How to Do Nothing How to Do Nothing

How to Do Nothing

Resisting the Attention Economy

    • 3.9 • 150 Ratings
    • $11.99
    • $11.99

Publisher Description

** A New York Times Bestseller **

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY: TimeThe New Yorker NPRGQElleVultureFortuneBoing BoingThe Irish Times • The New York Public Library • The Brooklyn Public Library

"A complex, smart and ambitious book that at first reads like a self-help manual, then blossoms into a wide-ranging political manifesto."—Jonah Engel Bromwich, The New York Times Book Review

One of President Barack Obama's "Favorite Books of 2019"

Porchlight's Personal Development & Human Behavior Book of the Year

In a world where addictive technology is designed to buy and sell our attention, and our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity, it can seem impossible to escape. But in this inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, artist and critic Jenny Odell shows us how we can still win back our lives.
 
Odell sees our attention as the most precious—and overdrawn—resource we have. And we must actively and continuously choose how we use it. We might not spend it on things that capitalism has deemed important … but once we can start paying a new kind of attention, she writes, we can undertake bolder forms of political action, reimagine humankind’s role in the environment, and arrive at more meaningful understandings of happiness and progress.

Far from the simple anti-technology screed, or the back-to-nature meditation we read so often, How to do Nothing is an action plan for thinking outside of capitalist narratives of efficiency and techno-determinism. Provocative, timely, and utterly persuasive, this book will change how you see your place in our world.

GENRE
Professional & Technical
RELEASED
2019
April 9
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
256
Pages
PUBLISHER
Melville House
SELLER
Penguin Random House LLC
SIZE
2.6
MB

Customer Reviews

dantomaszew17 ,

Deep Dive into New Perspectives

Odell instantaneously roped me in with an emotional and valiant challenge to consumerism. She then surprised me with a deeply referenced world of activism. Her writing style reflects the natural, worldly beauty she so graciously respects. She showed me how to be proud of standing still (or sitting still — or lying still), no matter how much public shame is thrown at those who defy capitalistic progression. This is a detail often overlooked, but very crucial for practical change — and very worth your time.

CaroleKatherineB ,

Personal diary

I so wanted to like this book but it never takes off. Its packed with anecdote after anecdote without any real takeaways.

More Books by Jenny Odell

Saving Time Saving Time
2023
Cómo no hacer nada Cómo no hacer nada
2021
Resista: não faça nada Resista: não faça nada
2021
Jak robić nic Jak robić nic
2020
¡Reconquista tu tiempo! ¡Reconquista tu tiempo!
2024
Cum să nu faci nimic Cum să nu faci nimic
2022

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