Eula Biss wants to understand, what is capitalism? Part memoir, part essay, part research project, Eula Biss dissects the contradictions of being a middle class consumer. From buying furniture to art to a washing machine, what are the ethics behind what we buy, how was it assigned value, and why does it feel good to acquire things.
memoir
The rage behind Momofuko
Famous chef (but don’t call him a celebrity chef) David Chang opens up about how depression, rage, and extreme work ethic led to the success of Momofuku. Don’t read if you’re hungry. Definitely read if you’re thinking of opening your own restaurant.
Seduced and reduced by startup culture
in books, culture, nonfiction, memoir
There’s a lot of money in Silicon Valley so it’s easy to understand why Anna Wiener wanted out of book publishing and in on big data. In her memoir Uncanny Valley [2020], Anna Wiener reflects on her experience working, hustling and sometimes thriving in the seductive world of startups. As a woman and a (non-essential) non-programmer, Wiener sees plenty of the bad we expect from young bros with too much money and no formal HR. Disillusionment is inevitable.