I love Chip Kidd, his book designs are ground breaking, and he's just general an awesome seeming person. So, I was pretty jazzed to read his fiction. It's an interesting little story too, filled with design nerdery plus this look into the darker areas of human experience by way of the famous Milgram obedience experiments. I enjoyed the read, but at the end I can't help but feel it was maybe a bit lacking in some areas. Not quite fully fleshed out perhaps. Still, I hope Kidd keeps at it. ( )

I loved this book, as I loved The Cheese Monkeys. I thought it was perfect. His books are not like other books. I also spend a lot of time thinking about the Millgram experiments and what I would do, so you might say this book was written for me. I can't wait for the next sequel. . . I want the main character to come out, stop pining after these older men, and find a nice boyfriend. Maybe Himillsy's brother? ( )

I was enticed to read this by a granddaughter's summer reading list from her school, which in the category Visual Arts • Fiction, listed [Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters] by Chip Kidd. It happened that I'd acquired a book titled [The Learners] by the same Chip Kidd at a library sale a couple of years ago. The author's name—unknown to me at the time—prompted me to pull the book. A look at the front and back (there was no jacket) made me think, "Oh, this could be fun!" and drop it in my tote. Seeing Kidd's name on the reading list reminded me that I had a book by him languishing in the stacks. I retrieved it and googled Kidd.

Yumpin' yiminy, Kidd's not only a native of Shillington, PA, the birth home of John Updike, but is primarily a graphic designer, creating countless book and jacket designs (several Updike books included). No wonder the cover of [The Learners] got my attention.

This digressive intro led me into a tale of a fledgling graphic designer, nicknamed Happy, fresh out of college, who seeks employment at a small ad agency in New Haven (think Yale) exactly because it was the agency that first employed the design professor who most influenced him. He's actually hired and begins learning real-life graphic design know-how (some of which he records in his story). One ad he lays out—all type, destined for the local newspaper—solicits participants in a study of "memory and learning".

As the story progresses, Happy reconnects with a college friend, someone he lost touch with when she dropped out of school. He's shocked to learn that she died within days of their reconnection, an apparent suicide. When he gets a cryptic letter from her, he's disbelieving, puzzled, and suspicious. He has reason to believe she participated in the "study" and that the experience led to her death. As he works through this, we get to know more about the ad agency, the creative and not-so-creative types who do the work, and most importantly about that "study". If you didn't already know, you'll learn from the author's note at the end that "all details regarding Professor Stanley Milgram's 1961 'obedience' experiments are historically accurate (including all of the language in the recruitment ad)."

Though I started the read as a kind of lark, I think it paid off. Not perfect in every regard, [The Learners] both entertained and informed me. I give it a thumb up.

Oh, what to write about this book? First of all, I did enjoy reading it, although I'm not sure that "enjoy" is the correct word. I was caught up in Happy's story from the beginning. I know that this novel is the sequel to The Cheese Monkeys which I read so long ago that I remember nothing of its story at all, but I do remember not liking it that much. However, this book was different. I would describe it as captivating.

It is the story of a new college graduate who is intent on working for an advertising agency in which a former college professor of his had been employed. By luck, he does land a job there with some very colorful characters which the reader gets to know throughout the story.

Happy is a bittersweet name for the protagonist who gets caught up in many dark moments, including a reunion with a former classmate, an experiment which affected both of their lives, and an embarrassing moment when Happy tried to reveal his idea for a new ad to an important prospective client.

This book fooled around a bit with type which I loved, but it also had "intermissions" which I could not quite figure out so I skipped their relevance to the story. I also am not sure if I understood the ending. I'd love to hear how others interpret what happened at that time. By that, I mean the "ultimate" outcome. ( )

Not as funny as Cheese Monkeys but still really good. This one was a little dark. ( )