We help you get
closer to your customers.

What Alan Is Reading and Why You Should Care

Let’s take the latter, first. You should care what I’m reading because my viewpoints represent all the good that is inside you.
Ha, just kidding. You should only care about what I’m reading if you’re a fan of closerlook’s blog and think to yourself, “Do these people read anything aside from websites? I have to know!”

Alright, enough chit chat. Let’s get down to the books.

First up is Feed by M.T. Anderson. The setting for this satire is a future world where television and computers are connected directly into people’s brains (The Feed) when they are babies. The result is a society where kids are driven by fashion and shopping and the avid pursuit of entertainment—their feed drives them to want and buy the next best thing before the last best thing is even used, worn, or seen.

Aside from the concept, this book is enjoyable because of the teen language it captures: it will make you fear for the future, wince every time you hear yourself say “like”, or if you’re a parent of teenagers, you might just take it in stride…but I doubt it.

If you’re a marketer like we are, this book might give you pause…or inspire you to set up your own feed in someone’s head…that’s not a recommendation, it’s just a supposition.

Next up, is When The Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holthe. Philippine Islands. WWII. The “elephants” (U.S.A and Japan) are “dancing” (fighting) over control of the islands and the Filipino people are feeling the effects. In this novel, a group of Filipinos has been living/hiding in a basement for two years to avoid contact with the Japanese army who have killed many of their town’s people. Struggling for their lives, the Filipinos in this story are experiencing physical and emotional starvation. They use their stories and memories to get through the days, which help readers understand the characters’ personal histories and plights, as well as those of the Filipino people as a whole. Not uplifting stuff, but well-executed. It gave me insight into a part of history I had not previously considered.

That’s it for now.