 | A WRITER'S WIT |  E. Bowen |
MY BOOK WORLD
Swisher, Kara. Burn Book: A Tech Love Story. New York: Simon, 2024.
I’m not a techie, but since the age of thirty-seven (1985), I have assimilated much knowledge (as much as I could retain) about smartphones, computers, laptops, printers, scanners, cameras, smart thermostats, GPS on my Camry, smart doorbells that announce by camera . . . whew. But Kara Swisher has made it her life to know about and report on the digital world creating all these products—with expertise and chutzpah. She has no fear of calling out the Bigs of this world. No fear of changing jobs when she wears one out. I first became acquainted with her work when I listened to her now-defunct New York Times podcast, Sway. There she would interview these Titans of the digital (under)world, and sometimes their fannies would get a bit warm roasting over her blaze of questions (and snappy patter of complaints).
Swisher’s book is no different, as she has no problem slicing up the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and to some degree (although she liked him), the late Steve Jobs. It is easy to grok (digital word meaning to understand, which she uses throughout) why the digital world of Silicon Valley both loved, hated, and feared her all at once.
Swisher also speaks of her brush with ill health: a mild stroke. She mentions her marriages to two different women, her children with each one (never married a man to have children). Her love of children and family life. Near the end of the book, she makes this definitive statement that might be a clarion call for all of us who use digital devices (EVERYONE):
I’m not a techie, but since the age of thirty-seven (1985), I have assimilated much knowledge (as much as I could retain) about smartphones, computers, laptops, printers, scanners, cameras, smart thermostats, GPS on my Camry, smart doorbells that announce by camera . . . whew. But Kara Swisher has made it her life to know about and report on the digital world creating all these products—with expertise and chutzpah. She has no fear of calling out the Bigs of this world. No fear of changing jobs when she wears one out. I first became acquainted with her work when I listened to her now-defunct New York Times podcast, Sway. There she would interview these Titans of the digital (under)world, and sometimes their fannies would get a bit warm roasting over her blaze of questions (and snappy patter of complaints).
Swisher’s book is no different, as she has no problem slicing up the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and to some degree (although she liked him), the late Steve Jobs. It is easy to grok (digital word meaning to understand, which she uses throughout) why the digital world of Silicon Valley both loved, hated, and feared her all at once.
Swisher also speaks of her brush with ill health: a mild stroke. She mentions her marriages to two different women, her children with each one (never married a man to have children). Her love of children and family life. Near the end of the book, she makes this definitive statement that might be a clarion call for all of us who use digital devices (EVERYONE):
The dire situation had been aggravated by elected officials who, a quarter century into the Internet age, had managed to pass exactly zero legislation to protect anyone. Democratic institutions that we hold dear had crumbled in the face of what this digital engagement has wrought: no privacy protections, no updated antitrust laws, no algorithmic transparency requirement, no focus on addiction and mental impact. It is breathtaking to think that there are no significant guidelines governing these areas. However flawed, there are laws for everything but tech companies” (284)
Amen. We can only hope that Congress passes some of those laws . . . and soon.
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Up Next:
TUES: A Writer's Wit | Jennifer Armentrout
WEDS: A Writer's Wit | Djuna Barnes
THURS: A Writer's Wit | Simon Callow
FRI: My Book World | S. J. Dahlstrom, Texas Grit
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