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Object Lessons
Fake
Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
The electric candle and faux fur, coffee substitutes and meat analogues, Obama impersonators, prosthetics. Imitation this, false that. Humans have been replacing and improving upon the real thing for millennia – from wooden toes found on Egyptian mummies to the Luxor pyramid in Las Vegas. So why do people have such disdain for so-called “fakes”?
Kati Stevens's Fake discusses the strange history of imitations, as well as our ever-changing psychological and socioeconomic relationships with them. After all, fakes aren't going anywhere; they seem to be going everywhere.
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic .
The electric candle and faux fur, coffee substitutes and meat analogues, Obama impersonators, prosthetics. Imitation this, false that. Humans have been replacing and improving upon the real thing for millennia – from wooden toes found on Egyptian mummies to the Luxor pyramid in Las Vegas. So why do people have such disdain for so-called “fakes”?
Kati Stevens's Fake discusses the strange history of imitations, as well as our ever-changing psychological and socioeconomic relationships with them. After all, fakes aren't going anywhere; they seem to be going everywhere.
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic .
- GenresEssaysNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
Published September 20, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 24, 2019
Considering the scope of the subject, I'm really impressed by the ground this book covers. It doesn't profess to be exhaustive, but it does contain at least one example of artifice from every possible facet of human existence, from tangible objects to mere concepts.
This is the first I've read of the Object Lessons series (and this book has sparked an interest to read more), so I went in expecting a more academic tone. But the familiar and colloquial quality is well suited to the subject matter. Sterile, academic writing would feel artificial--we know the book was written by a human, and not some encyclopedic omniscience. And like all humans, Stevens has her own voice and opinions, her own life experiences (humorous examples of which include a certain younger sister). Imbuing the text with these qualities and personal stories allows her discussion of fakeness to feel refreshingly real, while maintaining objectivity and playing devil's advocate where it counts. Maybe all the books in the Object Lessons series are written with expressive authorial voices, but this particular book benefits greatly from it.
I see some reviews mention the omission of some modern subjects of artifice like "fake news" and the conspiracy theory concerning the moon landing. Sure, and what about the Flat Earth Society, or Holocaust deniers, or even those who claim that school shootings are elaborate productions organized by antigun lobbyists? The list goes on, and I can't help thinking that the time in this book is better spent on the subjects it does include. They provide us context in which to ponder these other subjects we may notice are "missing."
As Stevens points out, part of what makes us human is our capacity to create and contemplate "fake things." Attempting to list and discuss all prominent examples would turn this book into a Borgesian exercise in futility. What we have here is a well-written set of analytical lenses to carry with us as we go forth and encounter those examples for ourselves.
This is the first I've read of the Object Lessons series (and this book has sparked an interest to read more), so I went in expecting a more academic tone. But the familiar and colloquial quality is well suited to the subject matter. Sterile, academic writing would feel artificial--we know the book was written by a human, and not some encyclopedic omniscience. And like all humans, Stevens has her own voice and opinions, her own life experiences (humorous examples of which include a certain younger sister). Imbuing the text with these qualities and personal stories allows her discussion of fakeness to feel refreshingly real, while maintaining objectivity and playing devil's advocate where it counts. Maybe all the books in the Object Lessons series are written with expressive authorial voices, but this particular book benefits greatly from it.
I see some reviews mention the omission of some modern subjects of artifice like "fake news" and the conspiracy theory concerning the moon landing. Sure, and what about the Flat Earth Society, or Holocaust deniers, or even those who claim that school shootings are elaborate productions organized by antigun lobbyists? The list goes on, and I can't help thinking that the time in this book is better spent on the subjects it does include. They provide us context in which to ponder these other subjects we may notice are "missing."
As Stevens points out, part of what makes us human is our capacity to create and contemplate "fake things." Attempting to list and discuss all prominent examples would turn this book into a Borgesian exercise in futility. What we have here is a well-written set of analytical lenses to carry with us as we go forth and encounter those examples for ourselves.
