Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Not a self-help guide, but rather a fascinating collection of essays that critique the modern “attention economy,” where our time and attention is deemed useless if not spent in the pursuit of profit and “progress.” Odell deftly weaves historical, literary, and artistic references together (from Diogenes to Herman Melville to Tehching Hsieh) and covers a whole lot of ground in a book that in a lesser author’s hand could seem inconsistent. Instead, it’s like having a meandering conversation with a brilliant friend. If you’re looking for a digital detox guide, go elsewhere (though she does spend time dismantling the very concept). If a capitalist critique (by a woman in academia, no less) gets your knickers in a twist, avoid. If you want some genuine inspiration as to how to exist, resist, and survive in the world as it is today, you won’t be disappointed.