Customer Reviews

Hyperculture: The Human Cost of Speed

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Bertman gives us a rare blend of deep historical understanding and clarity of view of our own times. Page after page, recognition chimes go off. He has said what we have all felt in our moments of doubt about the breakneck speed of our own lives and the lives of our neighbors. I am recommending this book to all my friends and acquaintances who have any questions at all about why it is we have so much more stuff and so little satisfaction. People all over the country, who are struggling in so many ways to cope or drop out, should find help in this book.

Dr. Stephen Bertman, a Classicist, from the University of Windsor in Canada has shone light upon the affliction of modern culture. The speed at which we travel through our daily lives is exposed for what it is able to do. The centripital force that rips at the very fabric of society is examined from the micro to the macro and it is quite alarming to see that what we take for granted is actually part of what damages us. Technology moves faster and faster which pushes the human ability to cope with life to the limits. Culture as we know it is being changed before our eyes and it moves so quickly that we do not have time to adapt. The simplicity of a family gathering is no longer something that the power of now allows us to enjoy, but it pushes us to only live in a superficial realm. At the end there are some sound suggestions to what one is able to do to control the speed at which one travels through daily life. A must read if you are serious about learning how to navigate this constantly changing world. I have not only read the book, but have had the good experience of being a past student of this professor. He lives what he imparts in the book and in the lecture hall. The heights that I have aspired to have been in part due to his teachings. Currently I am working on a PhD in Classics.

First let me say: This book is AMAZING. I highlight important passages that I want to remember for later, and I have done a lot of highlighting in this book. There are a lot of things that I find wrong with the world in general and people in particular, and this book hits every single topic I've ever thought about and many that I haven't. It gives the reasons why our society is changing and changing faster than ever before. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the myriad of choices at the supermarket, or wondered why some people get so mad when they have to wait in line for 5 minutes, or can't understand the populace's obsession with the newest gadget, you need to read this book. Hyperculture has made me more aware of things I haven't thought about and why I do what I do. I have shared this book with my family and friends, and I feel that I've helped them by getting them to think about why they do what they do too.

In many ways, this book brings sadly shocking problems with our modern society to the table. From the individual to relationships, from politics to business, the book is full of information on the culture of "Now." If you've noticed people obsessed with getting things done quickly and find yourself doing the same, then this book is for you.

As we rapidly become a society of massive consumerism, always looking to have our fill of junk so we can define ourselves, we miss out on things that matter. A sociology professor recommended this book to me and it is one of the finer philosophic books on the modern problems we face.