Rating: 
Summary: A Book to Read Again and Again
Review: It's hard sometimes to live a simple life surrounded by "affluenza" and its effects. So for me, the book "Affluenza" has been really helpful in reminding me what's important in my life - it's not the "stuff." It's my life that I value. It's not all that's advertised to make me hungry for what I don't want. It's remembering what I do want in my life, and prioritizing that above those tantalizing baubles that are offered over and over again to deplete my bank account - to put me in debt - to put me in slavery to my possessions.So, thank the authors for writing this important book that reminds me again and again who I am and why I have chosen to step back from all the glitter and acquisition. It reminds me why I work a 30 hour week, instead of a 40 hour week, and why I even hope to pare that down to a 25 hour week - so that the rest of my time can be spent on my life! I like it that "Affluenza" isn't preachy or grim. It's light and humorous. It's fast-paced, like a television program - only without commercials. It's stock full of information about how we got to this place where money and things outweigh time with our families and time volunteering to make our communities stronger. And it gives examples and ideas about how to move forward into a place where each of us can get out of debt, and shift our priorities to what we truly value in this life that we only get to live one time. David Horsey's cartoons are right on the money. They're witty and apt. The writing is visual and well-paced. Can you tell - I like this book! And it couldn't have come at a better time. A lot of us need to see its message. As for me, it's one of those books that I'll keep around to refer to when I feel particularly plagued by the lure of keeping up with any Joneses.
Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable, informative wake-up call.
Review: I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit, but I was saddened to see just how materialistic American society has become. The average American household carries over $7000 in credit card debt. My question is "What the HECK are they buying and WHY do they need itso badly that they would go into debt for it?" I was brought up to only buy things you need and can afford - what was everyone else teaching their children? Money doesn't buy happiness, but the average person doesn't seem to know that. Or, if they do, they don't know quite how to stop the rampant consumerism from ruling their lives. I didn't realize exactly how much of a burden our consumer society is on the planet until I read this book. The authors did a fabulous job of exposing the facts about our economic conditions while making the book entertaining at the same time. There's even a quiz to help you see how badly you are infected with the Affluenza bug. A great read, especially if you borrow it from the library!
Rating: 
Summary: A good start to a bad finish
Review: This book certainly opened some new ideas on what and where this world is heading with consumerism and egocentralism. It is true we are becoming a society of consumers and non-involved citizens falling into debt and this book tells it like it is to those who are not open to the facts. Overall, it is a good book but has some severe shortcomings. For one, the cliche'd eco-environmentalism here is sickening. I totally disagree with the author forcing non-nature lovers to believe nature is the cure for ALL society's ills. I am a consumer/citizen who does not live by the credit card and hang out in megamalls but nonetheless, I have other things that interest me more than shopping-IE: Family, Friends, Golf, Skiing, Playing Music, Model Railroading, Camping, Traveling, Spirituallity, Volunteer Work, and Computers. The latter chapters of this book is nothing short of leftist rant and rhetoric about the big evil corporations, the selfish Republicans, the environment and pollution. These chapters are moot and boring. Keep that in mind when you buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent philosophy, sometimes a little bit of a scold.
Review: This is a book that improves in quality as you read further. The latter half of the book seemed to earn more underlining and margin notes from me than the first; the first half appeared to hammer points too often and too heavily about consumerism, the need to restore nature lifestyles, etc. As the book continues, hard data is presented to reinforce the premise that our addiction to material consumption corresponds to increased clinical depression, environmental ruin, financial stress, and damage to intimate relationships. Conversely, research is presented to suggest that avoiding such traps correlates with increased happiness, improved family lives, and financial security. Okay, why buy this book if those points seem obvious? Well, the book does a GREAT job at showing how affluenza--the drive to buy more STUFF--is a behavior *deliberately* developed and encouraged by social and political interests that find benefits from such habits. It also penetrates the strategies used to discount those of us who question that tactic, such as creating fake "public science" foundations (organized by cloaked corporations) to feed propaganda about climate change, ecology, etc. to the public, disguised as independent research. That unveiling of information alone is worth the book! David Horsey's occasional cartoon illustrations hit the mark directly, as well. A good companion to this book might be Jerry Mander's "In The Absence of the Sacred."