December 13, 2023
Like so many other reviewers, I was highly intrigued by the concept but a bit disappointed by the execution... Honestly, even though it was short, it felt like it was too long - it rambled on a bit, like a speech or essay that ran over time. Stevens' writing is fine, if a bit rant-like at times. I understand how that happens - she clearly feels very strongly about the (I agree) mistaken conflation of fake/false/ersatz/etc., and those feelings come through loud and clear (and are, I think, important in that they offer an important perspective that is increasingly being lost in the laxity of language that seems to be sweeping the world). But those feelings occasionally left the reading less clear and straightforward than I expected - or than I found to be helpful. Frankly they lost me a bit, and a couple of times I almost put the book down and didn't pick it back up. I stuck with it though, because there are some moments of spot-on encapsulation of dangerous trends in language that are threatening spillover (I think) into the cultural and political zeitgeist. It was a worthwhile read and addition to popular cultural analysis, I just wish it had been a tad more evenly presented...
March 30, 2020
This might be a case of me wanting the book to be something it never intended on becoming. I was excited about the idea of the fake in modern culture but I just didn't care for the examples or the thrust of the book. Some things that seemed interesting to me were quickly glossed over and and other topics seemed to go on for pages. And the tone seemed to be jumping from formal to casual in quick succession. It then ended using pop culture television to make her points. This was not a bad book, it just did not connect with me at all.
October 23, 2018
Thoroughly delightful! Fake challenges us to rethink the myriad ways in which we apply (or misapply) this ubiquitous epithet. Equal parts entertaining and enlightening, Fake feels like a fun night out with your bestie from college, assuming you went to college with a bunch of witty brainiacs, who may or may not have tortured their younger sisters growing up.
May 7, 2018
Oh, how retro. This is a book that concerns the fake, and takes an age to put the word "news" after that. So while the rest of the world is declaring half the Internet to be entirely true, verifiable, and in agreement with what we want to believe, and the other half pernicious, untrustworthy, Russia-generated evil, these pages go back to concern themselves with other artificial, ersatz, improper things. Consider fur – fake fur only exists because real fur animals became so rare through hunting nobody could afford the real thing. But nowadays some fake fur can try and get away with having real fur in it – and through animal-friendly conscience, we turn our noses up at it and demand the real fake thing. Food can be fake – or can it? Us in the UK will remember Iceland and other supermarket chains selling burgers with horsemeat in them, that many would deride as fake. That's not true – they were burgers, and meat, all along. Having said that, in response to the very good chapter here about whether museums should dare deign to show reconstructions of their art and artefacts, I would posit that the London Bridge in America is a fake – it's been rebuilt since the idiot bought it, and it doesn't – nay, can't – have the same purpose as it used to do, to the extent it cannot convey people across water in LONDON. Fake cave artwork, artificial versions of priceless things, are real, but that, minus the context, is a fake bridge.
Still, once every two years I have to wonder if I am a fake – or at least a fraud. I used to have 20/20 vision and better, and still have 20/20 vision and better – but through glasses. In my ignorance, I am left to wonder if I am not seeing better than I ever did see, through artificial means. Is my visual sense's power defrauding my mind and others by unreal enhancement? You can enlarge that up to the subject here, of prosthetics, which never actually asks whether a man with a fake arm that can lift more weights than he could with his real arm is or is not a fake, but should do.
In fact the book does do a lot that I never expected it to – on at least two occasions it brings ecology into the argument, and posits a situation where we need the fake places that are all we're left with in such a way you feel like you're in a J G Ballard sci-fi. But it doesn't do what I expected. I am used to the netgalley proof of this series not telling us anything of the authors, and here, as the book devolves into a belated look at the post-modern body, the post-modern relationship etc, I take that to be her main professorial concern. But that science nous prevents her from ever mentioning the alleged fake, such as the Apollo programmes, all the while looking at bits of the actual crafts involved.
I've seen books in this series be wondrous and brilliant for giving us the unexpectedly readable about the unexpected subject. I've seen books in this series that needed pulping for their blatant attempt at getting into Pseud's Corner. This one does give us the readable, and the unexpected, but with less wonder. Still, I certainly don't regret reading it – and that's the real verdict. (Three and a half stars - artificially enhanced.)
