PopCo by Scarlett Thomas

Everyone loves working at PopCo. It's a young, cool, toy company with no dress code and no set working hours. Creatives at PopCo are just as likely to stay up all night designing prototypes as they are to decamp to Prague for a week of trend spotting. It's just that sort of place.

PopCo isn't about fluffy toys though. They have an experimental Robotics division, a mirror brand, K, which pretends to be Japanese, a Virtual Worlds research center, and they're offering a million dollar prize for an old AI puzzle. 

Their latest plan is to create a 'killer' brand for teenage girls, and Alice has been relocated to a 'Thought Camp' to brainstorm the idea. But could her ideas have other applications? How sinister is marketing to children anyway? And is everything as it seems at the company's isolated 'Thought Camp'?

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Scarlett Thomas is one of my favorite author. I find her books very thought provoking and stimulating. Thomas has the ability to make the reader look at the world in a new light. Opening up your eyes to the darker side of the world, this book focuses on consumerism but especially products directly aimed at children and teens. It makes for an interesting book with a very different and interesting storyline.

The most enjoyable element to this book was the fact that it opened my mind to the dangers of product placement, advertising and how easily a person can be fooled into that 'must have' purchase. It makes me wonder do we have any free will at all or are we simply the puppets of large companies who have been trained since birth to respond to flashy advertising. 

The main character Alice was a perfect contrast to the other characters in the book. Alice was a deeper thinker, able to live outside of the social groups of her work force who functioned much the same as cliques do in schools. While above all she remained herself and didn't conform to any stereotype. The obvious social structure of Popco was intriguing, did Thomas intend for the lives of the employees to correlate with those of the audience they were targeting? Did she intentionally describe the fun, relaxed work atmosphere with employers  pushing extra curricular activities as a way of showing how they remained 'young at heart'. These answers I may never know but I have enjoyed mulling over them ever since.

Overall it is a wonderful book, I was sucked into the story from the first page. It is full of colourful and engaging characters with a superb and clever plot.  One of the most wonderful things about Scarlett Thomas is that her novels not only entertain but they educate. I have enjoyed learning so much such as science in The End of Mr Y to consumerism in Popco.  I highly recommend giving this book a try. 

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. 
It's a terrific read from a gifted writer. You won't be disappointed if you try it especially if you enjoy books which challenge your views on our society.

Nothing to Envy - Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

North Korea is one of the most repressive and secretive states on earth. Spying is encouraged, the media is government controlled, Gone with the Wind is a dangerous, banned book. In the 1990s, famine descended. Millions of people died, but the regime remained in power. Through extensive interviews, Barbara Demick has created the first portrait of like in this extraordinary county, weaving together the stories of six ordinary citizens in a gripping and vivid account of adversity and survival in the land of 'Our Dear leader'. 

 

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This is the most terrifying book I have ever read. A truly shocking and unbelievable read. All I knew about North Korea before I read this book was the little I had seen on the news. I was aware that they are a communist state, were separated from South Korea due to warfare, disliked America and that they are armed with nuclear weapons.  I picked this book up out of pure nosiness, I was intrigued of what life is really like in the secretive and insular country. After reading this book I have had my eyes opened to the true danger of corrupt governments and how if left unchecked they can do anything to the people they are meant to protect and lead. 

 

The book follows the lives of six people who grew up within the country and later desserted into China and South Korea. The stories vary from those of deeply devoted individuals who later become disillussioned with the country and its direction; to people who from childhood didn't feel they fit within the strict confines, ideology and group mentality needed to survive within the regime. The Government runs the country with an iron fist, anyone who doesn't adhere to the rules is in danger of reprisals and being sent to prison. Neighbors spy on neighbors and even children on parents. Conviction is not simply punishment for the lone individual but also his/her family both immediate and extended. To make matters worse this punishment lasts for THREE generations!!! Therefore it is understandable that people work hard to appear the perfect citizen even if they have inner doubts. 

 

What strikes me most about this book is the way it paints the Government and the Kim Jong-il as totally uncaring for the suffering of their citizens. For example, in North Korea people do not shop as we do in the western world for groceries. Instead, twice a month, they would go to a distribution center where bags of food are handed out by the Government. However when the country experienced a famine the Government simply ceased handing out food altogether. They appeared to have little thought that this would lead to starvation, especially when selling ones own produce grown in home gardens was illegal. In fact they refused aid from abroad and lied to visiting officials about the state of the country. I found this heartbreaking and shocking, people were left to cook grass and tree bark in order to survive, to the point that much of the countryside became bare. The saddest part being that the most devote follows of the regime were often the first to die, due to their reluctance to break the rules and use the black market food that was illegal but life saving.