Rating:
Summary: "Affluenza"- a book long overdue
Review: This very readable and sometimes-humorous book cuts right to the symptoms, causes and cures of a disease that wastes a lot of time, energy and money in this country, and is now spreading throughout the world.
It's surprising how many people don't realize that the stuff they consume has such radical effects on the environment, on community life, and even on personal health.
When 14% of a typical household's income goes just to pay interest on their debt, that's wasted money! As an anthropology major, I was especially interested in the chapter Dissatisfaction
Guaranteed, that explores the psychology of the disease. I love the book's cartoons, and its generally upbeat approach. The authors acknowledge the severity of Affluenza, yet they also offer proven remedies, with an emphasis on improving the real quality of our lives. In the book's final chapter, Healthy Again, they pose a challenge that each individual should ask himself/herself: "When your time comes, and your whole life flashes before you, will it hold your interest?"
Rating:
Summary: "Fast Food Nation" for the shop-'til-you-drop set
Review: Although it's been some months since I finished "Affluenza," the book has stayed with me (and hasn't at the same time: I've loaned it to many appreciative friends). One of its most significant effects was helping me achieve what no financial planning book before it had: for the first time in the decade since leaving college, I've completely paid off my credit card debt. How did "Affluenza" help me do that? Well, if you read "Fast Food Nation" and thought you'd never want another to eat another Quarter Pounder again, you'll be able to relate; what Schlosser does for McDonald's, De Graff and Co. do for the mall. In a clear, straightforward fashion, "Affluenza" looks at the paralyzing effects the fever to consume brings upon us and offers simple strategies to start curbing the disease at its core -- even if that's just by forcing you to ask yourself, "Do I really need this?" before your next purchase. Contrary to some of the reviews, I didn't find the book to be preachy or pedantic; actually, it was the book's common sense approach to the suffocating realities of our consumer society that made it so easy, in the months that followed finishing the book, to start spending sensibly, when at all. Armed with a new skepticism as to whether happiness was just one more swipe of the credit card away, I was able to put items back, turn deals down, and walk away with my money still in my pocket -- never once regretting the decision NOT to buy, in marked contrast to the many times I felt a hollow dread after dragging home another piece of crap to take its place atop the heap of crap bought before it (just like the book's cover). If you're a person for whom happiness is carrying a plethora of brightly-colored shopping bags to your car on a Saturday afternoon, this may not be the book for you. If, however, you've noticed that you're drowning in stuff but no closer to the shore of contentment, this book can inject a little sanity into our otherwise credit-crazy world. I'm not promising it will get you out of credit card debt -- but it just might attack your drive to spend at its roots and give you a little more breathing room -- which, for less than $13, is a bargain you just can't pass up, don't you think?
Rating:
Summary: Necessary book, but somewhat heavy handed
Review: Affluenza is a necessary book and a valuable introduction to some of the perils of our consumer driven capitalist society. They treat consumption as a disease and the books chapter looks at symptoms like "shopping fever", "rash of bankrupticies" and the "addictive virus". The book is very accessible and is designed, like the documentary its based on, for a very wide audience. Consumption is dangerous, deadening, and ultimately destructive for our society and the first half of the book details its dangerous effects. Their is a strong focus on environmental consequences, but they also detail how consumption is taught to our children and how it has become a spiritual drain on most Americans. The second portion of the book is a very brief discussion on causes of affluenza and how it grew in the roaring 20s, the prosperous 50s and became an epidemic under Reagan and then supported by formerly green democrats like Gore. This was helpful for me, but they could have gone into greater depth on the psychology of affluenza and for me income inequality deserved greater emphasis. A major blindspot was ignoring how the art of black Americans, a major barometer of the underclass, has gone from the church and socially critical messages of What's Going On to the consumption driven music of Jay Z, Puffy and much of current rap music. The last portion of the book quickly goes through cures for affluenza and while I found some of the suggestions beneficial on a personal level, the proposed cures seemed utopian and heavily biased towards Seattle quasi Utopian communities. I was left very unclear how an urban community in Washington, DC would apply some of the philosophies of this book on a local level. The tone of the authors is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, they right in readable prose and they intersperse the text with political cartoons for emphasis of points. I showed these to my