Communicating With Addresses — and Why Not Having an Address Is a Problem

Imagine trying to tell someone how to get to your home without using the name of your street, or for that matter, the names of any other nearby streets. That challenge makes you realize just how much we take for granted the words we use to tell someone our location. The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power examines the many different implications of street addresses, including the struggle to reckon with street names in post-Nazi Germany, the controversy over avenues named for Confederate generals, the vanity addresses available for a price in New York City, the implications of being unaddressed when applying for a job or bank loan, and much more. Written by Deirdre Mask, it’s a wide-ranging and enlightening read. This is part of a complete episode.