold your interest long after you are done reading it.  I can’t recommend it enough. The Common Good is both timely and timeless.

Book Review: Startup-A Novel by Doree Shafrir

The workplace always has a way to inspire a good book, and it definitely inspires author Doree Shafrir in her spot-on satirical release Start Up: A Novel.

Startup is about a collection of driven and talented millennials and how they are making their way in the world of social media, work culture, and high tech in the world of startups in New York City, a culture where often you’re only as good as your last tweet and a text read by the wrong person can ruin people’s careers. However, it is also a novel that examines the complex relationships between men and women, both professionally and personally, and all too relatable no matter what generation you got slid into (FYI-I’m a card-carrying member of Generation X).

The world of startups is one that both baffles me and intrigues me even though I’ve spent some time in newly formed entrepreneurial organizations. Sometimes I hear the word “startup” and I feel my blood turn into icy cold rivers. A lot of the startup culture seems to be about making something out of nothing valuable or meaningful to our society. Yet, at the same time one of my favorite shows is Startup on PBS, which examines new companies and entrepreneurs who are creating products and/or services that are creative, useful, and add value to their communities.

Sadly, the latter doesn’t seem to be the startup in Shafrir’s novel, but does it make for a fun and witty read.

Startup focuses on several characters, who are both infuriating and intriguing. There is Mack McAllister, the CEO of the startup Slack who is having an affair with Isabel Taylor, one of his employees. There is Katya Pasternack, a tough reporter for a high tech media publication and her boss, managing editor Dan Blum. And then there is Dan’s wife, Sabrina Choe Blum, back to work at the startup, trying to fit in and get back to speed after several years as a stay at home mom.

Mack may seem to be on the top of the world as CEO, but in reality he is lonely so he hooks up with Isabel. Isabel is initially fine with the casual hook ups she has with Mack but is now at the point where she wants their sexy time to stop and get back on track to focusing on her career.

Katya, sees several texts sent from Mack to Isabel on Isabel’s phone at a networking party. Three of these texts feature Mack’s fully-engorged member saying, “don’t tell me u don’t miss this.” Katya wonders if she should she ignore the texts or should she publish the photos and write an exposé that could blow up the entire world of Slack, not to mention the careers of both Mack and Isabel. Gee, which option do you think she’ll pick? I bet you can figure that out.

Meanwhile, Dan is at this tether at both the tech magazine and with his marriage and home life. He just figures he is worth of more respect by both his colleagues, especially Katya and his wife Sabrina.

And poor Sabrina feels in over her head at her new job; she feels a bit out of the loop when it comes to her tech savvy, eternally smart phone watching and social media updating co-workers and questions how she measures up.

Furthermore, she’s got a shopping addiction and the credit card bills to show for it. She tries to hide this addiction (not to mention the bills) from her hubby Dan. To pay for her bills, Sabrina starts selling her dirty undies on-line and actually gets a nice cash flow coming in. Yes, it sounds disgusting but everybody has their kinks and Sabrina is just providing a product some people are willing to buy.

From the opening line of Startup to the last closing line, I found myself caught up in the whirlwind of these characters’ lives both professionally and personally. Though a lot of them made some bad decisions, I truly had their best interests at heart. I wanted things to work out for all involved, and I could relate to a lot of their problems. Yes, even Sabrina selling her unmentionables. Nope, I’m not going to sell my dirty dainties on Craigslist, but I have been told more than once I should make extra money via phone sex due to having a “hot and sexy” speaking voice.

But I digress…

In the hands of a lesser writer, these characters could be written in broad non-dimensional strokes, the men all douchebro cads, the women all overly ambitious shrews or weak milquetoasts. But all are fully-dimensional. You both root for them while at the same time shake your head in disgust.

Plus, I could totally relate to this novel even though I’m a generation older than the characters and live in Milwaukee, not the Big Apple. I’ve worked in the world of media and newly formed organizations. But I also dealt with these issues while working in older companies and retail establishments. It seems like the more things change , the more they stay the same. From Mad Men to the mad world of startups, Startup: A Novel is both timely and timeless.

Book Review: Love is a Mix Tape-Life and Loss, One Song at a Time

Just what is love? Philosophers, poets and song writers have been asking that question since the beginning of time. To music journalist Rob Sheffield, love is a mix tape. The author has chronicled the cross section of music and love in debut book called Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time.

Long before people downloaded music into their smart phones or other hand-held listening devices with their favorite music, they made mix tapes. Mix tapes were very personal. Not only did they reveal some of our favorite songs, they also revealed our hopes, desires and thoughts. Mix tapes were therapy on a magnetic strip.

Rob Sheffield is no different from every music obsessed Generation X-er. A total music geek, he found solace and a reason for being through his love of music. Starting as a young child, he DJ-ed at school dances, collected albums and tapes like baseball cards and debated the merits of different bands with his friends.

