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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Extinction of Experience'

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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Extinction of Experience'

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  • One of the strong points of the book is the author’s writing style and how she narrows down and simplifies the issue of technology dependency for readers

“The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World” by Christine Rosen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discusses how humans are relying heavily on technology and digital interactions in modern times.

Rosen argues in her 2024 book that this reliance has made people dependent on them for almost everything.

Digital experiences, according to the author, are replacing real-world experiences and, with time, this will push people even further from genuine contact and physical presence.

According to Rosen, this could potentially reduce people’s understanding of empathy and connection, or even memory.

She stresses the importance of utilizing technology wisely and calls for a critical and mindful approach to it. She also emphasizes the need to bring back genuine experiences through physical interaction so they can be treasured.

One of the strong points of the book is the author’s writing style and how she narrows down and simplifies the issue of technology dependency for readers.

On the other hand, its weaknesses — that have been highlighted by readers — are that some of its chapters lack a realistic view of the world we live in, and keep repeating issues and complaining about current problems without providing solutions.

Rosen is also the author of “My Fundamentalist Education” and “Preaching Eugenics.”


What We Are Reading Today: ‘India’ by Audrey Truschke

What We Are Reading Today: ‘India’ by Audrey Truschke
Updated 22 June 2025

What We Are Reading Today: ‘India’ by Audrey Truschke

What We Are Reading Today: ‘India’ by Audrey Truschke

Much of world history is Indian history. Home today to one in four people, the subcontinent has long been densely populated and deeply connected to Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas through migration and trade.

In this magisterial history, Audrey Truschke tells the fascinating story of the region historically known as India—which includes today’s India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and parts of Afghanistan—and the people who have lived there. A sweeping account of five millennia, from the dawn of the Indus Valley Civilization to the 21st century.


What We Are Reading Today: The Cultural House in Riyadh

What We Are Reading Today: The Cultural House in Riyadh
Updated 22 June 2025

What We Are Reading Today: The Cultural House in Riyadh

What We Are Reading Today: The Cultural House in Riyadh
  • The library itself is designed with comfort in mind, offering various zones, including a tech space, a kids’ area, flexible workspaces, and a cafe on the ground floor

I recently visited the newly opened Culture House public library, an initiative by the Libraries Commission and Riyadh municipality.

The library is part of the King Salman Science Oasis project in Al-Ta’awun neighborhood, and it exceeded my expectations.

Before visiting, I was aware that I needed to book a time for my preferred section. This is an important detail to note, as you must have a reservation to access any area of the library.

Upon arrival, I easily scanned a QR code, filled in my name and phone number, and waited just 10 minutes for my tour.

The staff at the library were exceptional; the representative who guided me was friendly and informative and made the experience more enjoyable.

The library itself is designed with comfort in mind, offering various zones, including a tech space, a kids’ area, flexible workspaces, and a cafe on the ground floor.

The first floor features the main library with ample seating for both group and solo activities, as well as an outdoor space. It was great to see workstations equipped with computers, printers, and scanners that facilitate scanning colored books.

I particularly enjoyed the outdoor area, which includes a playground and relaxing spots near the water, as well as food trucks. It’s a great place for families and friends to gather.

While I was unable to explore the middle or main section fully, I am eager to return.

A couple of guidelines to consider: The library’s washroom closes at midnight and while cycling on the grounds is not permitted, skateboards are allowed. Additionally, sitting on the grass is not allowed, though sitting on the floor is.

I highly recommend a visit to the library. The clean, quiet environment, combined with friendly staff and great amenities, makes it a standout space in Riyadh.

For a city of its size, I hope to see more libraries like this across the Kingdom’s capital and beyond.

 


What We Are Reading Today: Narcoland

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Updated 21 June 2025

What We Are Reading Today: Narcoland

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  • The book explains in detail how Mexico became a base for the mega cartels of Latin America and one of the most violent places on the planet

Author: Anabel Hernandez

This book is a product of years of investigative reporting, and is considered a publishing and political sensation in Mexico.
The book offers a definitive history and anatomy of the drug cartels and the “war on drugs” that has cost thousands of lives in the country, according to a review on goodreads.com.

The book explains in detail how Mexico became a base for the mega cartels of Latin America and one of the most violent places on the planet. The previous books of the writer have focused on political corruption in the country.

 


What We Are Reading Today: Cold War Civil Rights

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Updated 20 June 2025

What We Are Reading Today: Cold War Civil Rights

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  • Soon after World War II, American racism became a major concern of US allies, a chief Soviet propaganda theme, and an obstacle to American Cold War goals throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America

Author: Mary L. Dudziak

In 1958, an African American handyman named Jimmy Wilson was sentenced to die in Alabama for stealing less than two dollars. Shocking as this sentence was, it was overturned only after intense international attention and the interference of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.

Soon after World War II, American racism became a major concern of US allies, a chief Soviet propaganda theme, and an obstacle to American Cold War goals throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Racial segregation undermined the American image, harming foreign relations in every administration from Truman to Johnson. Mary Dudziak shows how the Cold War helped to facilitate desegregation and other key social reforms at home as the US sought to polish its image abroad, yet how a focus on appearances over substance limited the nature and extent of progress.


What We Are Reading Today: Top Ten Ideas of Physics by Anthony Zee

What We Are Reading Today: Top Ten Ideas of Physics by Anthony Zee
Updated 18 June 2025

What We Are Reading Today: Top Ten Ideas of Physics by Anthony Zee

What We Are Reading Today: Top Ten Ideas of Physics by Anthony Zee

Could any discovery be more unexpected and shocking than the realization that the reality we were born into is but an approximation of an underlying quantum world that is barely within our grasp? This is just one of the foundational pillars of theoretical physics that A. Zee discusses in this book. Join him as he presents his Top Ten List of the biggest, most breathtaking ideas in physics—the ones that have fundamentally transformed our understanding of the universe.

“Top Ten Ideas of Physics” tells a story that will keep readers enthralled, along the way explaining the meaning of each idea and how it came about. Leading the list are the notions that the physical world is comprehensible and that the laws of physics are the same here, there, and everywhere. 

As the story unfolds, the apparently solid world dissolves into an intertwining web of dancing fields, exhibiting greater symmetries as we examine them at deeper and deeper levels.