My Petition for More Space [Hardcover]

John Hersey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1974

"This book shills by its glimpse of a world grown so crowded that dissent is an inconceivable crime and acquiescence the law of survival. Feelings of hope and fear, desire, anger, frustration erupt sporadically, sparked by the friction of numbers. Call it tonight's disturbing dream or a coldly logical scenario of things to come, John Hersey's taut novel stings the mind."--from the dust cover(inside)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 178 pages
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; Book Club (BCE/BOMC) edition (1974)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000OPHF04
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,633,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an effectively claustrophobic work, May 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: My petition for more space (Hardcover)

My Petition for More Space is a quiet book that effectively conveys the results of overpopulation. Hersey's greatest accomplishment in this work is the amazing creation of a claustrophobic world in which people literally cannot get away from one another. With simple, strong language, Hersey portrays this world and its suffocating influence on everyone, as seen through the eyes of the troubled yet insightful narrator. For a novel that does not feature much action, Petition packs a lot of tension and drama. My chief complaint: the ending, though darkly witty, is a bit weak. Overall, this is a short, enjoyably taut work.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Waiting in lines, January 1, 2006

By 

Wayne Iba (Santa Barbara, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

The story takes place during the course of a day where the protagonist is standing in line to present a petition (for more space, naturally). The line is blocks long and four columns wide, and people are so tightly packed that one cannot turn and can see only the persons on either side (and the backs of the heads of those in front). The book chronicles this person's interactions with the people around him. The presentation of the petition is almost secondary to the relationships formed in line. It is not a great book but it is a quick read with some interesting insights into increasingly superficial relationships formed with neighbors of circumstance.

5.0 out of 5 stars "This is what makes authority so infuriating: It always hides its eyes", April 12, 2007

By 

Emma River "Emma" (USA) - See all my reviews

I started this book while in a waiting room for a dentist visit. It's a wonderful book that depicts the plight of the modern person and the frustration some of us feel.