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A review by megansmith
How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I want to start by saying, I really wanted to like this book more. I struggle with how much technology is present in my life and how much of it is mediated on a screen. I wanted to get something out of this book that felt more concrete and tangible to take with me - but Jenny Odell wants to do the exact opposite of that, and she even says so shortly before the book ends. It takes a personal willingness and a listening ear and mind to really understand the concept of her book and take it to heart in the real world. I will say, I was surprised how much of my current mentality does line up with her book, and in the end, this felt more like a “keep it up” than a “change your life” type of novel. I find myself more mystified and entranced by nature and the world around me, and so I feel like I will take these lessons with me.
On a critical level, I think if you’re looking for something concrete, do not read this book. There’s a lot of philosophy talk, and most of the book is told in antecdotes, with all the main points of each chapter being summed up in two pages - the gist of this book basically hides in 20 of the 200+ pages. If you also struggle reading dense material…read this during the day. I read this at night and it put me to sleep a few times. It takes a lot of concentration. I don’t even blame the book either, I think the book as is, is a good novel. I just wish the marketing had been more clear of what I was getting into. The descriptions vs the book itself feel like two totally different things.
Overall…didn’t hate this but also didn’t get what I was maybe hoping for? It still made me think but I think some of it was way too strung out for what you could’ve gotten in a different variation of this novel.
On a critical level, I think if you’re looking for something concrete, do not read this book. There’s a lot of philosophy talk, and most of the book is told in antecdotes, with all the main points of each chapter being summed up in two pages - the gist of this book basically hides in 20 of the 200+ pages. If you also struggle reading dense material…read this during the day. I read this at night and it put me to sleep a few times. It takes a lot of concentration. I don’t even blame the book either, I think the book as is, is a good novel. I just wish the marketing had been more clear of what I was getting into. The descriptions vs the book itself feel like two totally different things.
Overall…didn’t hate this but also didn’t get what I was maybe hoping for? It still made me think but I think some of it was way too strung out for what you could’ve gotten in a different variation of this novel.