A review by dkai
The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory by John Seabrook

4.0

It provides exactly what I wanted in a basic understanding of the modern history of pop music. Neither too detailed nor too concise, the chapters follow specific artists and producers (Martin, Rihanna, Ester Dean, Dr. Luke/Kesha, etc.), blending interviews, background info, and anecdotes into highly readable stories that together give a decent picture of pop music. In other words, it's informative, but far more story-like than many informative books. This is a great starting place for learning about the song machine.