Rummanah Aasi
 One of the movies that I can't wait to see is Spike Jonze's Her starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Scarlett Johansson which has graced many movie critics best movies of 2013 lists. The plot of a lonely writer who falls in love with his newly purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need is bizarre but is it really that far from reality as we become more and more attached and obsessed with technology? I'm not entirely sure. Siri and Me, a comic graphic novel, by David Milgrim was published in 2012 and also has the same tone as the movie Her, except it loses its charm very quickly.


Description: Dave's never met anyone like Siri. She's helpful, smart, and easier to talk to than any girl he's ever known. She really gets him. Siri and Me is a love story for our times. A must read for all of us in a codependent relationship with our gadgets. An instant classic in a world of instant everything.

Review: When I picked up Siri & Me, I was hoping for a quick fun read that would have some depth and interesting conversations on how humans use technology. While the book was fun and a very short read, it move beyond the gimicky story of an ordinary man named Dave who displaces his fundamental relationships with living humans for Siri, the operating system of his iPhone.

  When the iPhone 4 came out there was a plethora of comments and jokes about Siri and her limitations. There are even websites that range from ridiculous to crude questions that you can ask Siri in order to get fun responses from her, but in Siri and Me, Siri demonstrates a very high intelligence you would see in a Asimovian book. There are moments where I was chuckling while reading Siri and Me. Dave is an amiable doofus, too self-absorbed to notice the way his actions hurt other people around him; the machines in his life in contrast demonstrate a humanity the humans seem bent on abandoning.
  The format of Siri and Me is very stripped-down and the illustrations are like cartoons, and the premise of the story is very catchy. Just don't expect a lot from it. I'm really hoping that the movie Her will fill in what was lacking in this graphic novel.

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some crude humor. Recommended for teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Goodnight Ipad by Ann Droyd
5 Responses
  1. Jenny Says:

    Not sure this is the book for me Rummanah, but I'm with you on "Her", I definitely want to see that movie! I like that you describe Dave as an amiable doofus, I can so easily picture his character just from those two words:)


  2. This does sound fun, but it is disappointing that it doesn't pan out. I hope the movie fares better, but it isn't often the movie is better than the book.


  3. This sounds like a really quirky read, Rummanah. I actually haven't heard about Her or even seen the trailer so I'll check it out. It seems like there are quite a few movies that have been released recently or will be released this year that are based on books.


  4. Hm... hoping the movie fares better than the book did. At least it was different. :)


  5. Candace Says:

    I think I'm a bit curious about this one, just cause of the story line. I have an iphone 4 actually, but mine did not come with a Siri for some reason. :( I guess I got the cheaper version.
    I'm going to have to check out the movie for sure though, it sounds like it'll be entertaining!


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