Dematerializing: Taming The Power Of Possessions [Hardcover]

Jane Hammerslough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2001

Can the perfect new couch in your family room make for great times with your family? Does a diamond that costs two months' salary mean that love will last forever? In this era of high expectations and "low monthly payments," getting what you want has never seemed easier. And "getting what you want," in this environment, is increasingly linked to buying something. But is it always enough?Picking up where "simplifying" may not satisfy, Dematerializing acknowledges the pleasures, along with the pitfalls, of living in a material world. With a sharp eye and an attitude that's anything but holier-than-thou, Jane Hammerslough encourages readers to explore how a consumption-crazed culture affects their own relationships with objects. By considering what possessions can and can't do, and by exploring where belief in the magic of the material encroaches on belief in ourselves and other people, Dematerializing offers insight into the pressures of living in a possession-obsessed environment-and ways to tame materialism in our own lives. Grounded by real-world examples, research, and the author's own experience, this inspiring book is for those who appreciate having "nice things" but are also disturbed by the control "nice things" sometimes have on their lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For decades critics have lamented the increasing materialism of American culture. Here, though, Hammerslough takes a fresh, current look at the role objects play in our daily lives. Beginning with a reminder of the most basic definition of "materializing" from myths and fairy tales ("the spirit of something becomes tangible"), she explores the ubiquitous effort to make intangibles like love, self-esteem, success, health, happiness, control, superiority, perfection, morality and safety manifest through ownership of things. Refreshingly, Hammerslough probes deeper than trite complaints about spoiled children and adults with misguided values. She acknowledges that the joy of a new car may be perfectly reasonable and harmless, while pointing out that our "faith" in and "expectations" of objects can be destructive in many ways, for both individuals and communities. Objects, Hammerslough contends, are expected to relieve stress, alleviate fears, provide escape, express identity (or a desired identity), procure acceptance and deliver people from pain and disappointment. Yet she describes how "possession-obsession" blocks creativity, stunts growth, hinders relationships, garbles communication and redirects energy and attention away from achievement and toward the illusions and accoutrements of achievement. A contributor to Parenting, Child, Travel & Leisure and Country Living, Hammerslough presents thorough, detailed information in an easy, conversational style. While occasionally underestimating the difficulty of transforming deeply held beliefs and ingrained (culturally supported) habits, she offers many practical suggestions for positive change and an inspirational view of a timely topic. (Oct.)Forecast: Offering much discussion fodder, a sensible approach to prosperity and a compassionate authorial voice, this addition to the simpler-living genre should be a shoe-in for interviews and talk shows.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Americans are bombarded with messages telling them that buying certain objects will result in spiritual fulfillment. Here, Hammerslough, a former New York Post columnist, explores this rampant materialism and suggests a middle-of-the-road solution: people need to start thinking about what possessions can and cannot do. Through the use of many examples, research, and her own personal experience, she discusses happiness, relationships, love, doing the right thing, money, fear, and other topics. Readable and interspersed with touches of humor, the text will sustain many readers' interest. A recommended reading list is included, but when studies and results are discussed, Hammerslough does not offer any detailed information, notes, or a bibliography. Recommended for self-help collections in large public libraries. Elizabeth Goeters, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Dunwoody
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; First Printing edition (September 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738203866
• ISBN-13: 978-0738203867
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,771,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perceptive and Practical, November 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dematerializing: Taming The Power Of Possessions (Hardcover)

This wonderful book is both highly thought-provoking and down-to-earth. It is a truism that American values over the last 20, 50, or 100 years have shifted dramatically toward accumulating material goods. Hammerslough explores the desperate paradox that even though we buy more and more things, they don't make us happier or draw us closer to our loved ones, despite the marketers' promises. Her distinctive contribution is to show just how far excess materialism alienates us from our own best selves, from loving and understanding others, from nurturing a true sense of security and belonging.

Every day, Americans receive over 3,000 marketing messages such as "Do you care enough to send the very best flowers?" or "Promise her anything, but give her Arpege". What effect does this really have on our relationships? On our sense of adequacy?

The book concludes with several modest and practical suggestions to help individuals refocus their emotional energies on what really matters, and to begin to ask the right questions to help separate between "want" and "need". One of the most appealing aspects of the book is Hammerslough's warm and humane first-person voice; she does not take a cold above-it-all approach by any means.

At Thanksgiving this year, we all agreed that Americans share a new sense of togetherness in the wake of recent national tragedies. In a sense, "Dematerializing" could not be more timely. This book is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to appreciate the simple pleasures of life more directly, without having to have the right "kit".

Also worth mentioning is the companion website, which contains source materials for discussion and interesting facts. An excerpt from the book's opening chapter is also available there.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, October 2, 2001

By 

barbara (Venice, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dematerializing: Taming The Power Of Possessions (Hardcover)

Dematerializing is a thought-provoking, fascinating book about why
we want, want, want to buy more and more things. It's original and relevant because it doesn't go over the same tired arguments about consuming and spending less. Instead, it explores motivation behind buying and the meaning that objects hold, and offers practical suggestions for feeling you have 'enough' in a materialistic culture. Hammerslough's very appealing tone and thorough research resonated for me, and I'd recommend it highly.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful advise, May 30, 2002

By 

MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dematerializing: Taming The Power Of Possessions (Hardcover)

Because we practice a voluntary simplicity, your money or your life way of living I am always interested in books on the subject of downsizing or decluttering or dematerializing. So this book caught my eye. I especially liked how she speaks to the issues of fear and feeling one may be deprived if they do with less. How as a society we have evolved and look to things to bring us a feeling of worth or happiness whereas in decades past it was family and friends whom we turned to. Ironically those were also the decades when people had money in savings accounts and weren't in debt. The books premise really is money cant buy you love.

I especially liked Chapter 11 where the author talks about the value of having one day (Sunday) where we don't do anything except rest and relax. And she differentiates between recreation and fun and real rest and relaxation. And she discusses developing a will for living. Doing what gives one pleasure as well as an income. And the importance of simply being thankful for what one has. I really agree with her on that. I often stand in the shower and realize that there are people who have no indoor plumbing. No hot water at the turn of a knob, and now clean clothes fresh out of a washing machine and dried and ready for me to wear. Or the fact that I turn a knob and I have hot water to wash dishes, which in turn helps prevent diseases that in so many of the worlds countries are rampant.

It is a book I recommend although I believe Your Money or Your Life is number one and the author agrees since she lists it on the books to read section.