I think everyone that cares about politics and the current state of the political world should read this book, regardless of political affiliation. This is yet another example of someone, in this case, David Pakman, outlining facts about a timeline that got us to where we are today. The Echo Machine discusses and proposes ongoing misinformation, media polarization, and the fragility of shared truth in contemporary American democracy.
I will mention, this is a very short book that covers a wide number of topics. Obviously, nothing TOO in depth, but nonetheless, attempts to tie things together. This of course requires the reader’s own research and understanding of the various topics/instances Pakman brings up. Something to also note…a lot of his arguments depend on historical and empirical evidence throughout our history, things that hopefully are not something to be argued (perhaps you can argue how they relate to one another… but I’ll leave it at that).
Where I think the book falls short is his call to action and the “solutions” Pakman seems to be proposing. But then again, for me, this wasn’t necessarily the point of the book. I recommend everyone give this a thoughtful read.