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sarakomo 's review for:
2021: Here's the deal – this was a good book, but it could have been a paragraph, and I would be walking away with the same feeling.
I like Klinenberg a lot; I really enjoyed his book [b:Modern Romance|23453112|Modern Romance|Aziz Ansari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432335014l/23453112._SY75_.jpg|43014915] with Aziz Ansari, but I felt the same way reading this book as I did when I finished [b:Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone|11797459|Going Solo The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone|Eric Klinenberg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347918144l/11797459._SY75_.jpg|16750253]. Both had super great premises, and wonderful thesis statements....and very boring chapters to slog through.
The discussion about the library being at the center of social life really won me over (as we knew it would) and bringing it back at the end of the book was a nice full circle moment. However, the rest of the middle of the book was unnecessary and beating me over the head with the same conclusions. This was a very similar vibe to how I felt while reading [b:Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams|34466963|Why We Sleep Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams|Matthew Walker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556604137l/34466963._SY75_.jpg|55587034]–like, I get it. Basically, the subtitle of Palaces for the People tells you everything you need to know about this book - you don't need to spend your time reading it.
It was fun to be reading this at the same time as I was reading [b:A Promised Land|55361205|A Promised Land|Barack Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600357110l/55361205._SY75_.jpg|86336100], as Klinenberg makes several references to events that happened during Obama's presidency and follow along a very similar timeline to the president's most recent book. However, I felt like Klinenberg was over-explaining a lot of these events - maybe because I lived through all of them, I didn't need such detail going into the triple whammy that was Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, & Irma in 2017?
I like Klinenberg a lot; I really enjoyed his book [b:Modern Romance|23453112|Modern Romance|Aziz Ansari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432335014l/23453112._SY75_.jpg|43014915] with Aziz Ansari, but I felt the same way reading this book as I did when I finished [b:Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone|11797459|Going Solo The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone|Eric Klinenberg|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347918144l/11797459._SY75_.jpg|16750253]. Both had super great premises, and wonderful thesis statements....and very boring chapters to slog through.
The discussion about the library being at the center of social life really won me over (as we knew it would) and bringing it back at the end of the book was a nice full circle moment. However, the rest of the middle of the book was unnecessary and beating me over the head with the same conclusions. This was a very similar vibe to how I felt while reading [b:Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams|34466963|Why We Sleep Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams|Matthew Walker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556604137l/34466963._SY75_.jpg|55587034]–like, I get it. Basically, the subtitle of Palaces for the People tells you everything you need to know about this book - you don't need to spend your time reading it.
It was fun to be reading this at the same time as I was reading [b:A Promised Land|55361205|A Promised Land|Barack Obama|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600357110l/55361205._SY75_.jpg|86336100], as Klinenberg makes several references to events that happened during Obama's presidency and follow along a very similar timeline to the president's most recent book. However, I felt like Klinenberg was over-explaining a lot of these events - maybe because I lived through all of them, I didn't need such detail going into the triple whammy that was Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, & Irma in 2017?