The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power

Street addresses were not invented to help you find your way; they were created to find you. Addresses arose out of a project to name and number the streets, but they are also a way for people to be identified and tracked by those in power. Popularized in the 18-century to tax subjects and draft them into the military, addresses can reveal race and class causing them to be shorthand for snobbery or discrimination. The flipside of having an address is not having one, learn what that means for millions of people today, including those who live in the slums of Kolkata, on the streets of London, or in post-earthquake Haiti. With fascinating people and histories, The Address Book illuminates the complex and sometimes hidden stories behind street names and their power to name, hide, decide who counts, who doesn’t—and why.

(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)