Rating: 3/5 stars

I’m thankful to NetGalley and Sublation Press for the ARC of David Shields' How We Got Here , though I’m left with mixed feelings about the book. While it contains a lot of interesting material, it feels like a collection of quotes with some random, Wikipedia-esque mini-paragraphs scattered between them. It often left me wondering: what exactly is the point?

The book never quite feels complete, more like an excerpt from a philosophy-history text rather than a standalone work. There’s not a lot of original substance here, and Shields seems to rush from point A to point B, not spending enough time on the journey itself. As a result, the narrative feels rushed and, at times, like a one-sided discussion. It wasn’t until page 109—out of 152—that the author reasks the core question and actually attempts to answer it. Until that moment, it reads more like a long ramble.

There’s also a surprising fixation on the Trump phenomenon, which felt somewhat out of place. The book, at times, gave me the sense that it might have been the early storyboard for Shields' film.

That said, despite these frustrations, How We Got Here is still an interesting read. If you’re looking for something unconventional with a lot of quotes and scattered musings, you might enjoy it. But if you’re looking for a clear, cohesive argument, you might be left wanting more.

I really liked this book and it was structured really well, I feel like this is a good gift to give to the dad in your life (I will be giving this to my dad)

Idiosyncratic, random, and playful, with a propulsive through line leading to our current dead end, where truth, not God, is dead, this is a shrewd, thought provoking and wildly entertaining set of aphorisms -as-essays.

I've read lots of books with quotes, philosophy books, and political science books, but I've never read something like this, where the author makes the selections in a way that really tells a story and makes it easy to follow a progression. There are some topics by subject or person, and there is helpful information sometimes so readers have important background. This was fantastic, and I enjoyed the intellectual exercise.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this