Pay in installments of $3.83 with
,
and
Shipping Estimate
USA
- USA
- CAN
- USA
- CAN
Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Aug 4 - Aug 9
Promo Codes Available:
For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15
Description
American RustThe debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Son, which is now an AMC original TV series Set in a beautiful but economically devastated Pennsylvania steel town, American Rust is a novel of the lost American dream and the desperation as well as the acts of friendship, loyalty, and love that arise from its loss. From local bars to trainyards to prison, it is the story of two young men, bound to the town by family, responsibility,
The debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Son, which is now an AMC original TV series Set in a beautiful but economically devastated Pennsylvania steel town, American Rust is a novel of the lost American dream and the desperation--as well as the acts of friendship, loyalty, and love--that arise from its loss. From local bars to trainyards to prison, it is the story of two young men, bound to the town by family, responsibility, inertia, and the beauty around them, who dream of a future beyond the factories and abandoned homes. Left alone to care for his aging father after his mother commits suicide and his sister escapes to Yale, Isaac English longs for a life beyond his hometown. But when he finally sets out to leave for good, accompanied by his temperamental best friend, former high school football star Billy Poe, they are caught up in a terrible act of violence that changes their lives forever. Evoking John Steinbeck's novels of restless lives during the Great Depression, American Rust takes us into the contemporary American heartland at a moment of profound unrest and uncertainty about the future. It is a dark but lucid vision, a moving novel about the bleak realities that battle our desire for transcendence and the power of love and friendship to redeem us. Newsweek's list of "Best. Books. Ever"A Washington Post Top Ten Book of 2009
A New York Times Notable Book of 2009
An Economist Best Book of 2009
A Kansas City Star Top 100 book of 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Best Books of 2009
Idaho Statesman's Best Books of 2009
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Published: 01/12/2010
ISBN: 9780385527521
Pages: 382
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 8.36h x 5.40w x 0.86d
Award: Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize - Finalist
Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 01/03/2010 pg. 20
Shipping Notes
- Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
- Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
- Delivery to the USA:
- Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
- If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
- We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
- Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
- To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
- Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 29 reviews
Sort
Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Powerful
Format: Hardcover
Spanning the 40s and 50s, this is an absolutely breathtaking, stunning story of the paranoia, cruelty, and hysteria around an imagined communist-planned takeover of the Unites States by infiltration. This lunacy and oppression occurred at every level of American society from the federal government down to local school boards. Thousands of lives were ruined, more people were killed or committed suicide than you can imagine. It's an ugly story about an ugly time, told like a thriller. I could not stop reading it. My one note is that it was not carefully edited. Every now and then there's a sentence that simply doesn't scan, doesn't make sense, or is awkward--but you could say that points to how good the narrative is overall. Exceptions stick out, and that's too bad, given the subject matter and given that the author thanks an entire large writers' group for helping him with his prose.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Excellent Look at A.I. and Other Future Technologies
Format: Kindle
This is a fascinating book. Although I bought it to get a better understanding of artificial intelligence (AI), it covers much more. The author also discusses technologies such as 3D printing and vertical farming which are undergoing accelerated development. When discussing these technologies, he cites historical examples to make his point. Although some topics are extremely technical, the author’s writing style makes these concepts easy to understand. The term “singularity” refers to the moment when human consciousness is enhanced beyond our current comprehension.
In the field of nanotechnology, the author discusses a potential increase in human intelligence through virtual neurons such that people will directly interface with the cloud. He also shows how the associated cost is rapidly decreasing. For example, one dollar now buys over 11,000 times as much computing power as it did a decade ago. An astonishing level of reduction. These metrics are then paired with graphs to give the reader a clear picture.
One interesting topic is the concept of mind uploading (aka: whole brain emulation). Computers will be able to simulate human brains in every way within the next two decades. This is followed by what it means to transfer someone’s consciousness into a computer brain. He also discusses the legal implications of a conscious AI and the inability of our political and legal systems to adapt fast enough to enshrine certain rights into law. In the future, biological brains cannot keep up with minds augmented by non-biological nanoengineering.
