Place Hacking: Venturing Off Limits

Gr 5–8—In this attractive addition, Rosen delves into the concept of place hacking, or the exploration of spaces that are off-limits. Vivid photographs throughout take readers to obscure locations: an abandoned prison in Pennsylvania, the catacombs of Paris, and the sewers of Russia. Rosen explains the subject in accessible language that will hook even reluctant readers. He acknowledges that this activity is often dangerous, even illegal (methods of "urban infiltration" covered include bolt cutting and lock picking), and in an author's note he makes it clear that this book is not a how-to guide. However, Rosen states that the risks may be worth it for these adventurers. An appended interview with archaeologist Bradley Garrett adds a philosophical layer to the subject, as he emphasizes that the desire to explore is a deep-seated, primal urge that makes us human. Garrett touches, too, upon the ethics of place hacking: "It's about making difficult decisions about rules: Are they there for sound reasons or for reasons that don't—or no longer—make sense?"