Rating: 
Summary: Great Concept, Good Book
Review: Some of the other reviews for this book say that the executuin of this book was weak, but I disagree. For the "capitalizm", consumerist, corporate world it is lampooning it is exactly whqt it needs to be. Short Attention Span Theater in book form. The chapters are short and brisk without any fluff and get right to the point. It is also excellent satire on our consumer culture and where things seem to be going in this country. The only negative I would have to add is that in the end nothing really changes. Max Barry illustrates the problem weel, but has no solution.
Rating:
Summary: I liked Syrup better, but this was good.
Review: After reading Barry's other novel, Syrup, I was eager to read this one as well. At first I thought this wasn't going to be nearly as good. I didn't like the characters as much, and I had a hard time buying into the vision of the future that the book presented. Syrup had a lot of things that i found unbelievable as well, but it was funny enough that I was able to overlook them for the most part. This book didn't seem to have enough for me to overlook the things that bothered me about it. However, the action really picked up at the end, and I found myself much less bothered by the things that bothered me earlier in the book. After finishing it, the only thing that still really bugged me was the idea that Jennifer would leave her daughter with a near stranger who had been dangerously close to suicide the day before. Despite any problems I had with this book, I still really enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it, though I still don't think it was very believable. I also look forward to reading more from Barry in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Loyalty Wars
Review: This book is FUN! Max has had himself a great deal of fun in writing this and it just flows out of the page and into the reader. It's our world, but with the colour and commercialisation turned up - over the top but a logical extension of what we have now. It's full of clever lines and outrageous concepts, such as when Hack Nike goes to the police to complain about a contract murder and they, well, you'll have to read it for yourself. I got this book as a BookCrossing "Pay It Forward" act of kindness and it made my day. [Heck], it made my whole week, though I finished it quick smart and my wife promptly grabbed it to see for herself what I'd been chortling over and has been buried between the covers ever since, only emerging to chortle over some fresh line. This book has spawned a multiplayer online game run by the author, something entirely appropriate to the book's concept. Oh yeah. Look in your wallet. You've probably got some sort of customer reward card. Imagine that there are only two major programs and they are duking it out, all in the spirit of helthy capitalizt consumerist competition, of course...
Rating:
Summary: Fun Satire of Capitalizm [sic]
Review: Jennifer Government was a fun, light, satire of capitalism. It is very plot-driven, and as the novel unfolds you just have to smile at Barry's wry and dystopian view of the future. Privatized governments, frequent flyer programs causing major corporations to form two competing "teams" at war with one another, bar-code tatoos, and other details make the book a clever satire of what Barry calls "capitalizm." The book itself is organized in very short chapters (2-5 pages each, typically) and Max Barry's prose is a bit plain, but it gets the job done. As I said, the book is very plot-driven, and it moves quickly. The book will be easily adapted to become a big-time blockbuster movie, if it ever comes to that -- it's filled with the requisite shoot-outs, superficial dialogue, an cliche'd characters. But it's all in good fun. Overall, I'd recommend the book as a light summer read. I polished it off on a long plane ride, and it made the trip pass quickly & enjoyably.
Rating: 
Summary: Clever Concept but Weak Execution
Review: This is a clever idea but I found the execution quite weak and unsatisfying. Unfortunately, the author simply wrote a comic book in a very flat text format utterly devoid of style. The characters are paper thin and entirely plot driven, where ridiculous coincidences keep thrusting characters into each other's reach. The dialogue is usually flat and uninspired. The whole thing collapses into a very silly cartoon very early in the book. I also find it troubling how cavalier the brutal murder of children was treated in the book. Yes, it's a satire. But in an age where Columbines are real, some sense of epiphany and responsibility would have made the death of children other than entirely gratuitous.
Rating:
Summary: Dark, Satirical, Funny.
