Reading Recap: August 2026
The Nerd Reich by Gil Duran
The tech industry, my professional home, has made what feels like a rapid pivot to supporting authoritarianism. The Nerd Reich helped me make sense of the drivers behind this change and where they plan to take us. Duran not only tells us the story but provides insight about how independent groups weave together forming a collective fascist movement. The times are dark, but the book manages to end on a note that I found both hopeful and instructive.
Breading Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Kimmerer’s blending of her professional scientific knowledge and indigenous ways of knowing creates a unique and powerful perspective on our place in the world. Treating others (people, plants, animals, etc.) with a spirit of reciprocity and respect enriches both parties. The cult of extraction not only exhausts “resources”, it exhausts humanity. The world around us can show us a way out of the zero-sum game if we can stop to listen.
