The Consumer Society Reader

by Douglas B. Holt and Juliet B. Schor

Book Overview

A unique and definitive reader on our "national passion"--buying stuff--and its consequences for American society. We are citizens, owners and workers, believers and heathens, but today more than anything else we are consumers. How this came to be and its consequences for us all is the subject of this pioneering reader on the rise--and continued rise--of consumerism. The Consumer Society Reader features a range of key works on the nature and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565845986
• ISBN13: 9781565845985
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 502 Pages
• Weight: 1.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

May have bitten off more than I could chew =)

I have read numerous books regarding consumption, simplicity, etc. I have read all of Juliet Schor's books also. This books is an excellent thought provoking book, HOWEVER, be sure that you have a clear mind and a good chunk of time on your hands. Yes, the book is long, but that's not really the issue. It's a compilation of essays, some quite old. They do offer a lot of insight, but it tends to be more economic insight. If you enjoy reading about environmental issues and voluntary simplicity, this does have some of that, but much of it is information about things like trends in buying, capitalism and advertising. While it's an interesting read, I would advise checking it out of the library and reading the essays that interest you. Keeping this book in your library doesn't serve much of a purpose. Not even for inspiration and motivation, which is a reason I keep many of the simplicity books that I enjoy. Bottom line... pretty good read, but borrow, don't buy it.