seven significant purchases
- In 1989, in a small-town mall, a middle-aged, middle-eastern man approaches a bookstore. He pauses in the entryway, takes a deep breath, and removes a bill from his pocket. He straightens his jacket and his spine. Then he walks directly to the counter, with great purpose, with the bill held forward, and says: “One Satanic Verses, please.” The woman he’s just cut in front of recognizes a Significant Purchase when she sees one; she steps back and watches.
