Steven Deobald reviewed Palaces for the people by Eric Klinenberg
Review of 'Palaces for the people' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
2.5 stars. A book about libraries does not need to mention Donald Trump.
There is a lot in this book that I hope many (most?) people already believe — or could be convinced of by Klinenberg. Unfortunately, I doubt his message will reach those who need to hear it most.
His vision for social infrastructure is well-researched and entirely correct but his delivery falls flat on a number of counts. In early chapters of the book he seems to go out of his way to identify the ethnicity of collaborators and research subjects. I understand the motivation to identify the communities who benefit from various forms of social infrastructure but in many places it's simply inappropriate. The book will also not age well, as repeated references to the garbage fire fashion show that is American politics won't survive into the next decade.
American politics aside, he rarely escapes America when …
2.5 stars. A book about libraries does not need to mention Donald Trump.
There is a lot in this book that I hope many (most?) people already believe — or could be convinced of by Klinenberg. Unfortunately, I doubt his message will reach those who need to hear it most.
His vision for social infrastructure is well-researched and entirely correct but his delivery falls flat on a number of counts. In early chapters of the book he seems to go out of his way to identify the ethnicity of collaborators and research subjects. I understand the motivation to identify the communities who benefit from various forms of social infrastructure but in many places it's simply inappropriate. The book will also not age well, as repeated references to the garbage fire fashion show that is American politics won't survive into the next decade.
American politics aside, he rarely escapes America when discussing actual projects. His focus on WEIRD countries, the US in particular, and the problems they face will fall on deaf ears in Level 3 and Level 2 countries across the world. I split my time between India (Level 2) and Canada (Level 4) and little of what he has to say pertains to my life in Asia. Yes, public libraries are awesome. What else?
The book would benefit from an arc. A full-blown story isn't really necessary but the book's structure lacks progression. Flat facts, date, association, leader, budget, are thrown out of the page, one after another, until I found myself numb to them. Stories of real social infrastructure projects are peppered with popular ideas regarding alt-right politics, social media, phones, and the internet underpinning all of it. Where he drifts from his area of expertise, the content of the book suffers. These passages tend to read like a well-written Reddit post.
Klinenberg's mission, ideas, and research are all absolutely worth your time... but you will need to dig them out from the rest of his book. And if you aren't American, you will likely need to translate them into your country of residence. We need more literature like this but it needs to avoid the temptation to make politics a key component of its presentation, appeal to a global audience, and deliver an unambiguous message showing us the way to build and rebuild our social infrastructure.