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Code Name Ginger
by Steve Kemper

One of the best books I've ever read. Why? You'd better just read along and find out! A full five stars out of five. This review was originally done as an English assignment.

Review

Code Name Ginger by Steve Kemper is an exceptional book about the creation of the Segway Human Transporter, the “single most over-hyped thing in the history of the universe,” as Jeff Bezos once put it. Written by the only journalist given full access to the project, it documents every little meeting, conversation, argument, and catastrophe throughout the creation of such a fantastic device. Kemper captures the amazing loose, unstructured feel of the project, right along-side the incredibly tense times when everything seemed to be falling apart. This book captures the feelings and opinions of every team member, as well some actual technical information about the evolution of the Segway itself. Perhaps most entertaining of all, however, is Kemper’s assortment of flashbacks to Kamen’s amazing youth and most crazy ideas.

This book is an excellent read for anyone remotely interested in engineering, business, technology, investing, or the process behind an incredible invention. In fact, it would be an excellent read for just about anyone! It shows what an extraordinary back-story a seemingly gimmicky creation can have. This book most definitely deserves a full five stars out of five.

Summary

Code Name Ginger by Steve Kemper documents the incredible true story of the Segway Human Transporter. It starts off as the author is invited to a top-secret operation in Manchester, New Hampshire, where Dean Kamen and his company DEKA had been working on what they called “Ginger.” Ginger was a self-balancing electric scooter that was nearly impossible to tip over. It was to be a transportation revolution. However, the road to that revolution would not be easy. Along the way, there would be countless technical bugs, all-nighters, and bickering investors. However, none of those problems would compare with a day that nearly wiped this project from the face of the future.

On January 9th, 2001, an article on the web site Inside.com leaked that a group involving some of the biggest names in technology was working on a top-secret invention that would change the world. That one small event set off a colossal media frenzy. While most inventors would be thrilled at such publicity, Dean Kamen was mortified – as were the equally paranoid investors. This book’s conclusion shows every tiny piece of that incredible shake-up that would change this monumental project forever.