The Secret Lives of Color

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Let me start off by saying that I grew up in Miami, which means that I like colors. I may live in Pittsburgh, but I am not some drab Northerner who really loves a good monochromatic ensemble. Or anything approaching tastefullness. In fact, my exuberant use of color in clothing led my mother to beg me, upon getting my first grown-up job, to please please go to The Limited (RIP), and let the women there dress me.

So, as I said, I love color. Plus, I'm a nerd. The combination of these two facts makes this exactly the kind of book that will forever occupy a space on my shelves. It's full of fascinating facts, like the fact that cochineal red, which is used in the food coloring that gives red M&Ms their, well, red hue, is made from crushed bugs. I literally sent pictures of pages to my family's group text, finally prompting my middle sister to request that I never do that again because no one else cares. I have to listen to her recite Shakespeare every time my family plays Finish Lines, but apparently Indian yellow being made out of cow pee is uninteresting.

The Secret Lives of Color (because I have the American edition) tells the story of dozens (hundreds, maybe?) of colors in small vignettes. Some relate the chemical composition, or famous works of arts that use a color, or just how toxic a particular shade is and how many people died from using it (a theme that recurs with disturbing frequency). A chemical compound in kohl, for example, stimulates the production of antibiotic compounds by the eye, preventing eye infections. I was utterly unaware of this fact. Apparently, however, the ancient Egyptians were not, as everyone in ancient Egypt wore kohl as eyeliner, because it was believed to protect the eyes.

This is a book that you can pick up and put down at will, or pick pages at random to read. Or you can do as I did, which was to wait until I was a passenger in a car on a road trip to visit family for Thanksgiving, at which time I read passages aloud, to my husband's considerable horror and boredom.

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