Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall

I enjoyed this much more when it focused on the politics and sociology of malls rather than the architecture and architects that take up a lot of the pages. This is my issue rather than the author's, and this is clearly a brilliantly researched account.
It's also well written and has some fascinating insights and jaw-dropping facts, so 3.75 stars.

The author devoted a lot more time to the architectural history of the mall concept than I wanted, and less on the socioeconomic factors that contributed to its rise and fall. There were some interesting sections about movies set at malls, including their literal zombification, and how malls differ in other countries. But after the first chapter I did a lot of skimming. YMMV if architecture is your jam.