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A review by jdscott50
Sticker by Henry Hoke
funny
informative
sad
fast-paced
5.0
"I was thinking about all the rubbish, the flopping plastic in the branches, the shoreline of odd stuff caught along the fencing, and I half-closed my eyes and imagined this was the spot where everything I'd ever lost since my childhood had washed up..."
Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go
Objects can hold great personal power. It could be a toy from your childhood, your first, car, for Henry Hoke it is stickers. As our personal artifacts become increasingly digital, the power of small objects can tell the story of a life. In Henry Hoke's book, Sticker, he uses a series of stickers to detail his life and the community of Charlottesville, Virginia leading up to the deadly Unite The Right Rally in 2017.
Growing up in Virginia can make you unaware of the dark history within. This can be represented in how local holidays are celebrated. Lee-Jackson-King Day was celebrated (Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson, both Confederate War Generals celebrated on the same day as Martin Luther King Day from 1984 to 2000) instead of Martin Luther King Day. Hoke blends this local history and symbolism with his own. Hoke focuses on objects from his childhood. A constellation on the ceiling of his room or an anarchy sticker during a rebellious phase. Finally the Charlottesville sticker, a C-HEART-Ville to commemorate the community's resistance to the deadly White Suppremicist rally that led to violent clashes and death on August 12, 2017.
Each chapter focuses on a sticker with a story that follows, much like a writer's prompt. I liked this technique. It makes the experience very visceral. Some aspects felt very nostalgic for me (video stories, music choices, etc.) It is a very moving series of essays that are inspired by very small objects. Objects like these can carry powerful symbols both for evil and for good.
Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go
Objects can hold great personal power. It could be a toy from your childhood, your first, car, for Henry Hoke it is stickers. As our personal artifacts become increasingly digital, the power of small objects can tell the story of a life. In Henry Hoke's book, Sticker, he uses a series of stickers to detail his life and the community of Charlottesville, Virginia leading up to the deadly Unite The Right Rally in 2017.
Growing up in Virginia can make you unaware of the dark history within. This can be represented in how local holidays are celebrated. Lee-Jackson-King Day was celebrated (Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson, both Confederate War Generals celebrated on the same day as Martin Luther King Day from 1984 to 2000) instead of Martin Luther King Day. Hoke blends this local history and symbolism with his own. Hoke focuses on objects from his childhood. A constellation on the ceiling of his room or an anarchy sticker during a rebellious phase. Finally the Charlottesville sticker, a C-HEART-Ville to commemorate the community's resistance to the deadly White Suppremicist rally that led to violent clashes and death on August 12, 2017.
Each chapter focuses on a sticker with a story that follows, much like a writer's prompt. I liked this technique. It makes the experience very visceral. Some aspects felt very nostalgic for me (video stories, music choices, etc.) It is a very moving series of essays that are inspired by very small objects. Objects like these can carry powerful symbols both for evil and for good.