grandmother and she found these hilarious. On the other hand, they often use a sledgehammer to drive home a point where a soft point will do. They will assume some of their conclusions at timew without fully backing them up. Here's an example [p153] "Remember how the communists were going to destroy the businesses in our town. They didn't, but dot communists might (led by DotComGuy, dot communism's answer to Che Gurevara). Consider your local bookstore. Can it fend off an Amazon? Where is Joe McCarthy now that we really need him? Where is the John Birch Society now that we need it?" Okay, I get your point we need more local business. But is this the best target and is this the best tone to promote dialogue? Ultimately if you want to get things done, you have to have a message that will build consensus between those that do not share your view. I can deal with attacking big business, but many of the dot coms blasted in this attack here are the same multimillionaires they praise later in the book for being more enlighted philanthropists than many of the past elites. I find the book's message helpful, but I will look for even more texts that allow me to convince the unconvinced and dig more deeply into this problem. 3.5 stars
good idea could have been better executed
Rating:
Summary: Eye Opening and Inspiring
Review: Affluenza is really an inspiring book. It makes you look at the emptiness of American over-consumption and find alternative solutions to finding a more fulfilling life. Thinking about the effects of overconsumption not only on the psyches of the American people, but also upon the environment, social policies and our future, this book advocates lifestyle changes that would be beneficial and set an excellent example for future generations. Buying your children every piece of plastic known to man won't make them happy. Neither will a closet full of Jimmy Choos make you happy. Spending time with your family, enjoying nature and helping people are much more rewarding and fulfilling. The authors of this book are right on the nose.
Rating:
Summary: A good start to a bad finish
Review: This book certainly opened some new ideas on what and where this world is heading with consumerism and the "me generation". It is true we are becoming a society of consumers and non-involved citizens falling into debt and this book tells it like it is to those who are not open to the facts. The bottom line here is the author does not emphasize is lack of financial responsibility, overspending, and impulsiveness. He makes no suggestions about learning skills, hobbies or spirituality. The book pushes Environazism and villianizes America. Big Government is not always the answer! Overall, it is a good book but has some severe shortcomings. For one, the cliche'd eco-environmentalism here is sickening. I totally disagree with the author forcing non-nature lovers to believe nature is the cure for ALL society's ills. He rants about SUV's, ATV's, Motor Boats, and anything related to internal combustion engines...(smells like a dirty hippie commune leader to me!) I am a consumer/citizen who does not live by the credit card, show off in a luxury SUV, supersize everything, or hang out in megamalls but nonetheless, I have other things that interest me more than tree-hugging-IE: Family, Friends, Golf, Skiing, Playing Music, Model Railroading, Camping, Traveling, Spirituallity, Volunteer Work, and Computers. I am almost never in the stores except here at Amazon. The latter chapters of this book is nothing short of leftist rant and rhetoric about internal combustion engines, American dieting, the big evil corporations, the selfish Republicans, the environment and pollution. These chapters are moot, redundant and boring. Keep that in mind when you buy this book. I had read 2/3rds of it.
Rating: 
Summary: By now you've heard it all before...
Review: If you are the type of person who can pretty much define "Affluenza" just by reading the title of this book then skip it, there is no new information here for you. If you had no idea that overconsumption has negative side effects, that your SUV is a resource hog, and you can't seem to understand why everyone does not consider a 60 hour work week absolutely normal you might want to check this out. (But if you are happy with your status quo, again, skip this book -- it is after all a free country no matter what the authors of this book seem to think.) This review is probably harsh as I have not seen the corresponding TV feature which appears to be much better than the book. I read it already having a general support for the book's philosophy (and still do), but could not help feeling preached at, and ridiculed for having any positive feelings for the capitalist system which apparently enslaves us. There is an extreme lack of historical perspective and disregard for human nature (the acual psychology of WHY we have gotten ourselves into this situation). Which is also why I felt like this book was long on complaining but short on actual solutions (kind of like this review). One last (and much more positive) note, the website for Affluenza is great, much more informational than the book solution-wise. And some of the publications the book and website refer you to are actually much better then the book itself (re: AdBusters, as one example).
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