[Book Review] Harassment arcitecture

A relatably repugnant piece of schizophrenic fiction

I’ve never lashed out in anger under the influence of a book before.

Harassment Architecture is a book written by Mike Ma. It is best described not in terms of plot line, because there is no plot line, and not in terms of philosophy, because there’s scarcely any philosophy either. Harassment Architecture is a raw piece allowing one to enter the mind of those crushed by the hypersensitive post-industrial society of the early 21st century. It’s very difficult to convey in a coherent fashion because the thoughts of my generation are hardly coherent at the best of times.

I’ve described the book to others as “an authors psychotic break” and “the Kaczynskian reality we were warned about.” In truth it’s a relatively unbroken train of thought beholden only to the whims of the author. Mike Ma is clearly well read, and has clearly lived in the soulless hive cities of the twenty first century. What little story there is makes mention of New York.

For me, the book was more visceral than contemplative, able to elicit powerful emotions often focused around anger, aggression, and depression. Few books I’ve ever encountered had the power to induce the type of righteous anger at the social system we’ve all been failed by. Harassment Architecture could almost be described like a memetic drug, particularly to those of us who have had experiences similar to the author. I recommend reading this book, I recommend reading it after reading “Industrial Society and its Future.” Harassment architecture is, as I see it, a closing statement to Theodore Kaczynski’s thesis, and in so being represents a justification for his entire philosophy.

This book will either disgust you within the first chapter, or carry you into an epistemological rollercoaster of experience. Not sure either option is healthy, but it is probably necessary. It’s the experience of those of us who once glimpsed freedom and felt it torn away.