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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
This is an artist's philosophical take on the "attention economy." Maybe I should have looked closer at what this was supposed to be about bc I expected a more scientific or economic or psycholgical approach on the negative effects of a capitalist society and/or companies that make money on our attention. I also expected ideas on fighting these systems. But this book is really just about thinking about thoughts and art and the bay area and more thoughts and bird watching. I dunno why I bothered finishing it. The writing is good and there are some historically interesting things, but it just did not do it for me.
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
In the introduction, the author describes a tree in a way that I was sure had to be a reference to the Zhuangzi, maybe my favorite book. So when she did directly connect it to that book in the next paragraph I was pretty sure I was going to be able to communicate with this book.
I think about halfway through it really clicked for me, and I was already enjoying it before that.
I think about halfway through it really clicked for me, and I was already enjoying it before that.
The title of this book is really a misnomer; as Odell points out, her argument isn’t to “do nothing” but to resist a highly individualized, itemized, capitalist way of directing our attention towards productivity. She critiques colonialist practices of reducing a person, item, or thing’s values to its usefulness, alienation from the earth and each other, and the ways that social media strips away context and nuance and thrives on commodifying our behaviors. She asks that we are more mindful of how we direct our attention; that we slow down, are present, and deeply listen. For Odell, a lot of this is place-based—getting to know the ecoregion you live in, being able to name surrounding animals and plants, and recognizing yourself as part of this system. While she is sympathetic to the desire to want to unplug and run away, she ultimately argues that we need to figure out a “third space” or other ways of being present to different types of attention while not fully disconnecting from social media or society at large. She of course notes that is often people with privilege who are able to have some control over their attention; and thus there is a responsibility to improving our collective conditions. (I appreciate her point that although this may be a right reserved for privilege people, doesn’t make it any less of a right to aspire towards).
I gave this book less than 4 stars because a lot of it hit on concepts that I’m already familiar with — I recognize the irony of engaging with this book through a lens of its use-value to me — but nevertheless I found myself skimming a lot of the second half of the book. While I really loved her personal anecdotes about bird-watching and the inclusion of different performance pieces, I would have liked to see more inclusion and engagement with indigenous and asian world views; a lot of the discussions center around greek/European philosophy and Anglo-American writers.
I gave this book less than 4 stars because a lot of it hit on concepts that I’m already familiar with — I recognize the irony of engaging with this book through a lens of its use-value to me — but nevertheless I found myself skimming a lot of the second half of the book. While I really loved her personal anecdotes about bird-watching and the inclusion of different performance pieces, I would have liked to see more inclusion and engagement with indigenous and asian world views; a lot of the discussions center around greek/European philosophy and Anglo-American writers.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
challenging
informative
slow-paced
The book gets you thinking and looking for answers from the title itself - what exactly is “doing nothing”? How does it relate to your purpose in life?
The author offers strong insights and leaves you with enough to ponder instead of a fixed set of rules to transform your dismal-attention-span life. Albeit in a style that’s hard to comprehend at times. The excessive detailing of bio-regionalism and art may not be as helpful to a reader like me who doesn’t connect well with the subject. Moreover, there is significant privilege associated with frequent getaways/digital detox retreats and daily visits to rose-garden that would be alien to most of us. To her credit, the author does mention it towards the end of the book when she says “something like gated communities of attention: privileged spaces where some(but not others) can enjoy the fruits of contemplation and the diversification of attention.”
Worth a read; each of us may come out with different feelings but isn’t that what a literary craft is supposed to be?
The author offers strong insights and leaves you with enough to ponder instead of a fixed set of rules to transform your dismal-attention-span life. Albeit in a style that’s hard to comprehend at times. The excessive detailing of bio-regionalism and art may not be as helpful to a reader like me who doesn’t connect well with the subject. Moreover, there is significant privilege associated with frequent getaways/digital detox retreats and daily visits to rose-garden that would be alien to most of us. To her credit, the author does mention it towards the end of the book when she says “something like gated communities of attention: privileged spaces where some(but not others) can enjoy the fruits of contemplation and the diversification of attention.”
Worth a read; each of us may come out with different feelings but isn’t that what a literary craft is supposed to be?
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
informative
I really thought it was going to be about doing nothing and I was intrigued. She talks about that and goes deeper. It was actually interesting to read the levels she discussed and I learned a lot.
A quote of interest: “Over time, I learned about the birds and which ones have which call…” I will admit that I tried to speed up the audiobook at times to finish it faster but this book isn’t meant to be sped up. It is best read at the pace it goes.
A quote of interest: “Over time, I learned about the birds and which ones have which call…” I will admit that I tried to speed up the audiobook at times to finish it faster but this book isn’t meant to be sped up. It is best read at the pace it goes.
informative
reflective
medium-paced