 

During all of this suffering people were still expected to adore the 'Dear Leader' and work harder and longer than ever before, but now without pay or nourishment. They were constantly lied to and made to believe that China and South Korea were suffering worse when in reality they were thriving since embracing consumerism. A bowl of rice became a luxury with many people going years without it. This was made painfully clear when one person, after crossing the border into China, witnessed a dog being fed a meal of rice and vegetables. In North Korea such a meal was beyond the reach even for humans to eat, yet there was a dog being fed such a meal. Heartbreaking and shocking in every way. these things are made all the more shocking to me when I think they happened in the 1990s. I was teenager at the time and enjoying a life where I was well fed, listened to pop music, and did school work in a warm and safe home. The realization that during this time these people suffered at the hands of their own government really opened my eyes to a different kind of evil in the world.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

A life changing book. You cannot read it without being moved by the strength of human endurance during testing times and shocked by the brain washing and careless choices which negatively effected everyone within the country.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one option; to breed. if she deviates, she will, like all dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs. 

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The Handmaid's Tale follows the life of Offred as she begins her posting at the home of a high ranking official in Gilead. Offred is not there as a secretary, cook or cleaner; she is there to breed. The population of Gilead are struggling to produce healthy babies, in fact they are struggling to produce children at all. The position of Handmaid has been formed in order to combat this. The young and hopefully fertile Handmaids are sent to stay with high ranking men and their wives, where they take part in rituals with the aim of them becoming pregnant. Offred is one such Handmaid and this is her story. 

Offred was a fabulous character, I enjoyed her determination to remain true to herself in the face of such horrifying treatment. I liked her from the moment I met her, she came across as a dynamic and independent woman forced into a life of slavery. This created much conflict within Offred and the struggle was evident from the very first chapter. It made for excellent reading as her inner musings became more detailed and eye opening. As the story progresses the reader is made aware of how she came to be in this predicament, and how Offred is now destined to die serving her country in this way. 

I enjoyed the story and found it an addictive read. The short, straight to the point sentences make it fast pace, while the descriptive writing makes the story jump off the page. The picture perfect facade of the homes, streets and town hides a very dark and terrifying world. It leaves the reader constantly on edge in the same way Offred is, you can feel the oppression and fear seeping from the narrative. All his combines to make a book that is hard to put down but leaves the reader fearful of the events to come. 

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

An excellent book which sends shivers down your spine. As horrifying as it is brilliant, and a story that I highly recommend.   

Fragment Friday

Nothing to Envy - Real Lives in North Korea

by Barbara Demick

 As a former South Korean soldier, Tae-woo's ranking was toward the bottom of the heap - not the very bottom, because those people (about 200,000 or 1 percent of the population) were permanently banished to labor camps modeled after the Soviet Gulag. 

North Koreans of the lower ranks were banned from living in the showcase capital of Pyongyang or the nicer patches of countryside toward the south where the soil was more fertile and the weather warmer. Tae-woo couldn't dream of joining the Workers' Party, which, like the Communist Party in China and the Soviet Union, controlled the plum jobs.

 People of his rank would be closely watched by their neighbors. North Koreans are organized into what are called the inminban - literally, "people's group" - cooperatives of twenty or so families whose job it is to keep tabs on one another and run the neighborhood. The inminban have an elected leader, usually a middle-aged woman who reports anything suspicious to higher-ranking authorites. It was almost impossible for a North Korean of low rank to improve his status. Personal files were locked away in local offices of the Ministry for the Protection of State Security and, for extra safekeeping , just in case someone dared to think of tampering with the records, in the mountainous Yanggang Province. 

The only mobility within the class system was downwards. Even if you were in the core class - reserved for relatives of the ruling family and party cadres - you could get demoted

 for bad behaviour. But once in the hostile class, you remained there for life. Whatever your original stain, it was permanent and immutable. And just like the caste system of old Korea, family status was hereditary. The sins of the father were the sins of the children and grandchildren.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

SURVIVAL. OF THE FITTEST.

The fifty contestants in the Miss Teen Dream Pageant thought this was going to be a fun trip to the beach, where they could parade in their state-appropriate costumes and compete in front of the cameras. But sadly, their airplane had another idea, crashing on a desert island and leaving the survivors stranded with little food, little water, and practically no eyeliner. 

What's a beauty queen to do? Continue to practice for the talent portion of the program - or wrestle snakes to the ground? Get a perfect tan - or learn to run wild? And what should happen when the sexy pirates show up?

Welcome to the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. 

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This was a highly entertaining book which poked fun at the consumer and image driven world in which we live. It focuses on the pressure placed on teenage girls to be and look a certain way. The failure to meet these society set standards and the effect it has on self esteem is discussed in a laid back and fun way. 

The writing is simple and fun, with many satirical elements. The roots of this book are very much based on social criticism. The author manages to highlight the fact that although people may have outside beauty and appear to be in control that is often an illusion and far from the truth.  Instead of having a one size fits all and stereotypical beauty pageant contestants Bray gave the characters depth and interests far beyond what would be expected. She portrayed them as intelligent, brave, inventive and independent women and it worked well. 

I really enjoyed the humor in this book and the way it tackles a tough subject without becoming preachy.  It shows that girls are not necessarily open about their views and interests through a fear of ruining the perfect image. However, throughout the book it proves girls are able to achieve whatever they set there minds too. While also explaining how accepting people as they are is far more rewarding than missing out on a friendship through misconceived ideas. 

