Refrigerator

Object Lessons

by Jonathan Rees

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

It may be responsible for a greater improvement in human diet and longevity than any other technology of the last two thousand years-but have you ever thought seriously about your refrigerator? That box humming in the background displays more than you might expect, even who you are and the society in which you live. Jonathan Rees examines the past, present, and future of the household refrigerator with the aim of preventing its users from ever taking it for granted again. No mere container for cold Cokes and celery stalks, the refrigerator acts as a mirror-and what it reflects is chilling indeed.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Genres: Nonfiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2015

Reviews

[Fallon Chiasson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thus far, this has been my favorite of the Object Lessons series. Though it is least experimental of those I have read and contains no narrative nor first person perspectives, Rees manages to make learning about the refrigerator entertaining.

"Refrigerator" fulfills Object Lessons's mission to explore the life of every day items. The most interesting perspective I gained from "Refrigerator" was the refrigerator as a symbol for economic status. "Refrigerator" also discusses the American use of a refrigerator versus its use in other countries, from size to content to its holding as a want versus a need.

As one might think, "Refrigerator" delineates the true life changing effect refrigerators had on entire households, but most notably the head women of the household. The technological advances that the refrigerator has experienced since it birth increased the expendable time for the head woman of the household at the same rate. More shockingly, however, is the current change in refrigerators--app compatible, front panels that integrate into the decor of the kitchen, and other features that are beginning to change from necessities to luxuries to unnecessary.

This book earned a rating of 5 from me because of the flow of Rees' writing. Without this characteristic, this book could easily become a bore. However, Rees' abilities turns this installment in Object Lessons into a quick, entertaining and informative read.

[Nikki Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is part of a series called Object Lessons - which is a series about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

This one was about the Refrigerator, sharing its past, present and future and a great reminder that we should never take such an appliance for granted.

I loved the history that was shared about what life was like before the electrical refrigerator was invented - I could never imagine being a house wife and waiting for the iceman to arrive for the day with large blocks of ice to put in the Ice Box that was in the home, which kept everything cool and fresh, things wouldn’t last very long without this delivery and some days he wouldn’t even show up and food would soon spoil.

The refrigerator as we know it has only been around for the last 100 years and realistically nothing in terms of what it is actually meant to do for us (in keeping our food cool, fresh and frozen) has really changed, but to keep such an appliance fresh and “up-to-date” it’s all the additions and technology that’s been added, that keeps consumers buying, otherwise in reality, we wouldn’t update them nearly as often without all these things - I looks at my fridge with its water dispenser, auto re-fill jug, beverage station and auto-ice filling dispenser, I wonder what will be the next design that will catch my eye and encourage me to update?

I will say, I did like the idea of the fridge having a camera inside and coming up with recipes for you, with what you already had inside - I would definitely be down for that 😂

Seeing some of the old advertisements as-well were pretty cool and funny - you wouldn’t get away with those types of slogans in our current world.

These are such quick easy reads - not much more than 100 pages and the next one I will be picking up is about the Pencil.

[Asymptotality · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick, informative, and engaging read about the 'hidden' history of refrigeration. I've read a few books in the Object Lessons series and they're always filled with a huge range of ideas and information about everyday objects that I never would have thought about.