Still, once every two years I have to wonder if I am a fake – or at least a fraud. I used to have 20/20 vision and better, and still have 20/20 vision and better – but through glasses. In my ignorance, I am left to wonder if I am not seeing better than I ever did see, through artificial means. Is my visual sense's power defrauding my mind and others by unreal enhancement? You can enlarge that up to the subject here, of prosthetics, which never actually asks whether a man with a fake arm that can lift more weights than he could with his real arm is or is not a fake, but should do.
In fact the book does do a lot that I never expected it to – on at least two occasions it brings ecology into the argument, and posits a situation where we need the fake places that are all we're left with in such a way you feel like you're in a J G Ballard sci-fi. But it doesn't do what I expected. I am used to the netgalley proof of this series not telling us anything of the authors, and here, as the book devolves into a belated look at the post-modern body, the post-modern relationship etc, I take that to be her main professorial concern. But that science nous prevents her from ever mentioning the alleged fake, such as the Apollo programmes, all the while looking at bits of the actual crafts involved.
I've seen books in this series be wondrous and brilliant for giving us the unexpectedly readable about the unexpected subject. I've seen books in this series that needed pulping for their blatant attempt at getting into Pseud's Corner. This one does give us the readable, and the unexpected, but with less wonder. Still, I certainly don't regret reading it – and that's the real verdict. (Three and a half stars - artificially enhanced.)
December 12, 2024
This is written by an American, pre-COVID, and has not aged well with time.
The writer is more an apologist for the case of capitalism. It may not be apparent at first, but the underlying argument of her narrative is supportive of the present status quo of consumerism.
It is not surprising that there is nothing reflecting anti-/colonial theory in here. It is more an author’s (American) view.
GMOs are exalted in the tone of ‘we’ve been modifying for years, what’s the harm?’. Overbreeding for the sake of false consumption (in a country notorious for its lack of environmental conservatism) is a harm.
She writes about museums as being benign - ‘where no malicious intent is present and no cancers result, I say we celebrate’.
Dear Kati - not all museums are equal , and yes having a museum displaying ‘faux’ Egyptian statues are not benign in nature. She writes of Baudrillard and narrows his work through his view on French Neolithic cave paintings. If you take Baudrillard’s views on museums- they are the very identity symbols of the (fake) power structure of western identity bestowed by themselves to create their notion of traditional superiority (your culture isn’t sophisticated enough to take care of these items, we’ll be the beneficiaries of humanity on your uncultured behalf). Or perhaps one can take a cursory look at a museum’s donors and then challenge her view - that, yes, a ‘faux’ Egyptian statue is not benign and noble - but underlines a capitalist and nefarious agenda beneath the veneer of it being for all ‘fun and good’.
I learnt some new things, but I feel her views are dated now and wouldn’t hold up to criticism in 2024.
The writer is more an apologist for the case of capitalism. It may not be apparent at first, but the underlying argument of her narrative is supportive of the present status quo of consumerism.
It is not surprising that there is nothing reflecting anti-/colonial theory in here. It is more an author’s (American) view.
GMOs are exalted in the tone of ‘we’ve been modifying for years, what’s the harm?’. Overbreeding for the sake of false consumption (in a country notorious for its lack of environmental conservatism) is a harm.
She writes about museums as being benign - ‘where no malicious intent is present and no cancers result, I say we celebrate’.
Dear Kati - not all museums are equal , and yes having a museum displaying ‘faux’ Egyptian statues are not benign in nature. She writes of Baudrillard and narrows his work through his view on French Neolithic cave paintings. If you take Baudrillard’s views on museums- they are the very identity symbols of the (fake) power structure of western identity bestowed by themselves to create their notion of traditional superiority (your culture isn’t sophisticated enough to take care of these items, we’ll be the beneficiaries of humanity on your uncultured behalf). Or perhaps one can take a cursory look at a museum’s donors and then challenge her view - that, yes, a ‘faux’ Egyptian statue is not benign and noble - but underlines a capitalist and nefarious agenda beneath the veneer of it being for all ‘fun and good’.
