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stinkyheronreads's review
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This book explores the forces that have led to the city-scapes we experience in the US today, with a regional focus on the NY capitol. The political theory was heavy handed at times, but the author does a good job introducing concepts, making them relatable and lighthearted (despite some cringey meme descriptions), and tying it all back to the capitalism we know and love (joke). I didn’t care for the more fictional utopian narrative sections, they felt out of place to me, but they were extremely few and far between, only in the final chapter. All in all, as a CNY resident critical of the capitalist cancer-growth machine, I enjoyed this read.
binchsensei's review
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
Ultra-modern, investigative, and deeply utopian.
I really enjoyed this book. Banks digs into subjects that seem otherwise undefinable — quantitatively identifying how cities market their “vibe” is no easy feat, but I think he did it quite well.
Didn’t love the pop culture references, though I can see they served the purpose of lightening up a text that may have been too dry for some readers otherwise, so props for the effort.
I really enjoyed this book. Banks digs into subjects that seem otherwise undefinable — quantitatively identifying how cities market their “vibe” is no easy feat, but I think he did it quite well.
Didn’t love the pop culture references, though I can see they served the purpose of lightening up a text that may have been too dry for some readers otherwise, so props for the effort.
clawzzz's review
2.0
Overall premise was good but the application was both bad and boring. Too much cringe millennial humor and not enough extrapolation. Sorry David
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