I picked this book up, along with Understanding Media (also by McLuhan) at a random book sale. I loved Understanding Media so I thought I would enjoy this one too. Instead, I barely understood it and thought it was wrong when I did understand it. I never really figured out what the authors' point was. There were interesting fragments of ideas, but there was something of a fundamental disconect between my understanding and what was on the page. That said, the book really has a great rhythm to it. I almost feel like I would have understood it better if I had listened to it. Perhaps that was the point.

Fascinating read, highly relevant to today and the current 'war on terrorism'. Explains that Joyce was the first man to discover how technology change affected culture, and uses Finnegan's Wake as the sort of leitmotif around which the book is structured. ( )

Rated: F ( )