I learnt some new things, but I feel her views are dated now and wouldn’t hold up to criticism in 2024.
June 11, 2018
Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked how this book started off, historical context to George W. Bush's "Freedom Fries", and exploring the role of a painting vs. the artistic experience in what the museum provides. There were some interesting parallels to the Rolf Potts' book on souvenirs, also in this series.
Addressing whether a product that does what it says it will can be called "fake", i.e.. knockoff designer handbags, and as someone who reads a lot of healthy food writing, I enjoyed her analysis of so called fake foods, although I'm pretty sure I'll never eat an oreo again. I missed the controversy of a few years ago of "faux fur" being found to be real animal product, so I enjoyed reading about that.
However I feel as if it went on too long-as if she had some mandatory minimum word count that she needed to hit. She even admitted she was getting too long winded on some items. So perhaps it could have been a little tighter or shorter.
I really liked how this book started off, historical context to George W. Bush's "Freedom Fries", and exploring the role of a painting vs. the artistic experience in what the museum provides. There were some interesting parallels to the Rolf Potts' book on souvenirs, also in this series.
Addressing whether a product that does what it says it will can be called "fake", i.e.. knockoff designer handbags, and as someone who reads a lot of healthy food writing, I enjoyed her analysis of so called fake foods, although I'm pretty sure I'll never eat an oreo again. I missed the controversy of a few years ago of "faux fur" being found to be real animal product, so I enjoyed reading about that.
However I feel as if it went on too long-as if she had some mandatory minimum word count that she needed to hit. She even admitted she was getting too long winded on some items. So perhaps it could have been a little tighter or shorter.
June 24, 2018
I received an advanced reading copy from Bloomsbury Academic via NetGalley. Thanks!
This is the second of the Object Lessons series that I have read, and it cemented my feeling that I would like to read more of them. The series is comprised of short books that focus on “the hidden lives of ordinary things.” So far, my perception is that they present an unexpected viewpoint on things we think we know about already.
This particular entry in the series is about “fake” things, and ranges from architecture that is designed in an historic style, through prosthetics, sex dolls and fake news. Each chapter focused on one type of fake, and examined historic and current beliefs about that issue, along with the author's own thoughts.
I enjoyed each individual chapter, and felt as if the author's points were well-researched and argued; however I found the book less successful as an overarching discussion of fakery. To me, it felt as if each topic was selected because there was some element within that topic that was called “fake,” but that there was not a strong throughline between the chapters otherwise. And that lack of a stronger thematic connection left me slightly less satisfied with the book as a whole.
This is the second of the Object Lessons series that I have read, and it cemented my feeling that I would like to read more of them. The series is comprised of short books that focus on “the hidden lives of ordinary things.” So far, my perception is that they present an unexpected viewpoint on things we think we know about already.
This particular entry in the series is about “fake” things, and ranges from architecture that is designed in an historic style, through prosthetics, sex dolls and fake news. Each chapter focused on one type of fake, and examined historic and current beliefs about that issue, along with the author's own thoughts.
I enjoyed each individual chapter, and felt as if the author's points were well-researched and argued; however I found the book less successful as an overarching discussion of fakery. To me, it felt as if each topic was selected because there was some element within that topic that was called “fake,” but that there was not a strong throughline between the chapters otherwise. And that lack of a stronger thematic connection left me slightly less satisfied with the book as a whole.
August 10, 2024
Stevens shows that a little knowledge can go a long way if presented properly. For someone who doesn't seem to be familiar with much of the prior literature on this topic, she did well in exploring a variety of fakes and arguing that we shouldn't be quick to condemn fakes as something inherently bad.
I didn't get the feel that I was the target audience, more so this book was geared towards someone who's new to the concept and existence of fakes. I still enjoyed seeing how this author approached the topic and made use of her sources.
The book goes through a general discussion of fakes, then fake clothes and furs, fake foods, fake places, fake body parts, fake humans, fake love, and some closing comments on fakes.
I thought chapter 2 would mention that in Hebrew, clothing and deception share the same root word, but that either didn't make the cut or the author didn't know about it.
