An interesting read for anyone like me who had a very idealistic view of public libraries and how working at one might be. The book was successful as a thought provoker, never have I ever reflected so much about how public services in general ought to be designed and the effects of social ills spilling over between government spheres - a parallel between libraries and police I never would have imagined. I'm now more aware of libraries as such a valuable sensor of how communities fare, whether their basic needs are met; and of course even more grateful for their existence. A public library gave me access to this book, and I'll be extra thankful from now on.

In terms of reading experience, some chapters felt a bit stretched. I understand the need to preface what cancel culture is, what social media does to society, what eugenic policies do to communities etc; all very fair and I think perhaps necessary so the thesis of each chapter can be self contained, but... personally I've found it a bit boring because halfway through the book, I'm sure the audience that chose to finish the read is the audience that's in the know about all that already. I might be wrong, but still, I found myself skimming frequently to the part where libraries come into play.