> I haven't read it so I may be full of shit, but it actually
> sounds like a left-wing version of the hit-piece biography
> of Mao that came out a few years ago.
Never read the Mao book, so I can't make comparisons, but Max is right about Baker's building effect. It's a very sad book, really -- a look back to the early days of our eventual reality. Like a slow-motion pile up you can see coming but cannot stop. "Human Smoke" is unlike Baker's other books; the better ones, like "The Mezzanine," are delightful exercises in minute observation. There's nothing delightful about this book, which makes it a must read.
Dennis