Maybe recommendable as a short fun read for someone new to the topic or for discussing in a book club.
I didn't get the feel that I was the target audience, more so this book was geared towards someone who's new to the concept and existence of fakes. I still enjoyed seeing how this author approached the topic and made use of her sources.
The book goes through a general discussion of fakes, then fake clothes and furs, fake foods, fake places, fake body parts, fake humans, fake love, and some closing comments on fakes.
I thought chapter 2 would mention that in Hebrew, clothing and deception share the same root word, but that either didn't make the cut or the author didn't know about it.
Maybe recommendable as a short fun read for someone new to the topic or for discussing in a book club.
August 5, 2019
Thought provoking. Philosophical. Has some funny writing. The chapter about sex was my favorite part and is responsible for that forth star. The convincing thesis is that “fake” should not be synonymous with “bad.” Fraud is bad.
What I learned: Teddy bears used to be made with animal fur. Faux fur is sometimes actually rabbit fur, it’s caused a scandal for Kohl’s. Grape-nuts were advertised as a cure for appendicitis. Identity is internal. Persona is external. Ovid wrote advice on how to fake an orgasm!
What I learned: Teddy bears used to be made with animal fur. Faux fur is sometimes actually rabbit fur, it’s caused a scandal for Kohl’s. Grape-nuts were advertised as a cure for appendicitis. Identity is internal. Persona is external. Ovid wrote advice on how to fake an orgasm!
October 2, 2018
This is the second book in this series i've read and I enjoyed it so much more than the first. The concept of what is fake and how we as humans can interact with it is an interesting point. Stevens' clearly and precisely Covers and discusses this and, the way she handles it is in a way everyone can understand it.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised by contents of this book and I genuinely feel smarter for having read it. The core of the book feels like a lesson in etymology but it’s the kind of lesson where the professor has your rapt attention and might end with someone standing on a desk. #agnosticblessed
June 25, 2022
While this book introduces interesting perspectives, it’s not well-written. It reads like a stream of consciousness and features several off-topic tangents (which the author addresses are her own bias opinions). Giving the book 2 stars because it did make me question some view points.
August 29, 2018
Free early reviewer book. An extended musing on the concept of “fakeness,” mostly taking the position that there’s nothing wrong with fake things that aren’t frauds. Replicas in museums, for example, don’t bother her; they serve conservation goals by allowing current publics to experience artifacts/fossils without letting the real things deteriorate. And body alteration is fine and just as real as anything else; she points out that “Baudrillard [with his criticism of the unreal] would be a terrible person for anyone with a prosthetic to encounter.” Prosthesis, Stevens contends, is “already humanoid. The prosthesis’s entire reason for being is to service the body ….” Contradictions are everywhere: “If man is made in the image of God … Man is the first cheap knockoff.” Stevens gets self-contradictory in arguing that virtual reality would seem as creepy as cloning if we hadn’t encountered it first as/in entertainment, even though (a) we encountered cloning there too, and (b) she then argues that clones and robots are scary because “we have met ourselves, and there is no reason to think anything made in our image would be better than us,” which doesn’t apply to virtual landscapes. Stevens also is a fan of sex workers and sex tosy: “by demanding nothing of the customer but legal tender, their so-called ‘inauthenticity’ allows the customer to be himself, to be authentic. He does not have to cyborg himself, try to trick the prostitute or phallus into fucking or loving him—he has paid with cash instead of his identity.” That seems to undervalue the role of power and the differences between using a sex toy and hiring a sex worker. Stevens doesn’t like faked orgasms, though; unlike other proxies for body parts or relationships, they aren’t honest about their limits/un-“real”ness. Fake orgasms are frauds. But she insists that, in the era of Trump, it’s important to remember that good v. bad, real v. fake, and what I like v. what I don’t like aren’t synonymous.
September 21, 2018
This is one of those books that is intriguing when you see it and has you anxious to start reading. However, this is also one of those books that doesn't meet the expectations you have for it. Brilliant concept, not so brilliant execution.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews