Reviews

12 bytes: Cómo vivir y amar en el futuro by Jeanette Winterson

ink_nettle's review against another edition

funny hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

motherofladybirds's review against another edition

5.0

These essays are all really interesting. I learnt a lot about AI, those in charge of it and the treatment of women and girls in this area of life. I wanted to gift it to all my friends and their daughters, so that is always a good sign.

savduggan's review against another edition

challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted

4.25

mimmaz's review against another edition

2.0

"And it was only a few years after the American Declaration of Independence- and its famous opening: WE THE PEOPLE."

I'll admit I sort of gave up on 12 Bytes here. The "essays" vary in quality but largely read like blog posts, with no thought insignificant or disconnected enough to be omitted. The content isn't much to write home about—that's if you can pin down the point Winterson is trying to make at any given moment. I was more annoyed by the writing than anything. It's not just inelegant, but poorly organized, unclear, and often unsupported.
12 Bytes feels like the very disjointed beginning of a book—like Winterson was using text to speech to get all her thoughts on paper, with every intention of coming back to it later. And maybe through a series of slapstick errors, this brainstorm document made it to the publisher without an editor having laid eyes on it. I would feel a lot better if that was the case.
I had really been looking forward to reading this because:
1) I loved [b:Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit|15055|Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit|Jeanette Winterson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1267717580l/15055._SY75_.jpg|1411520]. Winterson's writing was so beautiful. I realize that nonfiction (a strong word for what this is) requires a very different style, but this is like... right out.
2) AI development is a hot topic right now, and I know very little about it. I thought that this might be a series of engaging, surface-level essays for the uninitiated, similar to [b:Close Encounters with Humankind: A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species|40180034|Close Encounters with Humankind A Paleoanthropologist Investigates Our Evolving Species|Sang-Hee Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550053745l/40180034._SY75_.jpg|56498581].
I guess it's on me for not cracking it open before I bought it. I did like Hot For a Bot, which was a bit more coherent than the other essays, but still not up to snuff.

camerongib's review against another edition

3.0

3.5

Interesting, not captivating

kurbanski's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

lsparrow's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book of essays by this author who I love. essays about technology and the future. I love the discussions about technology not just from a doomsday or optomistic perspective

shmeebot's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

sailor_marmar's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective fast-paced

4.25

theblondpanda's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.25