Review of 'Narrative Economics : How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
While this book is a very worth-while read, I really struggled with it. The first half was much dryer than I expected, particularly because the consistent narrative example centered around bitcoin, and I don't really care about bitcoin.
At the beginning of the book, chapters three and four kept me moving forward. They center around the viral nature of narratives and why the predictability of what will become viral is difficult to predict. That said, some specific items do contribute greatly to something going viral, like the fame of the person telling the narrative.
For me, part three is the meat of this book. Here Donahue starts reviewing various influential narratives and their historic changes. Chapters 13 and 14 explore two narratives about how machines will replace workers, and the details are fascinating. I especially like how this has been a huge consideration for all time: OMG, the wheel will …
While this book is a very worth-while read, I really struggled with it. The first half was much dryer than I expected, particularly because the consistent narrative example centered around bitcoin, and I don't really care about bitcoin.
At the beginning of the book, chapters three and four kept me moving forward. They center around the viral nature of narratives and why the predictability of what will become viral is difficult to predict. That said, some specific items do contribute greatly to something going viral, like the fame of the person telling the narrative.
For me, part three is the meat of this book. Here Donahue starts reviewing various influential narratives and their historic changes. Chapters 13 and 14 explore two narratives about how machines will replace workers, and the details are fascinating. I especially like how this has been a huge consideration for all time: OMG, the wheel will put us all out of work. :)
I also like the narratives about evil business vs. evil labor, which both tie into how and why conspicuous consumption goes in and out of style.