I like it because it focuses more on the people in ...
587480
Classic Harry Harrison work. I like it because it focuses more on the people in the story than the technology
2975480
Good book, but it get a bit complicated with all the people and how they are connected.  But I do like it.
3591268
A little more political than I care for but the point is made very well.
3904361
This is the second book in a trilogy, or perhaps the second part of a three book novel. (More on that later.) It works better for me than the first installment (Forty Signs Of Rain) because it is a lot more focused.

Where the first book followed a bunch of mostly-separated stories about a bunch of mostly-separated characters, this one concentrates on a single character, Frank Vanderwal. Some of the other characters from the first book are also covered in a secondary way, but Frank is the center of the story. (Leo is completely absent. Charlie and Anna are sometimes used as viewpoint characters, but quite sparingly.)

Some of the author's longtime fascination with Tibet shows up in a secondary storyline, but the major plot thread details Frank's attempt to live homeless in the middle of Washington DC as a "modern forest primate". This is complicated by a severe winter that is brought on by global climate change. It is contrasted by an examination of what happens when the zoo animals that were released during the flood of the previous book end up "going feral" and trying to survive in the now-wrecked Washington city parks.

Frank is also the focus of domestic surveillance operations, and Robinson presents an image (which is quite possibly true) of a society where domestic high tech spying is rampant and extends even to people who live "off grid" as much as possible. (The headlines in US papers this week are about the NSA performing illegal domestic spying, so perhaps this was a timely subject for fiction!)

He also discusses the idea of letting science replace politics as a method for keeping society running. Those familiar with Robinson's other works will recognize this idea. He likes to come up with new systems of economics and government, which he then uses as the background for a story about his characters. Many of these focus on "market failures" in the current capitalism/democracy system that is in place in the West. Climate change is a well-known market failure scenario, and fits in well with Robinson's political interests.

In the book, Charlie's boss Phil Chase decides to run for president against the unnamed but very Bush-like Republican incumbent. This is a small story in the book, but it is thematically important to the idea that "business as usual" just isn't working.

Frank also finds himself somewhat torn between a possible romantic involvement with his boss, Diane, and an on-going relationship with the mysterious woman he met while stuck in an elevator at the end of the first book.

The bottom line is that this book reads better than the first one. It has a focus, a more definite storyline, and a better feeling of completeness -- even though it is obviously not a complete novel.

Which brings me back to a complaint about this series and several other recent fiction series that I have read. When did it go out of fashion to publish complete novels? More and more it seems that novels have grown to the point that partial novels are being released as "parts of a series". That has its place in some stories, but in most of them (as in this one) it breaks up the story too much and weakens it overall. I think this "series" would have better if it had been a more tightly composed single book, about two thirds the length of the total trilogy.
1195576
I've only just started reading it, but I really like how it's written and how it highlights more common terms and ideas.
3490368
What I enjoyed about this book is that it covered not only the people like me (gay, male, plans to have children), but it also gave me an insight into some others who have very different lives but the same issues of  "alternative-ness."  It actually contained a few surprises and  gave me some ideas about how a family could be built from things I'd never  considered before.
4018269
It held my attention throughout as the story points out the complexities  that make people not all good nor all bad.  I liked the summation telling what might have been under slightly different circumstances.
555599
I think the salient point about the book is story-telling - it is easy to read - but a look at lots of issues that people care about right now (serious things such as terrorism, famine, hurricanes, politics) but also lighter things which touch on our lives (foraging restaurants, driverless cars, what's on in famous museums, how our stocks and investments are doing, what our salaries are, who is lying to us...) There is something in it for everyone. Annotations are 30 pages, meaning tons of research and fun facts jammed into something that reads conversationally.
123361
I took forever finishing White Trash, but found it engrossing at the same time.  I believe that the title is unfortunate, although riveting.  It is a broader story of class that just of the trash;  it's the story of those who believe they should define and control class.  In light of the ascendency of the the alt-right, the anti-intellectualism of parts of the electorate and the elected, and the ignoring of the poor with those class distinctions, it is a very timely book that I highly recommend.

I didn't give it 5 stars because of what I found to be a few organization issues and with a title that isn't complete enough.  It is a broader and deeper analysis.  I would like to find more and better books of this ilk so that I understand the US electorate and political dynamic better, and how to influence it, if possible.
1764380
I really enjoyed it and could related to a lot of things in this book. There are some things that could easily be argued from another perspective, but overall I would say it was good. It's written more in layman's terms than some other books on the topic, so it was easier to understand.
4791965
I like this books different point of view.
2801318
I Think that it is a good application but I would also like to see some more local news in the applcation. I do enjoy the world and political views.
4588711
When I read this years ago, I loved it.  However, I have to admit that this time I wasn't quite as enthralled with it.  I like it better than Rebecca as the concept appeals to me more.  I guess one problem I had with it is that the heroine seems very capable, and while I understand her desire to honor her mother's wishes, I don't see a person like her staying in a bad situation.  For that matter, I have a hard time believing the mother would send her off to a sister she hasn't seen in years.  However, maybe my modern mentality is interfering with the comprehension.  Women did have less choices in those days, I suppose.
3503604
Daniel Kahneman mentions in the introduction of the book that he seeks to increase the quality of conversations had at the watercooler (or something to this effect), and it absolutely has had that effect on me. I now am much more mindful of focusing illusions (people think the topic at hand is way more important than it actually is in relativity), how I react to statistics (percentages are much better for assessing true impacts while fractions are more for invoking emotion since people easily fall prey to denominator neglect), and making predictions from an outside view to an inside view (we often predict ourselves as coming much too close to the best case scenario, rather than looking at the average and then appropriately adjusting predictions based on the aspects of the case at hand).

I find myself referencing and quoting this book, literally on a daily basis, and I think that anyone who reads it will draw a significant benefit from doing so.
611374
"What's Age Got To Do With It?" is a catchy title, but it makes an important point. It's all right, in fact, it's necessary to take care of yourself so that you can give your best to others. Frankly, I think most women and men, as well, could profit from reading the first chapter and taking it seriously. Too many of us, let out needs go because we think we have to be doing constantly for others to justify our existence. In fact, taking care of your health and feeling good about yourself are doing something for others. If our children see us as depressed, ill and unhappy, it doesn't give them a good image for the future. Children need role models. Girls need to see their mothers as vibrant important people. I think it's a great message.

I must admit that some of the information in the book was rather generic, and since I use neither hair coloring nor makeup, it wasn't particularly enlightening, except to give me a view of why it takes some women so long to get dressed. Still, the chapters on exercise, diet and health were well worth reading. Even if the information isn't new, it was presented in an interesting and informative way. The style was that of a friend talking to another friend. I enjoyed getting to know Robin.
1912640
It has some definitions that are probably more in line with understanding by native speakers but I really like it
733973
This book did focus on the soldiers and their stories rather than the war.  I appreciated that.  There were many names of which to keep track, and I could not keep them straight.  I did enjoy getting to learn about the individual soldiers though.