This is just a fun book to read. It’s smart, with a good blend of action and dialog, and a quick read. I read this book once before after picking it up from the Barnes & Noble staff recommendations section, and now I’m reading Orwell’s 1984 as a comparison to Jennifer Govt.‘s business-centric society. I’m not too far into it, but already there are strong parallels.

Ironically enough, a scene from Jennifer Government took place in real life recently. Early in the book, Nike intentionally limits the number of shoes produced in order to generate demand. The demand is high enough to drive the price skyward and people to mug owners to steal the footwear, further creating interest in the items. So when a local store is rumored to have a number of the shoes, a throng of rabid customers surrounds the Nike store, leading to mayhem. Just such a scene broke out in New York last week [Story from NY Post]. For more business satire, I suggest Max Barry’s other book Syrup also.