Review: I guess these words describe the writer, Max Barry (or Maxx, as he ironically called himself before, only to be shot down for it!) as well. The premise of this book is a world controlled by corporations. Everything is privatized, including the Government. People often take monikers describing who they work for (As per the books title). The book stars a cast of characters, each with different perspectives. From the corporate shill hired to kill a few people to hype a new pair of shoes, to a man who is mistaken for another person in the NRA, to the brilliant computer programmer who finds herself betrayed, to our books heroine, Jennifer. A dark, yet delightful look at what might happen if corporations ran the world.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty realistic, if you ask me
Review: In the not too distant future of Barry's novel, the world is dominated by large American corporations (Nike, McDonald's, and Exxon, to name a few), and employees adopt the last name of the companies they work for (e.g. Hack Nike, Billy NRA, Buy Mutsui). Taxes are illegal, only the rich use highway travel (the tolls are about eight bucks every 2 miles), the police and NRA are publicly traded security firms, and the US government will only investigate a crime if they can stick a citizen with the bill. Free market utopia. Hack Nike has found himself in a pickle- desperate to climb any kind of corporate ladder- he is presented with a contract by his bosses, John and John Nike. By signing it without reading it, he unwittingly agrees to knock off 10 people who buy the newest Nike shoe, thereby sparking public interest in their product. Hack's girlfriend advises he go to the police, which he does. However, the police merely gouge Hack's bank account and contract the NRA to handle the job. After Hayley McDonald is shot and killed at the mall, Jennifer Government is on the case! However, she'll have to bill Hayley's parents before continuing the investigation- how far she can probe depends on how deep the McDonald's pockets are. So much for justice. "Jennifer Government" is an incredible romp through Max Barry's twisted (yet possible) view of the near future. Each chapter is designated by the character it will discuss- which is helpful, as there are about 6 main characters to keep up with in this fast paced book. This is defenitely a fun read you can get through quickly. And, since the Advanced Reading Copy let the cat out of the bag that Steven Soderberg ("Traffic", "Erin Brokovich") and George Clooney's Section 8 Films have optioned the film rights, I can't wait to see who they cast as Jennifer. Keep your eyes peeled.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly amusing, rollicking good fun!
Review: Highly entertaining, and more than just a bit disturbing, "Jennifer Government" is Max Barry's frank look at our society's future existence. In Barry's vision, the world is ran by giant American corporations (all but the pathetic French, of course), taxes are illegal, the Police and NRA are killers for hire, and employees take the last name of the company they work for. In short, it's a paradise of free market greed! Hack Nike is a lowly merchandising officer with a penchant for not being the sharpest tool in the shed. Desperate to change his living circumstances, he blindly signs a promotional contract with shoe executives, John Nike and John Nike, unwittingly agreeing to do the unthinkable: kill ten people to boost sales of the hot, new Nike Mercury, a shoe going for $2,500! Paralyzed with fear, Hack decides to go to the Police, who are more than happy to take care of the problem-for a price. Unknown to Hack, the Police contract out the job to the NRA and this is where the story takes off! Enter Jennifer Government, a tough-talking Federal agent with a barcode tattoo, secret past, and vengeance to do what's right. She rabidly pursues Hack, determined to flush out the perpetrators, ultimately going after John Nike with zeal. Murder and mayhem follow Jennifer as she pursues John from the U.S.A., land of the Free Market, to London, Parliament, and places in between. No one is safe in John Nike's global free enterprise scheme! With a spectacular cast of major players such as Jennifer Government, John Nike, and Billy NRA one would expect minor characters to take a backseat. Not in this book! Buy Mitsui, Hack Nike, Claire Sears, and the unemployed rogue, Violet, all play integral parts in the tightly woven storyline, bringing an incredible depth and hilarity to the plot. Hospitals who won't take patients without a credit card, airlines that only allow certain "team" members to fly, schools backed by toy makers who promote their products in the classroom. It's a world gone monetarily mad! In a world where frequent buyer programs are the rage, your restaurant affiliation could mean your life, and the almighty advertising dollar is king, "Jennifer Government" paints a world that could be our bleak future-for a price-I'm sure.
Rating: 
Summary: jennifer govt review
Review: the premise is quite good, however the author doesn't follow through on the implications of corporations controlling the market place and acting like the government (and effectively displacing the role of the government in an alleged democracy as we know it). nor does he really explore the implications of paying the government to investigate and prosecute cases (the idea that all services are for sale, although the services to buy protection aren't as effective as those which can take a life). aside from those shortcomings which leave you feeling unsatisfied after finishing the book (in addition to the inconsistent character development), it's still a quick and entertaining read. when barry does make an attempt at character development he does do a good job.
Rating:
Summary: Dark, humoristic view of the evolution of corporations.
Review: I found this novel to be remarkably thrilling; it's a wonderful description of the world as it could be twenty or thirty years from now. It describes life when the corporation is the base unit of society, the Government is considered just another corporation, and corruption is inherent within. Throughout the book, the eerie reminders of modern-day corporate structures are shown, twisted and evolved. The book gripped my attention and did not let go until I had finished it; twists and turns abound, and there's no way to predict what'll be coming next -- except for a sense of dread. Wonderful read. I appreciated specifically a rather evil twist applied to a modern-day company's corporate slogan; while I don't say it here, it's easily recognized once found in the story line -- and it fits *beautifully* into everything. I have to wonder if the entire book wasn't crafted specifically as a vehicle for that one joke. I purchased it, hardback, and I'll probably donate it to my local library simply so that others can read it, too. If you've ever been interested in looking at what society, with corporations, will become, this is a viewpoint that I wouldn't miss.
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