Blog Archives
The Proxy Condition
Harrison Rose Tate’s The Proxy Condition is an ambitious work of cultural criticism about what happens when a person exists simultaneously in physical life and in the networked systems that represent, predict, and sometimes act for them. Tate calls that second presence the “proxy self,” arguing that it’s more than an online persona. It can keep operating when we’re absent, influencing recommendations, transactions, rankings, automated decisions, and other systems built from traces of our behavior. The book develops this idea through philosophy, sociology, neuroscience, technology history, personal observation, and examples ranging from social media feeds and banking systems to smart homes and AI. Its central claim is surprisingly easy to recognize once Tate has named it: we’re “living once, but existing twice,” and the strain people often experience around digital life may come partly from trying to manage those two forms of presence as though they were one.
One of the book’s strongest qualities is the seriousness with which it treats that idea. Tate doesn’t leave “proxy” as a clever metaphor. She builds a vocabulary around it, including ontological presence, fidelity, recursivity, choice conditioning, temporal jet lag, and eventually “infusus,” her term for maintaining coherence between digital and physical selves. The philosophical sections pull from thinkers such as Heidegger, Deleuze, McLuhan, Postman, and Stiegler, while later chapters move into attention, neurological reward, changing ideas of authority, digital time, and the hidden behavioral costs of supposedly free platforms. The historical timeline is especially useful because it shows the proxy condition developing gradually through email, search, social media, smartphones, personalization, surveillance, and generative AI. Tate’s recurring examples also keep some of the denser material grounded. A dormant bank account influencing an automated decision, an Amazon system deciding how to resolve a failed delivery, or a person documenting a family moment so intensely that the documentation replaces the experience all make the theory concrete.
The book is at its most compelling when it connects familiar feelings to structural features of digital systems. Tate’s discussion of “temporal jet lag,” for example, gives useful language to the peculiar experience of being physically present in one morning while mentally moving through dozens of other people’s moments, news cycles, messages, and events. Her larger framework also allows her to talk about attention without reducing the subject to self-control. Algorithms respond to our behavior, our behavior trains those systems, and the resulting systems influence what we encounter next. That feedback loop is the heart of the book. At times Tate makes large philosophical or empirical claims with more confidence than some readers will want to grant them, and the sheer number of coined concepts can make the argument feel heavily engineered. Still, the accumulation serves a purpose. By the time she reaches “infusus,” the solution feels connected to the problem she has spent the book defining: people need an internal continuity of values and agency that can travel through two very different environments without requiring those environments, or the selves inhabiting them, to become identical.
I’d recommend The Proxy Condition to readers who spend a lot of time thinking about technology’s effect on ordinary life but are tired of treating the subject as a simple question of whether screens are good or bad. People working in technology, media, education, psychology, communications, leadership, or AI will probably find plenty here to argue with and plenty to borrow. It should also appeal to readers who’ve noticed that being “offline” no longer means being absent from digital systems, or who feel that modern distraction is stranger than ordinary busyness. Tate offers a book about adaptation and authorship. Her goal is to help readers recognize that participation itself now shapes systems, and that preserving independence in that environment depends less on escaping technology than on understanding how one’s attention, values, choices, and digital traces fit together. That final emphasis on coherence gives the book its most useful recommendation: learn to recognize both versions of your presence, then become deliberate about what each one is doing.
Pages: 275 | ASIN : B0FBMKZ1JM
What if Anger Is the Answer?: A Harvard Marine’s Guide to Shaping Aggression
Michael LeBlanc’s What if Anger Is the Answer? is part war memoir, part philosophy class, part letter from a dad trying to raise a tough and decent son. He traces his path from working-class Ohio kid to classics student to Marine officer in Afghanistan, then out into business and family life. Along the way, he argues that anger is not a flaw to be erased but a force that can be trained, like a lion in the soul, and used for courage, loyalty, and leadership. The book moves through four stages of life and work, from the young man against the world, to learning to deal with friends and enemies, to sliding into cynicism, and finally to building something good in a broken world, all framed by tender letters to his son about what it means to become a man.
I found the writing surprisingly warm and funny for a book built around anger. The opening letter to his son hooked me right away, because it feels like a real dad talking late at night at the kitchen table, not a brand trying to build a “mindset.” You get sharp scenes from Afghanistan that feel chaotic and scary without turning into a stunt show, mixed with campus memories, office politics, and family moments. The stories land hard, then he undercuts the tension with a dry joke, so I kept getting this mix of a lump in my throat and a smirk. At times, the shifts in setting come fast, and the book jumps from a firefight to Aristotle to a boardroom, which can feel a bit jagged, but that roughness also matches the theme. This is a life lived out of order, then stitched together later, and the prose keeps that raw edge.
