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Summary: Affluenza
Review: Affluenza is a book of great wisdom, vision, and hope. Most of all, its a book about revolution, a revolution in the way we think and the way we live, a revolution of freedom and meaning and happiness so powerful it could transform the planet. It is, in short, one of the most important books you will ever read. With a storehouse of humor and astounding evidence, John de Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor have pulled off the most extraordinary feat since the Industrial Revolution began over two hundred years ago. In tracing the sociological history of commercialism, they have managed to give us back the freedom and happiness lost in the onslaught. We live and die for our paychecks, despartate to accumulate More, dying to keep up with The Joneses. Like mice in the lab, we run the treadmill as if it were our fate. As if we had no choice. As if we were trapped. But we're not. Each and everyone one of us is as free as we want to be... if we will only sit still long enough to claim it. We live the way we do not because we are bad or wrong or foolish... but because we are great and strong and noble, because every single one of us needs joy and meaning and purpose in our life. Now there's a better way to find it. Affluenza is, in sum, a guidebook, leading in the revolution to happiness. As Gandhi once wrote, "We must BE the change we wish to see in the world." It's up to each of us. Read this book!
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Summary: Right on Target at the Right Time
Review: I finished this book just prior to 9/11. I thought the subject was about as on target regarding where we are in America (and where we should be heading) as one could get. Then after the terriorist attacks, I thought how timely the book is when we in America are now examining our values and what is really important in light of the tragedy. The difference is before I was pessimistic we could even begin to move away from affluenza, but afterward I felt perhaps this country could, indeed, see that a simpler, less materialistic lifestyle fits very well with patriotism and standing together against our enemies. The book presents us with a practical approach to curing affluenza and backs it up with more than enough statistics and recommendations. I am far from a "tree hugger," but I think the authors are onto something at exactly the right time.
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Summary: See the movie instead.
Review: Though based on a wonderful and popular PBS documentary, the book lacks much of the appeal. If you know anything about the topic or the general theme of the book, then you'll probably feel like you've read it already. Follow the book's advice and save your money.
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Summary: Lots of stats, but little direction
Review: This book builds a case for identifying a new disease, "affluenza", that is apparently sickening American society. The authors cite symptom after symptom of the disease, supported by innumerable facts, which are well-footnoted and indexed. The book is divided into 3 sections: symptoms, causes, and treatment. However, most of the text is actually devoted to describing the problem, and even the treatment section is filled with more facts and very few concrete suggestions for solutions to the problem. As a springboard for discussions, this book with all its facts could be quite interesting. But the endless list of statistics can make the prose rather tiresome if read straight through.
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Summary: Great book on the all-consuming epidemic
Review: Is having things or having a large, nice home or owning a new car more important that spending time with your family? I don't think so. Having lots of stuff or working 41-60+ hours will not make me any happier in the long run. I liked the survey the book had and how the book was laid out. It was interesting to read how the author related affluenza to a disease. I liked the small cartoon stips and reading the facts throughout the book.
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Summary: Mr. President, Have you Read This Book?
Review: Sure, I've heard about the disappearing rainforests and the many species of animals and plants becoming endangered or extinct, but that doesn't really have anything to do with me, I live in America, the most affluent country in the history of the world. Yes, there are some problems with industrial pollution and other environmental issues but not in my community and besides that's the concern of all those 'environmentalists.' I can go to the mall to buy anything I want as long as I have a credit card, and life is good. Not so fast! It's time to stop and think about what is really happening to us. How many Americans are working in jobs that don't energize them? How many spend hours every week shopping and commuting, but only minutes with their kids or their friends? How many feel 'used up' by a glitzy, gaudy American Dream? The book Affluenza is common ground for many victims who toss and turn, trying to wake up from a value system in which people are too often treated like machines, and machines are too often treated like people. If a million Americans read this book, we may have a shot at moving beyond the short-term illusion many call 'success.' The book offers welcome news that the Joneses have surrendered! Standing on their front porch, they plead, 'Please don't try to keep up with us anymore!' What a concept - that we might be able to cooperate with and support the Joneses, rather than compete with them... Do we have a good thing going, or a good thing going bad? The fact is, beating affluenza is not about 'giving up' the good life, but getting it back. The strength of this book is that it successfully presents critical information on the anthropology and psychology of America without stripping the reader of hope. Yes, affluenza undermines our personal health, our family life, our communities, and our environment, but the authors offer us a way out. Affluenza has a three-step strategy: to present the symptoms of a disease that often feels deceptively pleasant, like an addiction; to trace the epidemic back to its historical sources; and then to offer dozens of concrete ways to Beat the Bug. The strategy works! The humor, the great satirical cartoons, and the well-researched presentation helped open my mind up and evaluate what's important for me individually, and also what needs to be done throughout our society. This is a great book for book clubs, church discussion groups, high school and college classrooms. Get it, read it, and tell your friends about it!
