Novelist #JonathanLethem reviewing #MalcolmHarris's, "Palo Alto," -- a history of Harris's hometown -- says the book "dispenses with the sentimental lore and examines how it has long been the seedbed for exploitation, chaos, and ecological degradation."
It's a thoroughly researched deflation of tech bro culture and its roots in #California's #SiliconValley as well as its toxic effect on the rest of the world.
Surprise villain: #HerbertHoover!
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/palo-alto-malcolm-harris-review/

I just finished PALO ALTO by #MalcolmHarris and I wholeheartedly recommend it. There are so many great things about it, but I particularly enjoyed Harris's justifiably brutal treatment of modern right-wing and tech heroes: Reagan is called "simple-mided"; Steve Jobs is described as a con-man; Gates and Zuck are completely elitist assholes; and every tech founder since ~2010 is just so dumb.

Very refreshing

People, I am begging you, please read faster! 😭

#Books #Libraries #Holds #JennyOdell #MalcolmHarris #RFKuang #Faster #Please

Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World by Malcolm Harris #PaloAlto #California #MalcolmHarris #BayArea

"From 19th-century railroad barons to the counterculture capitalists of the 1970s, Harris tells a story of wanton hubris and curdled idealism, one that seeks to account for the global rise—in tech, in war, in capitalism—of an otherwise forgettably pleasant suburb of San Jose."―Jonny Diamond, Literary Hub, Most Anticipated Books of 2023

"A Native Son of Palo Alto Thinks His Hometown Will Kill Us All" https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-a-native-son-of-palo-alto-thinks-his-hometown-will-kill-us-all/ #MalcolmHarris #PaloAlto #siliconvalley

"A Native Son of Palo Alto Thinks His Hometown Will Kill Us Al" https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-a-native-son-of-palo-alto-thinks-his-hometown-will-kill-us-all/ #MalcolmHarris #PaloAlto #siliconvalley

Malcolm Harris sometimes bites off more than he can chew, but he deserves better than this idiot and his dogshit review: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/books/malcolm-harris-palo-alto.html

#books #nytimes #MalcolmHarris #PaloAlto