When he talks about anger that stands up for a friend, or keeps a leader calm and focused when everyone else panics, I felt a real jolt of recognition. The sections on how we slide from young idealism into adult cynicism, then either stay bitter or fight our way through it, hit me hard. I liked how he uses Plato, Aristotle, and Shakespeare’s Prince Hal not as decorations but as case studies in what it means to be warlike without becoming a brute, to be clever without turning into a fox who believes in nothing. Some of his talk about becoming a man leans on combat, competition, and traditional roles.
I felt moved by his honesty about his own screwups and by the way he lets his son see the ugly parts of his story, not just the medal-ready moments. The retrospective section near the end, where he gathers short lessons on cynicism, loyalty, and humor, reads like notes in the margins of his life, and I liked that quiet tone after so many loud scenes.
I would recommend What if Anger Is the Answer? to readers who enjoy books that mix boots-on-the-ground stories with old school ideas, especially men wrestling with questions of purpose, ambition, and how to handle their own temper. It will speak to veterans, to aspiring leaders, to fans of the Great Books, and to parents who want more than soft platitudes for their kids. If you are willing to sit with a book that argues with our culture, and if you are curious about how anger might be turned from something shameful into something disciplined and brave, this is a bold and thought-provoking read.
Pages: 256 | ASIN : B0FXBC5XKM
Hope of Recovery
In Being Broken, you share the traumas of your childhood, heartbreaking losses, and how you were able to face the damage that shaped your life. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I had to understand how things could have gone so terribly wrong that my sister had to pay the ultimate price, with her life. I’m not a spiritual person, so I needed to believe that this was preventable; that there was a rational and reasonable explanation for this tragedy. Not only that, I needed to better understand my part and be able to forgive myself for either my inability to act in time, or if I had become apathetic to her plight from years of dealing with it. But the journey allowed me to view my own life from a better perspective. It allowed me to dig deep into the traumas of my past and move forward with forgiveness of myself and the fact that I was not responsible for what happened to either of us.
I appreciated the honesty and raw emotion throughout your memoir. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
Top of that list is my sister’s death. I was so overcome with shame and guilt about not being able to save her, the only way to deal with it was to write about it. I was having a hard time articulating what I was going through, and to write it all out was relieving since the rumination during grief can be very overwhelming. However, equal to how difficult her death was, learning and writing about my sister’s rape was extremely difficult. As I wrote in the book, our parents downplayed my sister’s rape to the point where they were trying to convince me it didn’t happen. Because of their manipulation, I believed them, and the guilt and shame I felt when I read about it in her journals was heartbreaking. Knowing that I wasn’t there for her like I should have been while she was dealing with that trauma, alone, made me feel absolutely horrible. Understanding now it is not my fault, but the fault of my parents’ manipulation of me, that I wasn’t there for her during the most difficult time of her life allowed me to forgive myself.
What is one misconception you believe many people have about growing up in abusive homes?
That children, and even adults, can see and understand that they are being abused, and that escaping the situation is obvious. Many people in abusive relationships are unaware that they are experiencing abuse. I didn’t understand that my sister and I were being abused by our parents until after her death. The narcissistic front of family perfection that our parents projected out into the world made it very difficult for anyone to believe us when we talked about what was going on in that house. Further, the nature of the abuse caused us to live in fear of talking about it. To even consider sharing what was going on with us, we knew the consequences would be severe. And lastly, the amount of control my parents had over my sister’s life precluded any ability for her to escape. They had full control over everything in her life: her car, her lease/rental properties, her phone, money, even her son when she was deemed incapable of caring for him – and they constantly threatened to take it all away if she didn’t behave as they wanted. Truly understanding what was happening to us took a lot of study on my part; years of work through my sobriety, and then grief. By then, it was too late for her, but it continues to help me heal.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your experiences?
That if you are experiencing the same type of abuse, or have in your past, that you are not alone and there is hope of recovery. The common statistic is that 1 in 4 children experiences a form of abuse. It doesn’t have to be physical or sexual abuse, the most horrific types; it could be any type of mental or emotional abuse. Everyone experiences trauma, even the same trauma, differently based on their formative childhood years. Studies show that a child who experiences repeated forms of abuse has a very altered brain than one who does not. However, through neuroplasticity, therapy, and work, we can manage the challenges of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to rewire our brains to live healthy, improved lives and still accept and integrate what we faced as children.
