Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need by Juliet B. Schor ISBN: 0-06-097758-2 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.79 (47 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A perspective on Consumerism
Comment: The statistical data presented in this book may now be outdated but it still is very insightful as it is. While there is personal accountability, many people may neither be quite aware nor they have realized the reasons why they are in debt very consciously. Some people lack financial goals or money management skills (even if they are considered high salary earners) fueled by lack of values and especially the seductions and 'pressures' to acquire more - that is to keep up, to give or please, to show, to belong, to be seen as.
This may not be the first book written about frugality, I believe that this is a good read. It could make a person more aware of what consumerism is for. I suspect the reason why some readers weren't so pleased with this book was because it is more of 'whats and whys' written in an academic context ( a thesis) with so many lists of bibliography, notes and works cited that maybe others found irrelevant. But we need to understand the whys and whats in order to do the now what and how to...practically.
In terms of downshifting that is earning less and working less or leaving a 9-to-5 job, it may not be possible for others to do. The truth is its not for everyone. A reviewer said that downshifters look suspicious to him or her, well, I could understand the point too since there are many dishonest people everywhere and there will always be. Nonetheless, there are people who have done it with honesty and dignity.
I am merely a student of frugality and I have readt few books about the subject. For people who are interested about the idea of downshifting, I would like to recommend the book below:
"How to Survive Without a Salary: Learning how to live The Conserver Lifestyle" by Charles Long. Reviewers of this book seemed to be very pleased with the way it was written, including myself.
Rating: 1
Summary: Disappointed..thank goodness for the library
Comment: Let's be frank: what this book describes is a real problem in America--rampant consumerism. However, after this point is beaten like the dead horse it is, the author degrades into slamming "polluting, congestion-oriented, etc." sport-utility vehicles and encouraging us to join some "downshifting" clubs. These clubs sound suspiciously like hippie communes. I should have expected more from a professor. But the rants go on and on, so my interest dwindled. Also, don't be fooled about the page count; almost 1/3 of the pages are references.
If you want a good book about consumer habits, read "The millionare next door."
Rating: 2
Summary: Didn't leave an impact
Comment: I didn't feel like a learned a whole lot from this book. There were a lot of criticisms, but few solutions that people could actually put into use. On a side note, I was very annoyed by how Schor kept referring to air conditioning as a "luxury item." No one would refer to heating fuel as a luxury.
 |
Title: Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John De Graaf, David Wann, Thomas H. Naylor, David Horsey, Scott Simon, John de Graaf ISBN: 1576751996 Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Pub Pub. Date: August, 2002 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
 |
Title: Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure by Juliet B. Schor ISBN: 046505434X Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: February, 1993 List Price(USD): $16.50 |
 |
Title: Credit Card Nation: The Consequences of America's Addiction to Credit by Robert D. Manning ISBN: 0465043674 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 24 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
 |
Title: Do Americans Shop Too Much? by Juliet Schor, Joshua Cohen, Joel Rogers ISBN: 080700443X Publisher: Beacon Press Pub. Date: 24 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
 |
Title: The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers Are Going Broke by Elizabeth Warren, Amelia Warren Tyagi ISBN: 0465090826 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 02 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
