Genre: Satire/ Feminist | Pages: 256
Star rating:
Intro of the book by N.K. Von Stade:
A childhood trauma leaves N. yearning for connection and vulnerable to the seductive but damaged Jeremy Sakhdvar, a young product liability attorney with a technology vendetta. Their one-sided relationship ends abruptly when Jeremy marries another woman and runs for elective office. Adrift but resilient, N. mines a series of seemingly random hookups for the raw materials she uses to reinvent herself. N. becomes a prominent lobbyist for the biomedicaltechnology industry and, years later, a top official with the Bureau of Biomedicaltechnology. Throwing herself into her new position, N. meddles in a plot by a group of antitechnology dissidents to suppress the Ə, a technology that purports to improve human connectedness. The dissidents blow the whistle, provoking an investigation by a U.S. senator and crusading presidential candidate named Jeremy Sakhdvar. Their confrontation pits the regulatory deep state against big tech in a battle to a draw, settles an old romantic score, and clears the way for the Ə to change the world forever.
My Review:
I received an ARC for the book "How the Ə Got Producted by N.K. Von Stade" and I dived right into it. A quick red and hysterical , I was hooked very quickly. Nancy definitely knows how to keep her engaged.
The storyline of this satire revolves around Ə and how the protagonist learns of it while she works at Bureau of Biomedicaltechnology. Discovering it on the header of a document she was reading titled “Information Advisory re: NPPD Concerning “Ə” Technology.” for the first time. If you're wondering what Ə is, let me clear the air for you. No one would have said it better than the way N.K von Stade writes in the book dialogued by one of her characters of course -"An atypical notional commodity the existence of which is the subject of fierce debate. ‘Product’ in the Biomedicaltechnology Product Act won’t tell you whether the Ə is a Product or a Non-Product."
The story is narrated by the protagonist and is shown from her point of view. While it dives into defining if Ə is a product or a non-product, what it must be named and the small wins that the lead achieves through this journey is put across in the most engaging was possible. While this could be the smallest summary, the quirks, the ups and down, the leads thought process is all put across so effectively.
Several scenarios like when her mind wanders away from a very important presentation to some sexual thoughts with Jeremy which would be so inappropriate for the situation, but just something that happens makes this book less serious than it sounds.
This book is really witty and thought-provoking in the most unconventional fashion. I truly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more of the authors work!
Look out for her book coming out in January 2021!
About the author:
N.K. von Stade grew up in New York City and currently lives in the Washington DC area with her daughter. She has worked as an attorney and a senior policy official at the United States Food and Drug Administration, a partner at a multinational law firm, and a solo practitioner. She has published in the areas of law and technology policy. How the Ə Got Producted is her second novel.