The Overspent American

by Schor, Juliet B.

• ISBN13: 9780060977580
• ISBN10: 0060977582
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-15
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

The Overspent American explores why so many of us feel materially dissatisfied, why we work staggeringly long hours and yet walk around with ever-present mental "wish lists" of things to buy or get, and why Americans save less than virtually anyone in the world. Unlike many experts, Harvard economist Juliet B. Schor does not blame consumers' lack of self-discipline. Nor does she blame advertisers. Instead she analyzes the crisis of the American consumer in a culture where spending has become the ultimate social art.

"A masterful take on the human folly of overspending." - Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Consuming more now and enjoying it less? In this heavily researched but accessible work, Schor tells us how and why this is so and what we might do about it...This is an important analysis of who, or perhaps what, we are. It deserves and will surely gain a wide audience." - Kirkus Reviews

"Engaging...Schor'sJ case studies of families who have rejected consumerism and simplified their lifestyles are vivid and will resonate with many readers." - Fortune

"Offers trenchant commentary on Americans' overspending lifestyle and lack of savings." - Publishers Weekly

"Schor writes in a lively manner and offers fascinating information about consumer spending patterns. She has written an engaging book that will cause readers to look afresh not only at their society but also at themselves." - Philadelphia Inquirer

"A masterful take on the human folly of overspending." - Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Thick with survey data, less taxing than a saunter through Saks, Schor's study is a scornful indictment of consumerism which, she argues, has created a nation of debtors but failed to fill a gaping cultural maw. This is the stuff from which revolutions are made." - Entertainment Weekly

Author Biography

Juliet B. Schor, bestselling author of The Overworked American and senior lecturer and Director of Studies, Women's Studies, at Harvard University, writes and lectures widely of issues of work and consumption. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts, with her husband and two children.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Communicating with Commodities: How What We Buy Speaks Volumes	p. 25
The Visible Lifestyle: American Symbols of Status	p. 43
When Spending Becomes You	p. 65
The Downshifter Next Door	p. 111
Learning Diberot's Lesson: Stopping the Upward Creep of Desire	p. 143
Will Consuming Less Wreck the Economy?	p. 169
Bibliography	p. 175
Organizations	p. 209
Notes	p. 211
Index	p. 245
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