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336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
I found it deeply disappointing that Brand didn't address this side of the issue. I don't object to him championing nuclear power; I think it's a necessary part of the future. But there will have to be a massive change in corporate culture before it can be considered safe, and Brand missed that entirely. He could have addressed the problem; this book would have been an excellent platform for addressing the problem; but he didn't.
This isn't just a criticism of one point; the same thing happens repeatedly. There's a similar argument about the food industry. I tend to agree: though I prefer locally grown food, I believe that fear of genetically modified food is overblown. Brand is right on that. He's right to point out that the "family farm" is a myth that's used to justify awful legislation. However, he ignores the cultural issues: is Big Agriculture concerned with maximizing profit for shareholders, or with ensuring a safe and healthy food supply? You tell me. What happens when profit and safety come into conflict? They can't not come into conflict.
When Brand thinks something is good, he thinks it's very very good. And his excitement is catching, and engaging. His description of the vibrant slums in India and South America was thrilling. But it's too one-sided. I'm not asking for a dispassionate, even handed assessment; that's not what Brand wanted to write, and it's not what he should have written. This book is a manifesto, not policy analysis. But a manifesto, of all books, really needs to discuss the cultural changes, the management changes, that are absolutely essential if we're going to move forward on this planet.