Customer Reviews

Kindle Culture: Tales of How Amazon's E-Reader is Sparking a Cultural Revolution

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a thoroughly enjoyable book. If you are into the Kindle, ebooks or ereading, you'll get a kick out of this book. For me, Kindle Culture captures what makes a Kindle (and its fast growing, passionate community) so unique and important.

I like to think I'm fairly abreast of Kindle goings on, and many of the stories in Kindle Culture had a warm familiarity that turned into excitement as I read experiences and thoughts from fellow Kindlers, some of whom I've come to know online. To quote Jeff Spicoli in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High": Hey, I know that dude!

Still, many times I found myself thinking "how have i not heard this story before?" The extensive Kindle anecdotes ranged from the sublime (religious texts, weddings) to essence-capturing quotes, such as this from author and fellow Kindler Madison McGraw: "the Kindle is to book lovers what crack is to drug addicts." Indeed.

I think what impressed me most was Peters' dedication to presenting varying points of view, which not suprisingly can be quite polarized. I unabashedly love the Kindle and the community that's growning so fast around it, but I was hoping for more than a Kindle lovefest. I wanted objetivity and Kindle Culture delivered. From personal heart-warming stories, to profitable and unexpected enterprises springing up from the Kindle subculture, to commentary on its place in our history, this book cuts a wide swath.

I highly recommend this fun and insightful read, although its brevity (I read it in one evening - but hey it cost less than a McDonalds Big Mac Meal) definitely left me satisfied yet wanting more, in a good way.

3.5 stars, let's call it.

Someone pointed out this book over at KindleBoards. That person knows the author or the author is on the board, too. Possibly both. I thought I would give it a try. I should be clear in saying that I don't believe I've had any personal interactions with the author.

It's okay, perhaps a little better than okay. It's inexpensive, which is good since it's also short and not without errors, and I found myself skimming occasionally.

Kindle Culture explores the boards, merch, and groups that have sprung up to worship and to profit from The Kindle. There's a certain charm in reading about boards you frequent and people you "know." It's touching to read how the device has helped disabled people who've lost the ability to read traditional books. As a fan of the device, much of this is a vindication, because it's hard not to be touched when you see concrete proof that your e-reader has the power to change lives.

I can even imagine Kindle Culture would be interesting for people who -- gasp -- don't discuss their Kindle, and name their Kindle, and clothed their Kindle to see how the other half (?) lives. (Sorta like being a casual fan of Star Trek and stumbling into a convention to see people wearing the Vulcan ears.)

Speaking of Geek. The author refers to Joss Whedon as Josh, and it near gave me the vapors.

The book is part celebration and part commercial. I have no issue with that latter, but it should be said for potential readers. The author is part of the community he's discussing, which means there are friends to be mentioned and awesome and dubious items alike to be advertised by said mentioning. Which, hey, I'm one of those people who does, indeed, clothe her Kindle -- whose name is Trixie -- so I am just an ordinary sinner.

And, presumably to flesh this thing out, there's a quiz, lists, and miscellanea of interest at the end. It was sorta like finding an Easter Egg -- if you're the type of person to wonder why Trixie, or Boris, or Bob's Kindle (yaaaaawn) is only at 79%. That's because the rest is the aforementioned quiz 'n' treats, but also links to a ton of websites -- some of which want your money.

The title says it all -- if you want to read about how Kindle has created its own culture and community, this is a solid choice. If you question purchasing it for an elderly relative, if you wonder where you can find other passionate Kindlers, if you want to find wonderful accessories, you should find value here.

This book was written in 2009, and information about the Kindle and kindle resources is way out of date. Yes, some of the stories were heart-warming and charming, but there really isn't enough content to justify the $4.99 price. Controversies were mentioned briefly, but no real information about the pros and cons of each side are discussed, only that the controversy was present (I'm thinking about the flap over text to speech when Amazon backed down from the Author's Guild objection to TTS).

I got about 1/3 into this book, and returned it to Amazon.