LaserWriter II

A WIRED Pick for the 7 Books You Need to Read This Winter and one of Vox’s 11 Titles Not to Miss From the incomparable New York Times and New Yorker illustrator Tamara Shopsin comes a debut novel about a New York City printer repair technician who grows up alongside the Apple computer—featuring original designs by the author. LaserWriter II is a coming-of-age tale set in the legendary nineties indie Mac repair shop Tekserve—a voyage back in time to when the internet was new, when New York City was gritty, and when Apple made offbeat computers for weirdos. Our guide is Claire, a nineteen-year-old who barely speaks to her bohemian coworkers but knows when it’s time to snap on an antistatic bracelet. Interweaving the history of digital technology with a tale both touchingly human and delightfully technical, Shopsin brings an idiosyncratic cast of characters to life with a light touch, a sharp eye, and an unmistakable voice. Filled with pixelated philosophy and lots of printers, LaserWriter II is, at its heart, a parable about an apple. “It’s a crisp redraw of a time when Apple Computer was the rebellious choice, poor rebels could afford to live in the Big Apple and — in more ways than one — people found themselves offline.” —J.D. BIERSDORFER, The New York Times Book Review “A charming elegy to a less disposable culture and an enchanted workplace predicated on caring for machines and people.” —HELLER MCALPIN, NPR “LaserWriter II is an ode to a bygone era, but it’s also a reminder of what it can look like to care for the devices with which we spend our days.” —EVE SNEIDER, WIRED