In the late 1980s, Sheffield met Renee. Renee couldn’t have been more different from Rob. He was tall; she was short. He was a shy geek from Boston. Renee was an extroverted Southerner. The only thing these two seemed to have in common was an intense love of music, and it seemed music was all they needed. The two soon fell in love and were married until Renee’s untimely death from a pulmonary embolism at the age of 31.

Sheffield deftly writes about his all too brief marriage to Renee and he does this with a catalog of different mix tapes he made. Each chapter starts with a different mix tape, complete with the names of songs and artists. Some tapes are for making out, some for dancing and some for falling asleep. Sheffield proves to be no music snob, mixing top-40 guilty pleasure pop with the alternative music of the 1980s and 1990s. Each lovingly crafted mix tape conveys an intricate detail of the sometimes loving, sometimes rocky, and all-too-human relationship between two very interesting and complex souls.

Love is a Mix Tape had me riveted. Sheffield is an amazing writer, handling his love of music and his love of Renee with tender loving care. He gives an intimate glimpse into his marriage without revealing too many intimate details. The marriage of Rob and Renee is never conveyed in a way that is too saccharine or maudlin. These are two very real people who seemed to leap off the page. Often when men write about the women in their lives they do it more as a reflection of their own egos rather than writing about these women as three-dimensional human beings. Sheffield does not fall into this trap. I really felt I knew Renee. In fact, I wish I knew Renee. She was an Appalachian Auntie Mame who told her husband to “Live, live, live!” and tells the reader to do the same.

And even though I began reading Love is a Mix Tape knowing of Renee’s death, I was still very shocked when it happened. How could this ebullient soul not be cavorting somewhere on the planet? And Sheffield’s grief was so palpable I felt a dull ache in my heart as he described existing as a young widower.

I highly recommend Love is Mix Tape to anyone who considers music as vital as breathing and knows only too well the ecstasy and heartbreak true love can bring. Rob Sheffield has written an amazing book. I hope he has more books in him.

To learn more about Rob’s affiliation to write about love and music please check out my review of his book Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love and Karaoke.

Book Review: No More Work-Why Full Employment is a Bad Idea by James Livingston

For ages, work equaled having a job so you could put a roof over your head, keep your belly full, clothe your back and pay your bills, taxes, mortgage, insurance, car note and other life essentials. And if you had some of your hard-earned paycheck left over you might treat yourself to a day at the spa, a night out on the town or attend a concert or sporting event.

But work doesn’t just mean money. Work also conveys discipline, education, skills, talent, passion, and making contribution to society and culture as a whole. Work is the solution to society’s ills, after all, idle hands are the devil’s workshop, right?

According to James Livingston maybe we need to take a look at our age-old idea of work and turn this idea on its head. And he goes into this further in his thought provoking book No More Work: Why Full Employment is a Bad Idea.

According to Livingston, professor of history at Rutgers University, gainful employment is seen by Americans, of all political leanings, as a proper goal for all of us instead of a problem that needs to some serious overview and overhaul, both morally and economically. We need to examine why we go to work and how it is affecting us as human beings and as a nation.

There are several problems with gainful employment for your average American worker. One includes technology and automation are replacing humans for various business transaction. We do are banking on-line, use the self-checkout at the grocery store, and check out various travel websites rather than talk about our vacation plans with a travel agent.

Another factor Livingston examines in No More Work is how we have reached peak productivity levels that do nothing more than provide a cushion of leisure for most of us. Yet it is mostly the one percent among us who truly benefit primarily due to the how both wealth and work are dispersed. We have far too many workers make less than a truly life sustaining wage, often using public assistance just to make it. And it’s not just people working at Wal-Mart. Even people who are college educated and working white collar professions rely on food stamps and other “entitlements.” Meanwhile, some CEOs make huge sums of money in both income and assets even as they make decisions that can sink a company.

And there is this idea of the “romance of work,” the age old Protestant work ethic most Americans swear by even though it doesn’t always benefit us financially, mentally, emotionally and so on.

So what is the solution according to Mr. Livingston? One solution is taxing corporate profits, which often aren’t used to fully invest in ways that benefit most of us. By now I think most of us realize “trickle-down economics” is a complete myth.

What else does Livingston suggest? Livingston also suggests implementing a guaranteed minimum basic income. This may sound familiar to many of my readers when I debunked Miriam Weaver and Amy Jo Clark’s badly researched take on this concept in my review of their book Right for a Reason.

A basic guaranteed income for all citizens is being examined again and is supported by both those on the left and the right. Personally, I think the idea is very intriguing, and even with this type of income, most of us will seek some type extra of employment to make more money and to get benefits, especially health insurance.

No doubt No More Work is brings up several controversial issues, but I do hope it’s used as a springboard when it comes to the concepts of full employment, corporate America, guaranteed basic income, raising the minimum wage, income inequality, our current tax system, entitlements, and our concepts of work, leisure, life, and money that are deeply etched into our country’s psyche.