I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

Little Experts is an unmissable non-fiction series that will empower and inspire a new generation of experts.

Get designing and building with architect and TV presenter George Clarke. From marvellous materials to future technology - discover the stories behind our homes.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

George Clarke is an architect, writer and TV presenter. This book for readers aged 6+ (part of the LITTLE EXPERTS series and strongly illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng) is intended to inspire young readers to become architects, builders and designers of the future but despite Clarke’s enthusiasm for the subject, the book lacks focus, darting between different subjects like materials, sustainability and 3D printing.

LITTLE EXPERTS - HOW TO BUILD A HOME was released in the United Kingdom on 1st February 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Revealing exactly what is causing London’s housing crisis – and what can be done.

London is facing the worst housing crisis in modern times, with knock-on effects for the rest of the UK. Despite the desperate shortage of housing, tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of affordable homes are being pulled down, replaced by luxury apartments aimed at foreign investors. In this ideological war, only market solutions to housing – which is a public good – are considered, which paradoxically makes the situation worse, because the market responds to the needs of global capital rather than ordinary people needing homes to live in. In politically uncertain times, the housing crisis has become a key driver creating and fuelling the inequalities of a divided nation. Anna Minto cuts through the complexities, jargon and spin to give a clear-sighted account of how we got into this mess and how we can get out of it.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Anna Minton’s timely book about the London housing crisis is a sobering and comprehensive look at the failures of both social housing and benefits policies, the built-in failures of so-called gentrification, the rise in overseas investment and the consequences for Londoners, including the rise of “generation rent” and the wider social implications for the capital but – disappointingly – is short on possible solutions.

BIG CAPITAL: WHO IS LONDON FOR? was released in the United Kingdom on 1st June 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.