Customer Reviews

My Petition for More Space

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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.

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.

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.

in fictional form. This is what the world will be like when it is all filled up. Here are Hersey's statements about over population problems, as they were debated in the 1970's.