My Review
“The End of Absence:
Reclaiming What We’ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection” was an extremely
interesting read for me. Since I grew up with information and communication
technology, I was exactly the subject that Michael Harris was looking at, and I
found myself agreeing with much of what he critiqued our generation about. The book
made me think about how connected I am to my devices, and especially how
unobservant I can be to the world around me. After reading this novel, I looked
at my everyday tasks differently and made a conscious effort to stop focusing
on what’s going on in cyber-space and start realizing what is happening in the
world around me. I feel, however, that this unending supply of information and
means of communication is not such a bad thing as Harris makes it out to be.
Finding information online and being able to talk to friends and family
whenever I want only intensifies my thirst for knowledge and strengthens my
relationships. The information does not necessarily end the absence, but
prolongs it.
Others' Reviews
Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-the-end-of-absence-by-michael-harris-1407368698
“It's thus unsurprising that Mr. Harris
can share little advice for the Internet-addled, other than to be more diligent
in choosing our technologies and how much time we spend with them. As
connectivity becomes ever more constant, that's a lot like telling a kid not to
eat too much Halloween candy.”
“And Harris notes that we are the last
generation that will have known life both before and after the digital
revolution, with its promise of instant connection with anyone and everything,
anywhere. This gives us a singular vantage point to consider what we’ve gained
— and at what cost.
“The
End of Absence reflects on what it means to be a participating member in a
society of connection junkies who can’t be alone with their thoughts for more
than half a minute before reaching for their phone.”
The Slate Book Review: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/08/michael_harris_the_end_of_absence_reviewed.html
“However, Harris finds the most alarming
part of this transition to be “the loss of lack.” Harris uses “absence” and
“solitude” interchangeably throughout the book, but is fundamentally speaking
to a dearth of time where we are alone with our own thoughts, singularly
focused on our inner lives.”
Seattle Pi: http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Book-Review-The-End-of-Absence-by-Michael-5680394.php
“The
End of Absence works because it does not preach. It combines the wealth of
the author's research and traces our rapid path from analog days to today. It
is also an enlightening and humorous study of 'author as subject'.”
“The End of Absence: Reclaiming What
We’ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection, by Canadian journalist Michael
Harris, falls into the latter category; it’s one of the quieter and more
philosophical works examining our current lives with technology, and the gap
between the time before and after the Internet. What’s in that gap, Harris argues,
is absence: the quality of daydreams, the ability to be bored, the importance
of discovery.”
“A personalized jeremiad against the
state of constant distraction in which our benevolent technologies have
ensnared us.”
Quill & Quire: http://www.quillandquire.com/review/the-end-of-absence-reclaiming-what-weve-lost-in-a-world-of-constant-connection/
“One wonders if an effect of our
overweening obsession with mobile technology might not be a dearth of absence,
but an overabundance of it.”
The Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2014/0819/The-End-of-Absence-chronicles-one-man-s-quest-to-pull-away-from-a-hyperconnected-life
“Michael Harris wishes to gently wake us
from the 'swarm of noise' so that we may recall the benefits of silence.”
Spirituality & Practice: http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/books.php?id=27417
“Harris has a special place in his heart
for absence and solitude. He's convinced that these special qualities have been
lost in a world of constant connection and it is time for us to reclaim them.”
No comments:
Post a Comment