mathbabe

It’s been an intense week, with just a ton of editing on my book, Weapons of Math Destruction: how big data increases inequality and threatens democracy. I’m hopefully very close to final draft. Please keep your fingers crossed along with me that that is true. Obviously I will send an update when I’ve gotten the final word.

What’s cool about this phase is, first of all it seems real, and countable, like you can feel the progress happening, whereas so many other moments seemed completely lost in time, swallowed up by a very loud hum of uncertainty. Was this line of research going to lead anywhere? Will this person I’m interviewing say anything I don’t already know?

Now, at least, I know there’s a book here. And it’s nice to be reminded of all the stuff that’s gone into it, as I read through so many chapters at a time to make sure they work together.

Probably the best part, though, is just how close I am to finishing. It’s been a really big, long project. I likely wouldn’t have taken it on at all if I’d actually known how big and how long, and how uncertain I’d be, so often, that it would end up being a book. So, I guess, here’s to running into things with almost pure ignorance!

Well, yesterday I got some great news. WMD, which is what I call my book for short, since its title is so very very long, is going to be made into an audiobook by the publisher, Random House.

Obviously I’m psyched, and moreover I’m volunteering to do the reading. In this final phase I’ve gotten really into how the book reads out loud, and in fact I’ve enlisted a bunch of my friends (thanks, Laura, Matt, Karen, Maki, Becky, Julie, Mel, Sam, and Aaron!) to read various chapters to me out loud and send me the mp4 files. It’s been a blast hearing them.

Also, I think books are better when the author reads them, right? But what do I know? I’m not in charge. I can only hope they pick me.

Just to stack the decks a wee bit, please leave a comment below with your vote, especially if you’ve ever listened to my Slate Money podcast and can comment on how my voice sounds. Feel free to make copious use of the word “honey-toned.”

This is happening, people! Fuck yes!