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cestlahaley 's review for:
I actually name dropped this book in one of my law school admission essays, it intrigued me so much. Ok. So the telegraph, boring, right? I thought so too, until I realized what a milestone it was for the people in the 1800's. Most people didn't really know what it was or how it even worked. Some folks actually thought messages weren't sent electronically, but through high powered pistons that pumped air and shot folded-up pieces of paper through a telegraph wire over hundreds of miles. And of course there was a new class of criminals who took advantage of the new technology---all of the parallels sounds exactly like the problems experienced in today's world with the advent of the Internet(i can still hear my grandma echoing "But how does the letter get INSIDE the computer?") It was an interesting read, and I think another step of getting inside the head of ordinary people in the 19th century, which is one of my passions in life. I think most of the world look at the everyday denizens of the past as boring, stark black-and-white characters. The kinda people who didn't make love or play with dogs or laugh at the tripping of clumsy people. I love it.