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Summary: I'm amazed that I liked it!
Review: I'm a financial analyst with an MBA and I am what I guess would be considered a member of the upper class (you know, those top 10% of society who make more money than the rest combined, who benefit more than everyone else from tax cuts and so on). Needless to say, I had to put my tolerance cap on to get through this book. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book. It genuinely made me think and made me appreciate the more simple things in life again (like life itself) versus constantly focusing on financial advancement. I'm even thinking about quitting my job to work part time and volunteer the rest of the day. But the book does have its bad points. It's written like a script for a television news show. Every paragraph is an island, a topic all its own, with statistics and anecdotes lobbed out for your consumption with little contextual information as if you have a three second attention span (although everything is thoroughly referenced with footnotes, if you've got the time to look things like that up). Example: At the height of his wealth Bill Gates had as many assets (his were in Microsoft stock) as the bottom half of the US population (page 79). What's that supposed to mean? Evidently the authors want you to think that it's unfair (or even evil?) that Bill Gates has been allowed to keep his wealth after building it from nothing. Imagine that! Also, the style is strikingly similar to that best selling but vaporous management books that I was forced to read in business school, which is surprising and definitely not a good thing. Still, I like the book and found that it was best read 10 minutes at a time - that's about all of the trivia-packed reading I could take in one sitting.
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Summary: Left unsatisfied at the end...
Review: Overall I thought this book was good. As admitted in the introduction, this book does not contain original research but rather is a complilation of already published research. I was written primarily for Joe 6-pack who has minimal knowledge in this area. Throughout the book they danced around, but never directly addressed, the power of transnational corporations and how they are ultimately behind the disease of affluenza. It began with the 1886 Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Supreme Court decision which gave corporations the same rights as individuals. Everything has gone downhill since. Thus, in the last section of the book designed to propose solutions to the disease of affluenza I was further let down that they all consisted of things we can do ourselves to alleviate the pain. Why not attack the source rather than try to adjust our coping mechanisms? Even if we, the individuals who read this book, adopt a lifestyle of simplicity as advocated, the root cause and status quo will remain. Our society will continue to be bombarded with consumption messages. Attacking the source means we have to look at the role of the transnational corporation. Corporations are not monolithic; they can (and should be) held accountable for their actions. We cannot do this individually but rather a collective effort needs to be made. Individuals needs to unite across class lines in an effort to make corporations accountable for their negligent business practices. Too bad this very important issue was neglected.
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Summary: Engaging subject but roughly executed
Review: I do not want to repeat what the other reviewers have said here. I do want to emphasize that the underlying issues in this text are very relevent to any one who chooses to read this book, rich or poor, glutton or minimalist. It is high time that the wasteful attitudes and overconsumption that are typical of Western life (especially here in North America) are addressed more widely. Having said that, I do have some complaints about the book's presentation. This edition comes on the heels of two (self-proclaimed successful) documentaries that aired on public television. This book was intended to expand on the ideas first presented there. Unfortunately, after reading the book, and never having seen the television presentations, I still got the feeling that the text was repetitive at times. Points were overkilled. The book is organized into three sections: symptons, causes and cures (for affluenza) and I found similar material repeated in all three sections. The overall feel is of an author preaching to his readership. I say save your time and find copies of the television version. The ideas, whether or not one agrees with them, are worthy of attention, but not to this degree. At 275 pages, it still feels as if the author(s) are stretching.
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Summary: The Best Things in Life Aren't Things
Review: Everyone should read this book. It is a perfect blend of social observations and commentary, supported by carefully researched and often alarming facts about the extraordinary level of unnecessary consumption and waste our society generates, as well as the widespread global consequences of our taken-for-granted daily activities. Although the message is serious, it is made palateable by the authors' keen sense of humor and irony. The book is ultimately a success becuase of the underlying message that it is not too late for us to recover. This book first opens your eyes, and then, as you discover that it resonates deeply with your own experiences, it motivates you to take a good hard look at the way things are and start making changes. The perspective on life offered by this book is profound, and the lessons on ecological protection and social sanity are something we should all embrace. I hope that you read this book, let it impact your life, and then share it with everyone you know!
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