Consuming Desires: Consumption, Culture, and the Pursuit of Happiness [Hardcover]

Roger Rosenblatt (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1559635355 | ISBN-13: 978-1559635356 | Publication Date: May 1, 1999 | Edition: 1

Those who don't yet have an American standard of living usually want it, yet it would take three whole Earths to provide this for everyone alive today. This text brings together a group of writers to explore and resolve the paradox, including Jane Smiley (author of "A Thousand Acres"), Bill McKibben (author of "The End of Nature) and Juliet Schor (author of "The Overspent American"). They investigate the roots of consumer culture and its meanings for us. The authors do not offer easy solutions for the future, rather, they seek to provide a deeper understanding of how far the issues reach into our societies and into our sense of ourselves.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This collection of essays by an all-star roster of social critics takes a skeptical look at American and global capitalism on the eve of the 21st century. Some of the contributors, such as William Greider, are downright pessimistic: "If the world is to save itself from ecological disaster, the redemption cannot begin among the poor," he writes. "Only the wealthy few--that is, nations such as ours--have the power and the wherewithal to rescue us all from the impending consequences of mass consumption on a global scale." Most of the other essayists treat mass consumption as a mixed bag. Novelist Jane Smiley, for instance, notes that consumerism fed feminism by inventing appliances, phones, and cars--and freed women from domestic chores. "There is much talk of the emptiness of modern life, but think of emptying chamber pots of the accumulated waste products of seven or eight household members every day for the rest of your life," she writes. These pages are full of good writing and smart observations. Bill McKibben, for example, suggests that "instead of defining ourselves by what we buy, we define ourselves by what we throw away." Other contributors include Alex Kotlowitz, Edward Luttwak, and Juliet Schor, as well as editor Roger Rosenblatt. All told, Consuming Desires is an eclectic mix of thought-provoking essays on the culture of materialism. --John J. Miller

From Publishers Weekly

Individualism and desire, declares essayist and author Rosenblatt in his introduction to this collection of new essays by an array of distinguished writers, "are what make us great and... small." Most of these pieces address the contradictions inherent in our need to consume, our concepts of individuality and our position in the global economy. Rolling Stone correspondent William Greider hopes for a radical reconception of capitalism, in which the environmental cost of waste is factored in. Juliet Schor, author of The Overspent American, notes that consumerism is fueled as individuals use television programs, rather than neighbors, as points of reference. Journalist Alex Kotlowitz traces the tenuous link between fashion in the ghetto and the suburb. Environmentalist and author Bill McKibben acknowledges the irony in his desire to "consume nature" free of alteration by pesticides. New Press publisher Andre Schiffrin points out that the corporate pursuit of profit has stymied the substantial nonfiction of a generation past. Novelist Jane Smiley argues that consumerism rescued the American housewife, but can hardly be a global solution. While one solution here seems PollyannaishASuzanne Braun Levine's hope for an alliance between news consumers and news gatherersARosenblatt acknowledges that easy reform is difficult. Rather, he suggests that "a search of the self" might provoke us to seek balms from human connection rather than consumer goods. He may be right, but for many Americans, self-knowledge, like any consumer product, is best consumed in small, well-packaged doses. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 238 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559635355
• ISBN-13: 978-1559635356
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,202,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Occasionally interesting, January 5, 2001

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Consuming Desires: Consumption, Culture, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Hardcover)

This book consists of a series 13 new essays by well-known writers on the topic of consumerism, together with an introduction by Roger Rosenblatt. About half the essays are sermons on the demons of consumerism and consumption. Mixed in with the diatribe are some interesting more informative pieces on such topics as competitive spending (Juliet Schor), youth consumerism (Alex Kotlowitz), ecology (Bill McKibben), publishing (Andre Schiffrin), and housework (Jane Smiley). Bharati Mukherjee contributes an Indian immigrant's view on consumerism, which hints at the lack of concern or comprehension about hyper-consumerism held by the population of one of the world's largest developing countries. If you are interested in consumerism (or preparing your own sermon on the topic), you may find some material of interest in this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Judge the book, not the opinions, August 5, 2004

By 

Paul (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Consuming Desires: Consumption, Culture, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Hardcover)

I read this book two years ago and, like with any compilation, found some writers interesting and others bland. That being said, I find it fascinating that some use these "reviews" to shoot a book like this down; you may not agree with Juliet Schor's theory of what drives us to consume, or with Alex Kotlowitz's comparison of classes in downtown Chicago, and that's okay. This book is not about true verses false, but about expressing opinions on the why and how of social conditions. If you enjoy editorials longer than 80 words, this book may serve you well.