Andy reviewed River of Shadows by Rebecca Solnit
Review of 'River of Shadows' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Overall a great lense on Muybridge's life and work. Solnit focuses on how Muybridge helped change the way we exist in the world today, connecting him to the railroads, Sitting Bull, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, and the state of California (among many many other things). Despite the complicated web of connections, for most of the book she exibits enough restraint to maintain the central narrative and keep it from becoming too unweildy. There's a sense that in the last chapter she gives up on that restraint (somehow connecting Star Trek's captain Sulu with the Modic Wars, for instance), but being at the end of the book there's a sense that she earned it. Overall it tells Muybridge's story in a unique, interesting, and sometimes surprising way.
