Structurally, narrative nonfiction tends to work either like a freight train (progressing in a straight line from Point A to Point B) or like a horseback rider (jumping fences to gallop across fields of unwieldy facts); count Mask among the horsy set. The Address Book is her first book, and she is already a master at shoehorning in fascinating yet barely germane detours just for kicks ... How can a book about class, poverty, disease, racism and the Holocaust be so encouraging? Mask populates her daunting inquiries with a cast of stirring meddlers whose curiosity, outrage and ambition inspire them to confront problems ignored by indifferent bureaucracies ... White’s mission expands the idea of what civil rights work might entail nowadays — more fund-raisers than fire hoses. And in telling the stories of boulevards named for world-famous overachievers, Mask is best down on the street, chatting up local heroes like him.
... charming and engaging ... wanders globally and throughout history, with Mask injecting history lessons with great storytelling abilities ... a delight.
Engaging, illuminating, and with highly relevant current subject matter, this book is recommended for all readers, especially fans of popular history and politics.
Addresses might seem a prosaic subject to write a book about. But read Deirdre Mask’s fascinating deep dive into the world of Mill Lane and Martin Luther King Street and you will begin to realise just how important these geographical markers are, how pregnant with meaning, and what a difference they make to everything from the proper functioning of society to questions of wealth, poverty and democracy ... [an] intelligent but thoroughly accessible survey ... These historical insights are all highly entertaining, and Mask is intriguing, for instance, on the early postal service...It is when Mask looks at the geopolitical significance of street names, though, that her book really comes into its own.
Mask’s globe-trotting examination of street addresses will have readers thinking more deeply about the logistics of where they are, where they’re going, and how they’re able to get there. This history of the street address is filled with anecdotes, history lessons, and thought-provoking benefits and drawbacks to a system most of us take for granted ... Mask leaves us with a greater appreciation of our efforts to find each other, and a peek into what the future may hold.
... impressive ... Mask combines deep research with skillfully written, memorable anecdotes to illuminate the vast influence of street addresses as well as the negative consequences of not having a fixed address ... Throughout this eye-opening book, the author clearly demonstrates that package deliveries constitute a minuscule part of the significance of addresses—not only today, but throughout human history ... The author offers insightful commentary regarding the fact that U.S. roadways named for Martin Luther King Jr. are usually found in poverty-stricken urban areas, and she addresses the many problems associated with homelessness ... A standout book of sociological history and current affairs.
... entertaining and wide-ranging ... [Mask] is a vivid storyteller ... Mask’s fluid narration and impressive research uncover the importance of an aspect of daily life that most people take for granted, and she profiles a remarkable array of activists, historians, and artists whose work intersects with the evolution and meaning of street addresses. This evocative history casts its subject in a whole new light.
