Novelist Matt Haig's two short but powerful books cover his struggles and coping methods for mental illness -- namely depression, in Reasons to Stay Alive, and anxiety in Notes on a Nervous Planet. They both read blog-like -- sometimes confessional, sometimes lists, here focusing on a brighter side and elsewhere acknowledging the depths these illnesses... Continue Reading →
Inside Instagram: A Social Media Fairy Tale with Silicon Valley Drama
Book review: No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram, by Sarah Frier Of all the social medias, Instagram has always been a bit different. Before its acquisition and absorption into the Facebook behemoth, it started out artsier than the rest. Founder Kevin Systrom was in Italy with an expensive camera. His photography instructor confiscated the... Continue Reading →
A Crime Reporter and Citizen Sleuth on the Cases and Innovations of His Career
Book review: Chase Darkness with Me, by Billy Jensen (Amazon / Book Depository) Crime writer and citizen digital detective Billy Jensen is known for his collaborative efforts to finish Michelle McNamara's I'll Be Gone in the Dark posthumously, but he has an impressive resume of his own in true crime journalism. In this account of... Continue Reading →
Fast Food and the American Dream
Book review: Drive-Thru Dreams, by Adam Chandler (Amazon / Book Depository) Drive-Thru Dreams opens with an affecting story about how a prank inspired one of those benevolent gestures from a big company, leading to a feel-good video for social media and wins all-around for everyone involved -- on the surface, at least. It establishes an... Continue Reading →
Shame in the Age of Social Media: Jon Ronson Investigates
Book review: So You've Been Publicly Shamed, by Jon Ronson (Amazon / Book Depository) It seemed to me that everybody involved in the Hank and Adria story thought they were doing something good. But really they only revealed that our imagination is so limited, our arsenal of potential responses so narrow, the only thing anyone... Continue Reading →
A Cancer Con Exposes the Sick Side of “Wellness”
Book review: The Woman Who Fooled the World, by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano Amazon The front cover of the book whispered of a back-to-basics approach to wellness, lifestyle and nutrition. Of course, Gibson had no expertise in any such area. But that didn't matter. Her credentials were listed in the first words of the... Continue Reading →