Alice Bennett

Alarm, by Alice Bennett, is another excellent addition to the Object Lessons series, exploring alarms from a personal level through to a societal level.

I enjoy this series very much. That isn't to say I find every volume to my liking or that I agree with some of the more abstract analyses (though I find myself agreeing with most and feeling like I gained a new perspective from the others). I really don't understand why so many readers want to play gatekeeper about what should or should not be considered an object for the purpose of this series. The broad definition used is not hard to grasp if one wants to, but many seem to want to complain because, well, I guess that is just what they enjoy. If you can think beyond third grade ideas of what an object is, this series will appeal to you.

I found Alarm to be one of the volumes that took something we all know to some degree and expanded both what qualifies and what different alarms might mean to different people. I probably didn't, and probably won't going forward, think of all of the examples as alarms, at least not as an initial thought. But as presented they do all qualify, which gave me new perspective on function and reception of these examples.

I would recommend this to readers who like to think about everyday things in new ways. From snooze buttons to ancient literature, there is something for everyone.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mehr)