Toronto UX Book Club: Announcing our next book "The Presentation of Self in Everyday" for May 23

[Kimberley Peter]

Hello fellow UXBCers,

First, as always, a big thanks to those of you who came out to the Bedford Academy on March 21 to discuss our last book: Shaping Things by Bruce Sterling. It was a very lively and interesting discussion. And of course, the chance to mix the conversation with beverages and a meal made it all the more enjoyable.

WHAT'S OUR NEXT BOOK?

You might remember that we had planned to read You Are Not a Gadget: A Manisfesto by Jaron Lanier (http://amzn.to/ziPFVQ). However, at the end of our review of Shaping Things, the group's enthusiasm for another "manifesto" was lacking. Our apologies to those who were geared up to read it. We hope you will anyway because it looks like an interesting and entertaining ride.

So what happened next? We considered several alternative books that were also more on the theory and/or inspiration side, went through two rounds of voting, and decided on reading one of Erving Goffman's books. Who is Erving Goffman? Erving Goffman was Benjamin Franklin Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania until his death in 1982. He is recognized as one of the world's foremost social theorists and much of his work still remains in print. Among his classic books are The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life; Interaction Ritual; Stigma; Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity; and Frame Analysis. (Source: Amazon.ca). You can read more interesting things about him at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erving_Goffman, including that he was a fellow Canadian.

Because there were a few solid options to choose from, the deciding factor has come down to strength of reviews and number of books available at Amazon.ca and .com. As revealed in the email subject, the winner is The Presentation of Self in Everyday.

Here are the details:

The Presentation of Self in Everyday (272 pages): Get it at Amazon.ca (http://amzn.to/H9GKHe) or Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/H4cbDF)

A study of human behavior in social situations and the way we appear to others. Dr. Goffman has employed as a framework the metaphor of theatrical performance. Discussions of social techniques are based upon detailed research and observation of social customs in many regions.

See the reviews at Amazon.ca (http://amzn.to/H9GKHe) or Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/H4cbDF), and what wikipedia has to say (http://bit.ly/2lsTkY).

 

WHEN WILL WE MEET?

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 6:30 PM

 

We will confirm the location and details closer to the date.

 

We hope you can come.

 

Until then, enjoy your reading!

 

Kim and Kaleem

UX Book Club Toronto

P.S. If you are ever looking for the list of books we've read, you can find that at Amazon Canada (http://astore.amazon.ca/uxbcto-20) or at Amazon (http://astore.amazon.com/uxbcto09-20).