Overall it was an entertaining read which I thoroughly enjoyed. The book covers a wide variety of situations that teenagers may find themselves facing such as, body image, parental and peer pressure, educational achievement, and sexuality including transgender. Therefore it is may be deemed unsuitable for younger children.

I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

This book was entertaining and an enjoyable read. It uses satirical writing to cover a wide range of issues facing teenagers today, including consumerism and self worth. Subject matter is not suitable for the younger reader but it is a fun book and speaks the truth in a humorous way.

 

 

Living History by Hillary Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton is known to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Yet few beyond her close friends and family have ever heard her account of her extraordinary journey. She writes with candor, humor and passion about her upbringing in suburban middle-class America in the 1950s and her transformation from Goldwater Girl to student activist to controversial First Lady. Living History is her revealing memoir of life through the White House years. It is also her chronicle of living history with Bill Clinton, a thirty-year adventure in love and politics that survives personal betrayal, relentless partisan investigations and constant public scrutiny.

Hillary Rodham Clinton came of age during a time of tumultuous social and political change in America. Like many women of her generation, she grew up with choices and opportunities unknown to her mother or grandmother. She charted her own course through unexplored terrain - responding to the changing times and her own internal compass - and became an emblem for some and a lightning rod for others.  Wife, mother, lawyer, advocate, and international icon, she has lived through America's great political wars, from Watergate to Whitewater. 

Hillary Rodham Clinton is the only First Lady to play a major role in shaping domestic legislation; she traveled tirelessly around the country to champion health care, expand economic and educational opportunity and promote the needs of children and families, and she criss-crossed the globe on behalf of women's right, human rights and democracy. She redefined the position of First Lady, and helped save the presidency from an unconstitutional, politically motivated impeachment.

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I found this book to be very inspiring and extremely interesting. Hillary Clinton has been on television for most of my life, in fact, I can't remember the time before Bill Clinton was President and Hillary lived in the White House.  I therefore conclude that I must have first become aware of politics and politicians during Bill Clintons Presidency. I always find it interesting to see the story behind the headlines so to speak and although I knew of Hillary Clinton as the First Lady I was unaware of what that role actually entails which is why I picked up this book. I was shocked to find that such an important and busy role, which is in many ways essential to a successful presidency, is actually done without salary. Even considering the perks of living at the White House I would have expected even a small salary to be given due to the work and commitment needed in the role.

The book focused on Hillary's life from birth right through to her run for a seat in the Sentate towards the end of her husbands Presidency. The stories were not just limited to what was reported in the news or public knowledge but the reader is given an intimate look into her life. The book discusses not only her career and political life but also her private life and marriage. Holding no punches she explains how she dealt with public life, raising her daughter while balancing not only her needs but also those of the United States and dealing with the aftermath of her husbands infidelity while all eyes were on her. 

It was well written and Clinton has a clear voice throughout. Her writing is humorous and friendly. The stories she mentions allow the reader to see the softer side of her character and to understand why she fights so strongly for the causes she supports. Personally I was not aware of her own career aspirations until I read this book. Before she became 'the wife of the President' Hillary had her own very successful law career.  When her husband became President she put this on hold in order to fulfil his dreams. However she kept busy and possibly changed the role of the First Lady forever. Hillary took an active role in the White House using her substantial legal knowledge to aid her in policy changes, foreign negotiations, the implementation of medicare reforms to name but a few. 

Overall it is a worthwhile read. It took me a while to work through but it was a rewarding read which I thoroughly enjoyed. I actually took some time away from it and read another book midway through which allowed me to come back to Living History with a renewed energy. I found this book an education into American politics. I knew very little about politics before I began but now find I am more aware of how it works and the steps involved, as the book explains the process in an accessible and simple way.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

This was a great book which I really enjoyed. Hillary Clinton writes in a friendly, open and down to earth manner and is not afraid to mention difficult moments in her life and marriage. I highly recommend this book. 

The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

An urgent cry for help brings Poirot to France. But he arrives too late to save his client, whose brutally stabbed body now lies face downwards in a shallow grave on a golf course. 

But why is the dead man wearing an overcoat that is too big for him? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse...

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I really wanted to enjoy this book. I love Poirot and have for many years therefore I sat down to this book expecting to love it as I have others. I was sadly disappointed. I'm not sure what it was about this book which didn't work for me but I really found it a chore to finish. 

I found the plot slow and the quite boring. While the characters were not very appealing. They lacked an energy and likeable qualities which meant I had very little interest in who was the killer or why the man was murdered. Poirot himself was written well and he still retained his elegance and unique style of doing things which was the main reason I continued to read on. Hastings really annoyed me through his strange actions and decisions in regards to a murder suspect. I found his character extremely unbelievable and quite silly. 

Although I disliked this book it doesn't put me off reading the next title in the series. As I mentioned above I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Poirot books before which leads me to believe that this book was simply not for me. In fact I am looking forward to picking up Poirot Investigates in the very near future.  

I rate this book 1 out of 5 stars. 

This book wasn't for me despite my usually love of Poirot. Although Poirot himself was written well, I found the supporting characters lacked depth and Hastings was simply annoying. However I still plan to read more Poirot titles in future based on my previous enjoyment of Christie's other books.