Customer Reviews

All My Life for Sale

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

eh? I was immediately attracted to the cover of this book. I know, you can't judge a book by its, etc. Well, let me tell you John Freyer had more stuff than my two slighty-past-teenagers combined. He had stuff you thought you threw away, he had stuff you saw last week at a yard sale, he had stuff you saw at an antiques store. The photos, writing and results are entertaining and indicative of the "one man's trash" theory of stuff in general. I was struck by the kindred spirits John encountered as he made his odyssey to visit his former stuff; all in all, entertaining, thought provoking, and certainly worth a conversation or two. Made me wonder, "what if everyone sold all their stuff at the same time.....?" Picture the postal deliveries, and the friendliness which stuff-swapping could engender. I would have given this 5 stars, really consider it 4.75 rather than 4. Add this book to your stuff.

I was a participant in John's effort to sell everything he owned (I bought his Jesus night night). Before the book came out, it was hard to see where he was going with this project. But due to my own fascination with other people's possessions (thrift stores, flea markets, etc.), I wanted to see where he would take this. The book is the culmination of a mental, spiritual, and actual road trip to follow the paths his possessions took. It seems to me that, yes, his former possessions do reveal what kind of person he is, but he does not need to own these things to be who he is. This is a memoir formed by a mosaic of these possessions, and what he says about each one. He links each object to a friend, or a member of his family, or a personal experience. It's funny, insightful, and at times poignant. There is an evolution in John's thinking about his project that is evident as he begins to sell things with a more personal meaning. The book is also influenced by the events of September 11, 2001, on which day he was leaving New York to visit more of his stuff. This is a book that began as a web site, and made a successful transition to print, which is a growing trend. So much for the death of the book by Internet!

John Freyer realized that when he first arrived in Ohio, all he had were the objects in the trunk of his car. He has accumulated much stuff since living there, and now that he's thinking of leaving and heading back to New York City, he wants to reduce his belongings to practically nothing.

From this notion was born the allmylifeforsale plan. John invited over some friends to help him tag his belongings, and then he slowly but systematically sold them on eBay.

All My Life for Sale is the true story of Freyer's quest to get back to the basics. He is quirky and honest in his writing, and the pictures of objects, how he sold each one, and who bought it are eccentrically wonderful. There's a certain inspiration one feels after reading this book-a yearning to put belongings in proper perspective.

The style of the book allows the reader to choose whether to read it cover to cover or to skip around the book. The introduction and conclusion are must-reads, however, since they offer insight into how the project got started and how it ended.

So this guy, John Freyer, an art student (I think you'll understand him and this book better if you have some sort of understand of what avant garde and conceptual art is), decided that he was too bogged down by possessions, and he wanted to leave college the same way he began it- by all his worldly possessions crammed into his Honda Civic (I think it was). He began auctioning off EVERYTHING on Ebay, from his beloved collection of bowling shirts to a half-empty box of taco shells. And people bought it!

What's fascinating, though, is that he followed his possessions to their new homes. He went visiting some of his old stuff, driving cross country several times to do this. He found that in most cases, his new stuff was in a better home, more loved and prominently displayed than it had been when he owned it. Not only is this book an homage to the powers of the internet to make the world go round, it's an exploration of our personal attachments and all the memories that we attach to our possessions. Quick read, tons of pictures, and man, he had a lot of cool stuff.

I bought this book because i thought the idea was brilliant.....a dude selling all his junk and traveling across country visiting the new owners of his former possessions.

I was extremely disappointed with this book. I was really hoping to read a chronicle of this guys travels across country meeting the strangers who bought his old possessions and how it changed their lives. All we get are quirky ebay descriptions of used junk, and the disappointed customers who bought them....many of whom didn't want to be apart of his project.

I was expecting a contemporary 'On the Road', but all I got was a mini blog about a college student's old junk.

It did inspire me to mail the book across country to a friend who might appreciate it more than I.

When I saw this book in my local bookstore, I knew I must have it. Besides the great pictures of kitsch and retro stuff, I get to read the story and history behind each item that was auctioned off.

As a child of a child of the depression and as a school teacher I am very very good at holding on to things. Most of my items come from my saying " I might need this someday" to standing in the middle of a thrift store in Cape Cod in winter whining "I neeeeeeeeed this".

My husband wishes that I be inspired by this book. Although he is already impressed at how many used books I clear out of our apartment on amazon.com "sell yours here".

I wouldn't even give this a star if I didn't have to. BORING..and STUPID. I tried so hard to get the concept that this guy is an artist and this was an artistic book but really it was just stupid, he had stupid junky stuff he sold on ebay that other stupid people paid money for, I mean come on, why anyone would bid on an opened container of food, actually want it and then display it in their home when they did get it is way beyond stupidity. I'm just amazed. This so called book is just a waste of time. I pity the poor trees wasted in the printing of it!

This book is an interesting look at what the values of seemingly random objects are different people. And if you ever wonder who actually bids on things like baggies of dried cuttlefish on e-bay, this book is for you. I'd also like to add that his neice's "Fat Baby" on page 46 never fails to make me giggle... even though I do find it mildly creepy.

this is a cool coffee table book. you can also get some inspiration for your next ebay sell. don't ever think no one else will want your junk- trust me- this book will prove, someone out there is waiting.