An enjoyable and timely (though somewhat snobby) look at the resurgence of analog in many endeavors, industries and practices. It confirms, through many means, including extensive institutional studies, that physical means of communication and face to face communication have incalculable advantages over the use of digital media.
Topics covered include vinyl LPs, paper books, notebooks, education, film, board games, working environments, retail and more.
One drawback of the book is the author's nonplussed recounting of younger (i.e. hipster's) ageist judgments on older analog customers. Snarky, patronizing characterizations of older analog users are repeatedly quoted throughout the book. One retailer, Andrew Zuckerman, describes older customers as "geezers, crummy old men...with a balding crown...endless soliloquies of cultural superiority emerging from their lips." Andrew, who do you think was keeping the vinyl industry alive in the '90s, while teenagers were buying Nickelback, Korn and Chumbawamba CDs?
Since author David Sax gives his opinions on any number of subjects in the book, it's positively odd that he doesn't indicate whether he believes in these characterizations or not.
Another board games retailer describes the average action figure purchaser of the '90s as a "geeky male living in his mother's basement." Really? The retailer tracked down the purchases to their delivery points and personally confirmed that stereotype? There's many more examples of prejudicial contempt in this otherwise exemplary book.
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