Author Links: GoodReads | Bluesky | Facebook | Website | Amazon
The son, brother, stepson is the only one left to pick up the pieces. He begins a journey of the self and finds out the truth of his family. After going over letters, notes, emails, videos, and text messages, he uncovers a disturbing picture of the abuse his sister suffered at the hands of their parents. He also begins to better understand his own struggles with mental health and substance addiction because of the trauma and abuse he also suffered from their parents.
Follow the son as he looks through his family history to discover the generational abuse that trickled down through the years. Learn about how parents who suffer from narcissistic personality disorder emotionally abuse and manipulate their children. See how the abuse and trauma becomes mental illness in the abused, and how they fall into vicious traps of addiction, eating disorders, self-harm, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Witness the transformational change of the son as he works on the recovery of his inner child and tries to become the man he was meant to be.
100 Things Black Boys Should Do and Know
Jason Huey’s 100 Things Black Boys Should Do and Know is a no-nonsense, heartfelt, and refreshingly real guide written specifically for young Black boys, though honestly, it’s got nuggets for all of us. The book is exactly what the title says—100 pieces of advice, lessons, and life tips, everything from “Tell Your Mom and Dad You Love Them” to “Learn CPR” to “Get Help” when life feels heavy. Huey mixes tough love with encouragement, serious talk with humor, and spirituality with street smarts. The format is easy to follow, the tone is conversational, and the heart behind it is big.
One thing I loved is how Huey doesn’t shy away from anything. He hits real-life issues head-on—mental health, racism, peer pressure, even gun violence. In #69 “12,” he gives a straight-up survival guide for police encounters. It’s heavy but necessary. In #30 “Let It Out,” he tells boys that it’s okay to cry, to be emotional, to feel. That struck a chord in me. Growing up, crying felt like a weakness. Huey flips that script and makes vulnerability a strength. His words are filled with love but also urgency. You can feel he’s been through it, seen it, lived it.
The writing style is raw, it’s funny, it’s deeply personal. I found myself smiling at things like “Takis or Hot Cheetos” (#25) and “Watch Cartoons” (#41), then turning the page and getting a gut check about “Colorism” (#62) and “Never Ending Race” (#71). He breaks things down in a way that feels like a big brother giving you the real talk you never knew you needed. He even sneaks in lines that’ll stay with you: “A man who doesn’t acknowledge his mistakes is a mistake” from #2 “My Bad” really reasonated with me.
I’d recommend this book to every young Black boy—and to the parents, teachers, mentors, and friends who want to love and support them better. It’s not just a list. It’s a roadmap. A compass. A hug and a challenge. You don’t read this book; you hear it. You feel it. And if you let it, it’ll change how you move through the world.
Pages: 50 | ASIN : B0BR46C2S3
Radical Humility
Humility is a virtue that we all should possess. Being humble means that you recognize the presence and importance of others. Understanding that everyone matters and that you are not the only worthy person is an important life skill. In this educational book, authors Jamie Vander Broek and Rebekah Modrak compiled a collection of essays about humility in different contexts. I love that the essays are by multiple writers from different backgrounds and career paths. By including more than 20 writers, Rebekah and Jamie are able to apply diversity even as they spread their message of humility. In addition, the reader can experience different cultures and viewpoints through this diverse collection.
The variance in delivering the self-effacement message makes reading this book exciting. Radical Humility: Essays on Ordinary Acts is for you if you enjoy deep discussions and texts that show you a different side of the world.
The writing style used by many of the writers is well-paced and informative without being dry. There is a bit of technical jargon within some chapters, though the reader can still understand the message. Readers will appreciate that the writers explain any foreign or technical term to clarify their message.
Radical Humility: Essays on Ordinary Acts is an excellent book for readers that like to read a section and reflect on the message. After reading this book, readers will have a vast amount of information to digest and reflect upon, evaluating their own level of modesty that they demonstrate or display to others in the different areas of their life. For example, how do those in government, heads in schools, and leaders at work show humility? Are you humble yourself? How do you keep yourself and those around you in check? Rebekah Modrak and Jamie Vander Broek’s book is a fantastic resource for contemplating these questions.
The discussions by all the writers were insightful. However, there are some writers whose works stood out for me. Lynette Clemetson was among my favorites. The discussion on journalism in the era of Likes, Follows, and Shares was eye-opening, and the author shares the impact technology has on modern society. Russell Belk was another writer whose works I deeply connected with. The writer discussed Humility Vs. Humiliation in Old Age and this is a conversation that everyone should be having.
Radical Humility: Essays on Ordinary Acts is a collection of essays dealing with Social Philosophy and human interactions. It can be read as a self-help book for self-improvement and as a study of human nature.
Pages: 234 | ASIN : B093X3MPZ5
