Tuesday, August 28, 2007
book report: Apex Hides the Hurt
Apex Hides the Hurt
by Colson Whitehead
This was a quick, clever little read. It's about a nomenclature consultant - a guy who names products for a living - who has recently undergone a "misfortune" and stopped working for some time. He is easing back into work by taking a contract with the town of Winthrop, which is in the process of deciding whether or not to change its name to reflect its changing demographics (a successful software company is headquartered there). While this is a story that expresses both affection and disdain for marketing, it is also a story about race. Our main character is black, and many of the townspeople are white, although Winthrop was originally founded by ex-slaves who named it Freedom. I enjoyed the book and I loved the naming stuff, but I thought it was too short. Not that the story left anything out - I just would have enjoyed staying with the characters a bit longer.
by Colson Whitehead
This was a quick, clever little read. It's about a nomenclature consultant - a guy who names products for a living - who has recently undergone a "misfortune" and stopped working for some time. He is easing back into work by taking a contract with the town of Winthrop, which is in the process of deciding whether or not to change its name to reflect its changing demographics (a successful software company is headquartered there). While this is a story that expresses both affection and disdain for marketing, it is also a story about race. Our main character is black, and many of the townspeople are white, although Winthrop was originally founded by ex-slaves who named it Freedom. I enjoyed the book and I loved the naming stuff, but I thought it was too short. Not that the story left anything out - I just would have enjoyed staying with the characters a bit longer.
Labels: book reports
