MADE TO BREAK Technology and Obsolescence in America

The idea that new is better and that the old should be discarded is at the heart of American capitalism. (Or, as Aldous Huxley put it in BRAVE NEW WORLD, "Ending is better than mending.") But as this audiobook points out, obsolescence has gone far beyond dating products; it has permeated American politics (a Cold War victory was achieved by dumping obsolete parts on the Russians), popular culture (we're obsessed with the newest celebrities, chart-toppers, and award winners), and, sadly, our social fabric (should we trade in the old spouse for a new one?). Narrator Michael Puttonen's vocal style of ending many sentences by stepping up in pitch is a good match for Slade's engaging content. The overall effect is like being read to by a bemused professor. The resulting audiobook reminds us that our legacy—thanks to our obsession with obsolescence—may be an insurmountable pile of toxic electronic trash. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2014]