Unless Acted Upon, a book which in its heart of hearts wants to be a Rube Goldberg machine, explores different kinds of forces and movements. It applies the laws of motion (classical and textbook physics) to human relationships and institutions. It asks, "isn't emotion a / combo of magnitude and direction?" It zigzags between intimacy and the geopolitical, between human rights and human rites. Any one of these things can get pretty weird, though those levels of weird might be measured against each other.