SFBA Book Club

Jake Donham rated The passage of power: 4 stars

Robert A. Caro: The passage of power (Hardcover, 2012, Alfred A. Knopf)

The passage of power by Robert A. Caro (The years of Lyndon Johnson)

Continues Johnson's career from the 1960 elections through his vice presidency to the first months of his presidency.

Jake Donham rated Alif the Unseen: 4 stars

G. Willow Wilson: Alif the Unseen (2013, Grove Press)

Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

Jake Donham reviewed Delirious New York : a retroactive manifesto for Manhattan by Rem Koolhaas

Rem Koolhaas: Delirious New York : a retroactive manifesto for Manhattan (1994, Monacelli Press)

Review of 'Delirious New York : a retroactive manifesto for Manhattan' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Interesting historical tidbits about the development of New York (including some plans that were never built), wrapped up in a "retroactive manifesto" of Manhattanism, which, as these things go, is fairly readable, but makes much of small observations, like: the street grid calls attention to the finitude of the island, a skyscraper is a piece of territory repeated many times ("the Theorem"), a skyscraper breaks the traditional connection between exterior appearance and interior use ("the Lobotomy").

The high point for me is the description (with picture) of a meeting of NYC architects where each is wearing a building he designed as a costume. The guy wearing the Chrysler building is a terrifying urban warrior. Great material about Coney Island and its gradual transformation (under the pressure of growing attendance) from a place of escape to the natural (from the unnatural city) to a place of escape to the fantastic (from …

Interesting historical tidbits about the development of New York (including some plans that were never built), wrapped up in a "retroactive manifesto" of Manhattanism, which, as these things go, is fairly readable, but makes much of small observations, like: the street grid calls attention to the finitude of the island, a skyscraper is a piece of territory repeated many times ("the Theorem"), a skyscraper breaks the traditional connection between exterior appearance and interior use ("the Lobotomy").

The high point for me is the description (with picture) of a meeting of NYC architects where each is wearing a building he designed as a costume. The guy wearing the Chrysler building is a terrifying urban warrior. Great material about Coney Island and its gradual transformation (under the pressure of growing attendance) from a place of escape to the natural (from the unnatural city) to a place of escape to the fantastic (from the humdrum city).