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A review by whatdotheyknowaboutfriends
The Road Taken: The History and Future of America's Infrastructure by Henry Petroski
1.0
Deathly dull. Petroski introduces many of his chapters not with a story drawn from the annals of man's long relationship to infrastructure, but rather with an aimless anecdote about a road he once drove on, the culvert in front of his summer home, etc. His chapters frequently denote no clear separation in his prose, and don't reveal their essential content until halfway through.
Indeed, what is missing is a sense of historical context, a sense of the author at least TRYING to situate his technical and political points within a narrative. Petroski's best work here will trace the evolution of a common infrastructural feature (guardrails, for example), but rather than placing this evolution within the fascinating history of how roads shaped 20th century America, he bogs himself squarely down in the minutiae of highway department memos.
Perhaps if this was meant to be a technical or academic work, this would be more understandable. On this side, though, Petroski makes numerous off-the-cuff claims that seem to derive purely from his personal opinion. The chapters on the declining quality of infrastructure are chock full of this hand-waving, Petroski often absentmindedly claiming that he has no evidence for a particular assertion but that it can be supported by a single example of a particular bridge or 18th century home. He rarely cites or mentions the works of academics or other learned members of his professions. He does seem to have access to Google, but not LexisNexis. When citing an article by Paul Krugman written in response to his own article, he describes each of Krugman's points in his own limp style before ultimately providing no real rebuttal.
Petroski occasionally stumbles on some interesting material but the overall impression is of someone almost aggressively unfamiliar with the device of narrative.
Indeed, what is missing is a sense of historical context, a sense of the author at least TRYING to situate his technical and political points within a narrative. Petroski's best work here will trace the evolution of a common infrastructural feature (guardrails, for example), but rather than placing this evolution within the fascinating history of how roads shaped 20th century America, he bogs himself squarely down in the minutiae of highway department memos.
Perhaps if this was meant to be a technical or academic work, this would be more understandable. On this side, though, Petroski makes numerous off-the-cuff claims that seem to derive purely from his personal opinion. The chapters on the declining quality of infrastructure are chock full of this hand-waving, Petroski often absentmindedly claiming that he has no evidence for a particular assertion but that it can be supported by a single example of a particular bridge or 18th century home. He rarely cites or mentions the works of academics or other learned members of his professions. He does seem to have access to Google, but not LexisNexis. When citing an article by Paul Krugman written in response to his own article, he describes each of Krugman's points in his own limp style before ultimately providing no real rebuttal.
Petroski occasionally stumbles on some interesting material but the overall impression is of someone almost aggressively unfamiliar with the device of narrative.