Besides, the new Zeitgeist IS the bomb-thrower. And who has the time to read books anyway? All our spare time these days is spent managing our labor-saving devices and monitoring our data feeds.

Its a sign of the times. When I lived in Silly Valley (30 years ago!)I used to ride my 10-speed to Printer’s, Inc. in Palo Alto every weekend and read the New York Times Review of Books cover to cover. I didn’t have to read any of the originals, I could access directly the societal impact new literature was having without having to read any of it myself. There it was, pre-digested and analyzed for me. Everybody thought I was the most well-read guy in town.

The last two new books I actually read were Piketty’s Capital and Hayes’ The Twilight of the Elites–right after they were published. Now I don’t have to read anything, I just wait til NPR interviews the author and look it up on Google.