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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
This was not what I expected. It was far more cerebral and intellectual, which I may have enjoyed more had I been prepared. As it was, I was anticipating more scientific and actionable insights on our reduced attention span, how to focus on one thing at a time and not multi-task, etc. Instead, Odell ties may different academic subject areas to criticize the attention economy, capitalism, the rupture between selves and bioregionalism (don't ask me what this is, I still don't know), and social media in general? I guess I'm confused how the summary says that this delivers an action plan when in reality I'm still just trying to figure out what the argument was.
challenging
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
You have to be in the right headspace for this book to hit. It is far more academic than you'd think and NOT a how-to manual on how to do nothing or even break up with your phone (I recommend How to Break Up with Your Phone if you're looking for a pragmatic detox manual). I was in the right headspace and this book really got me. It's an odd mix of environmental literature, lit crit, art crit, and technological skepticism and I think people were like, "okay, how do I resist the attention economy with a 10 point plan?" when looking at it and that's not really what this book is. It works very well with Rest is Resistance, BTW.
More of a meditation on doing nothing than a how-to, but still pleasant if a bit thin for a book. Sort of starts with the premise that it’s virtuous to focus on your immediate surroundings, which I basically agree with, though the broader “attention economy” is functionally the real economy for many of us. Disengaging simply isn’t an option (beyond a certain point, at least) and I kind of wish this made a more forceful diagnosis of the problems it aims to address.
Written like a 5th grade book report. Its annoying above all else
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Odell's writing spans ideas about ecology, community, and selfhood while discussing how to do "nothing". Rather than inaction, doing "nothing" is taken to mean acting in ways not rewarded by the attention economy and modern social media. The stories are grounded in place, namely the Bay Area and Oakland, California, but I am reminded of learning to birdwatch at the feeders in my own backyard. It made life feel richer, knowing so many birds by sight and a few less by song. Rather than succumbing to despair or drowning in the fast pace of the modern day, Odell's book encourages the reader to consider how they would connect with the human and nonhuman community around them.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Didn’t work for me, really. Boring.
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Some really smart ideas here, though I wish this were more clearly marketed as an environmental advocacy book to prepare the reader.