Equally fascinating is an analysis on how the world has become safer. There is currently less violence and greater literacy than in previous centuries. He then highlights how positive developments never make the news. We only see negative stories because they are newsworthy and entertaining.
Bottom line: This book covers multiple areas of technology and describes how they will likely change our society. It is written in a manner that is easy to understand, and it will definitely open the reader’s eyes to what is coming.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2025
★★★★★ 4
Kurzweil downplays risks because he wants to live forever
Format: Hardcover
I bought this book because I believe Kurzweil's predictions, particularly about computation acceleration, are eye-opening. However, even though The Singularity is Nearer is based on A.I. development, it devotes a lot of time to the social and biological implications of the technology, according to Kurzweil.
While I am convinced that his foresight is generally correct with regard to technological advancement, I am not persuaded that his largely rosey description of the future is correct.
Even if A.I. eventually results in certain positive outcomes, I think Kurzweil significantly underestimates the social disruption that would occur before society gets to those ideal results, if it ever does. The revolution, or its aftermath, could be so catastrophic that the disruption reaches a point of no return. In my opinion, Kurzweil underestimates possibilities like this. He seems eager to get to positive biological outcomes, particualrly in relation to nanotechnology and the aging process.
In online interviews with Kurzweil, and in this book, the thought kept coming back to me that Kurzweil's ultimate objective is to live forever. I have heard him say that he is going to extremes in attempt to live a decade or two longer so that he can benefit from advanced A.I., perhaps through digitally preserving his consciousness. These ideas reminded me of Ecclesiastes 3:11, which says that God "has put eternity into man’s heart." Even if Kurzweil's predictions about A.I., society, and even biology are correct, I don't think he will find what he is looking for. In my view, his search is ultimately about God.
A few note to lay readers: Within the first 20 pages of the book, Kurzweil inserts a sophisticated 8-page discussion on neutral networks. Don't put the book down in this section! It should have been an appendix.
Also, the last chapter is called "Dialogue with Cassandra." It's an interesting interview, but there is no preface to the conversation at the beginning of the chapter. I double-checked the introduction and the notes in the back of the book and couldn't find out more information about what I was reading or who Cassandra is. I must have missed something. Nevertheless, a quick Google search suggests that Cassandra is fictional. Perhaps this is a pop-culture reference I don't know about. Still, it's an interesting read, even if a little bizarre.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2025
★★★★★ 5
A Thought Provoking Page-turner
Format: Hardcover
To have a sense of what we can expect in the future, we have to examine the trends of the past. That is the foundation of this very readable book. Kurzweil does a thorough job of presenting historical data in graphs and tables and explaining how the trends point to what we can expect in the next quarter century. You’d think this is all technology focused, but it is much more than that. He looks at trends in violent crime (declining), health and longevity (improving), poverty (declining) and other factors and explains how social trends enhance the development of technology and in turn how technology has a positive impact on society.
This is an excellent choice for book club discussions. There’s enough detail about advancing technology to help the layperson to understand it and at the same time encourage further research. Since it a prediction of the future, one can make a argument in support of his conclusions or suggest some alternative paths. I can envision some spirited discussions.
When you think about, looking to the future is an accelerating trend in itself. The Singularity is Nearer and Kurzweil’s other books are both the catalyst and result of that trend.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2024
★★★★★ 5
AI is here and this is one of the books you should read
Format: Hardcover
If you not in tune with the changes coming to the world with the advent of AI, read this book. The front end can be a bit technical and tough to read, but the back 2/3 of the book are eye opening. A lot of change is coming over the next 5 years, most are great for the world. There will be change for all of us and those that aren’t aware and prepared could find it unsettling.
While this is a very good book, a person should be reading and listening to blogs weekly to keep up with the changes to our lives going forward. One book on the subject, while good, isn’t enough.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2025