There’s not a lot of original reporting in The Nerd Reich, but Durán assembles relevant info from scores of journalists and scholars, as well as providing a valuable dive into the fringy sources for some of the Valley’s most menacing ideas ... A much-needed aid in a very necessary task: tearing down the golden calf Americans have built in Palo Alto before it devours us all.
Stunning ... Gloriously titled ... Thoughtful, well researched and a vigorous call to act before our collective humanity is sacrificed to increasing the vast wealth of tech millionaires and billionaires.
An urgent intellectual history of a seemingly inchoate political moment ... Sometimes hampered by its ambition and scope ... A good introduction ... What does work to the book’s advantage is Durán’s methodical approach and consistency of perspective: he does not fall into the all-too-familiar trap of favoring access over accountability, a pitfall that has ensnared countless journalists down the years.
Describing the thesis of journalist and podcaster Gil Duran’s new book, The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy, makes it sound like a work of conspiracy theory ... As dire as Duran’s marshalling of the evidence feels, I found myself feeling increasingly hopeful as I read on. Yes, these people are — to use a scientific term — whackos, and they are enormously rich and have too much influence on our political system, but as of this moment, we the people still maintain the power through our voices and our votes, and if we wish to reject such futures, it is in our capacity to do so.
