The book is a historical reconsideration of the movement and a gripping narrative of political resistance told in short vignettes ... Merchant ably demonstrates the dire stakes of the Luddites’ plight ... The book offers plenty of satisfying imagery for the twenty-first-century reader experiencing techlash.
He brings a journalist’s touch to the Luddites’ travails, drawing connections between the conflicts and indignities of their epoch and our own ... Merchant is keen to reframe the Luddites as proto-unionist reformers rather than violent revolutionaries.
Mr. Merchant’s narrative makes it easy to regard the factory owners as mustache-twirling villains who were enriching themselves off the labor of 7-year-olds ... Mr. Merchant is keen to see in the Luddites echoes of today’s demands for workers’ right.
A blend of pacy narrative history and contemporary reportage, Blood in the Machine sees a fresh relevance in the struggles of these misunderstood rebels ... Occasionally, though, Merchant’s chatty pop-sci style becomes distracting ... Merchant hunts optimistically through the culture for evidence Luddism is on the comeback—and keeps being disappointed.
Blood in the Machine elevates and contextualizes the Luddites’ history while also directly connecting their actions to contemporary challenges around an app-based gig economy ... Blood in the Machine arrives at a time when powerful venture capitalists are publishing techno-optimist manifestos that gush with the romance of the machine. Merchant’s book is a counterpunch: the Luddites and gig workers demonstrate how mindless automation might be stopped.
Tells the story of this rebellion and the eventual government repression that put an end to it. As American unions gain power and support, this book is a welcome parable of worker solidarity and resistance.
Stirring ... This is a significant contribution to the history of the Industrial Revolution and a strong warning against complacency in the face of technological change.
