Books like Hollow City: The Siege of San Francisco and the Crisis of American Urbanism

This book was a thoughtful birthday present given my interests, but unfortunately outside of the photographs and anecdotes it is merely a piece of intellectualized drivel about the dot com gentrification in San Francisco.The writer places much too much importance upon the role of artists as our potential saviours from the placelessness generated by globalized economic forces. I think she is sorely myopic within her intellectual/artist circle that I know so well in San Francisco. She is actually a friend of my boss's wife and have met her. And after meeting her (which I am sure she would not remember given how fast she talks and how selfcentered she appears to be) I stand firmly behind my assessment.I do like this book for what it records. I am intimately aware of much of the San Franciscan landscape which Solnit tried to capture. And I share with her a concern for what has happened. From time to time I flip through the pages to remind myself of what my favorite city has lost, but I just can't escape her voice which for me personifies the out of touch liberal intellectual.