The book, a historical novel about the steel industry in Pittsburgh, was published in 1942, and while popular at the time (a movie featuring Gregory Peck was based on it), it has faded into obscurity. I found it scanning the shelves of our local library.
“Valley of Decision” by Marcia Davenport tells the story of three generations of a Pittsburgh steel magnate’s family, and their relationship to an Irish-American maid whose father and brother had worked at their mill.
A relative newcomer to Pittsburgh, having moved here in part to be closer to my wife’s family, I’ve become fascinated by its rich history. The novel was one of the best books I’ve read in years, and I was saddened when my daily passport to that world expired.
Around the same time, I got word that the band my cousin performed in, Humbird, would be playing at the Club Café off Carson Street on the South Side. My wife and I discovered a cozy gathering of about a dozen people surrounding a small stage. We grabbed a few beers and found ourselves treated to a captivating blend of folk and Americana.
Why should anyone care about my serendipitous discoveries of an old book and new band?
Escaping the recommendations
The reason is that both revelations were the result of escaping the “recommendations” from sites like Amazon and Spotify, algorithmically programmed nudges (or shoves) steering us to bestselling authors and singers.
Millions of people, including me, find these computer-generated suggestions helpful. Most are good books — though some are not, and many are no better than just good. But there are countless other books — equally and often more enjoyable and useful — written by authors who would appreciate a small fraction of the sales algorithmically funneled to a handful of celebrity authors. These books will breathe new life into imaginations that can become calcified and stale with too steady a diet of the same recommended selections.
The same goes for the music world. While the country goes gaga over all things Taylor Swift — people spending entire paychecks for the opportunity to attend a live performance — every night there are intimate venues like Club Café hosting talented and hungry musicians who are thrilled when a few dozen people chip in ten bucks apiece to watch them play.
I’m not suggesting that we spend a few extra moments searching for lesser-known books and music as acts of charity. Forking over a few dollars provides the unique satisfaction that comes from discovering an artistic treat that had until recently been rather unknown, rather than being the 74,563,727th person to “like” the same thing.
Helping society
There are also societal benefits to spending a few extra moments browsing at a bookstore or checking on which small bands are in town, searching for books and music that don’t already enjoy prominent placement on Amazon and Spotify. It helps preserve what remains of a diverse artistic ecosystem. Think of it as an investment in our collective artistic future, before it becomes too circular, with algorithms pushing bestselling products and creators, which in turn drives their sales ever higher.
This dynamic has already gone a long way in creating a winner-take-all closed loop in which a tiny number of artists grow fabulously wealthy while lesser-known talents have far fewer opportunities to break through. As a result, we are already seeing an increasingly homogenous creative landscape dominated by a handful of megastars like Taylor Swift and James Patterson, as well as all those attempting to borrow their formulas to success.
“Who cares?” you might respond, “I really like Taylor Swift and James Patterson.”
Do we really want to inhabit a world where there are basically a few dozen writers and singers dominating the marketplace, with everyone else fighting for the remaining scraps of attention and sales? Do we want a world where clinical algorithmic formulas, which can easily be manipulated, determine the creative content we consume? Shouldn’t we enjoy the magical alchemy of individual discovery?
Avoiding dystopia
There is a way to avoid this dystopian future, and that is to make a conscious effort to find books and music on your own. Browse the library shelves and go to the bookstore, especially small and used bookstores. Go to record shops. Ask friends for recommendations. Read the reviews in small magazines that cover out of the way books and music.
Sure, some choices will turn out to be dead ends, the artists perhaps mired in anonymity for a reason. But you will enjoy remarkable discoveries, and likely save money. After you spend a few pleasant evenings in the company of a freshly discovered good book or musician, you will probably find yourself trying to convince others to do the same.
Will Bardenwerper (@WBardenwerper), author of “The Prisoner in His Palace,” is writing a book about small town baseball and community. He and his family live outside Pittsburgh. His previous article was “Was this the America our veterans fought for? In one elementary school, yes.”
First Published: February 8, 2024, 10:30 a.m.
A World War II LST pulls into the wharf on the North Shore. The ocean-going LSTs were produced quickly in Amridge and Neville Island.
