A review by robdabear
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O'Neil

3.0

I strongly dislike books that use emotional appeal to highlight prevalent social justice issues. That's why I was attracted to this book. If someone could show that 'big data' is a driving factor in the social injustices of today's world, what more compelling argument can you find? This is largely the case in Weapons of Math Destruction, and for that I was intrigued. But as the book progressed, I was disappointed that it seemed to devolve toward suiting the ideological preferences of the author, and the conclusion left me with the bitter taste that this was just someone else trying to tell me what to think.

All of that said, I enjoyed the book, I really did, and I find the arguments sound and compelling. This should be required reading for data scientists and those who use the tools described in this book on a daily basis. It's the social justice tone I took issue with, but perhaps that just means I'm a grouch who should stick to reading textbooks instead. Put my own personal biases aside, this is a good 3.5 from me.