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

The Address Book explores the fascinating and little-known history of street addresses. It covers a wide range of locations and time periods, ranging from ancient Rome, 19^th-century London, and Gilded Age Manhattan to modern-day Florida, Japan, South Africa, and India. It talks about the reasons why street names and numbers were instituted in various places, the political factors that go into choosing a street name, and the subtle ways that addresses have affected all of our lives. In particular, the author focuses on how addresses can be used to either entrench racism and inequality, or help alleviate them.

I found this book to be eye-opening and thought-provoking! For example, there are many people throughout the world who don’t have street addresses: not just people experiencing homelessness, but people (including some in the U.S.) whose homes have never been assigned an address. This book describes the challenges that these unaddressed people face–including some you might not think of if you’ve never been in that situation—as well as the disadvantages that can come along with having an address for the first time.

If you’re interested in reading about inequality and some of the lesser-known work that’s being done to help dismantle it, or even if you just like obscure, quirky histories, I strongly recommend this book.