Green With Envy: A Whole New Way to Look at Financial (Un)Happiness [Paperback]

Shira Boss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 21, 2007

A silent struggle with our money is raging across America. Everyone wants to keep up with the Joneses, regardless of income, occupation, or net worth. Our contentment is based not on the size of our bank account but on how we measure up to those around us. But how can anyone make realistic comparisons to others when everyone's personal finances are shrouded in secrecy and shame? GREEN WITH ENVY offers a tantalizing mix of hard facts and juicy gossip while exposing the shocking gap between public image and what's really going on behind closed doors. Boss peers into the lives and checkbooks of our neighbors--from a U.S. Congressman to a New York City couple to a suburban family--and gives readers practical steps to improve their financial well-being without touching their bank account.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Freelance journalist Boss performs a real service by putting some of America's financial hangups on trial, charging that "the money taboo"—our good-manners reluctance to discuss what we earn and spend—is "destructive nonsense" that leads to debt and despair. Boss argues that envy ("the only vice warned against in both the Ten Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins") can be good for the economy, but our drive to keep up with our neighbors can be unhealthy. In five case studies, she shows the consequences of maintaining appearances when we can't afford it; the highlight is a chapter in which Boss lives a fantasy by interrogating her seemingly well-off next-door neighbors and getting the real scoop on their savings, income and credit card bills. The scope of the author's reporting is a bit limited—except for one billionaire, her subjects aren't especially socioeconomically diverse—and we never learn whether non-U.S. cultures suffer the same pangs of envy. Worse, her soft concluding chapter tacks toward self-help, offering counsel that's surprisingly platitudinous ("The universe will provide"). Even so, Boss's case for candor is valuable. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"It's rare to encounter such honesty about the endless financial comparisons people make...refreshingly juicy... a compelling read." -- --USA Today

"A much-needed reality check...a must-read for those trying to achieve true wealth." -- --Black Enterprise

"Boss performs a real service by putting some of America's financial hang-ups on trial...Her case for candor is valuable." -- --Publishers Weekly

"Finally--an entertaining book about money." -- --King Features Syndicate

"Voyeuristic...nicely backed up with a slew of eye-opening facts." -- --Charlotte Observer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Business Plus (May 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044669598X
• ISBN-13: 978-0446695985
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,255,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Working on GREEN WITH ENVY was a dream. As a journalist, I've always been paid to ask people questions. This time, I had the job of really prying. What fun - and all for a very good cause.

GREEN WITH ENVY gripped me like no other project ever has. (And that's how a book should be.) As I worked on it, I became obsessed. Each chapter grew into my favorite. My husband, the only person besides the sources whom I had time to talk to, asked if there was anything we could talk about other than The Book. (There actually wasn't.)

The official stuff: I grew up in Flint, Michigan, a gritty but wonderful place to grow up. I studied economics and political science undergrad at Columbia University, and went back there for master's degrees in journalism and in international affairs. In between, I've lived and worked in Saint Petersburg, Russia (where I edited the cultural section of the main English-language newspaper), in Paris (the only time in my life I've tried writing fiction), and in the Middle East (where I got to live the low-paid but high-adventure life of a foreign correspondent).

As an independent journalist over the past 12 years, I've contributed regularly to The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Crain's New York Business, Forbes.com, Good Housekeeping and "Marketplace" on national public radio. Samples of my work are available at www.shiraboss.com/articles.htm.

What else... well, there's always more. That's certainly one thing you'll learn by reading GREEN WITH ENVY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most honest personal finance book out there, May 14, 2006

By 

Mark Danaher - See all my reviews

This review is from: Green with Envy: A Whole New Way to Look at Financial (Un)Happiness (Hardcover)

First and foremost, i loved the first and second chapters about the author's perception of her neighbors and what the reality turned out to be. This book is hilarious, a page turner and also pretty scary at times as I can relate to the slippery slope of charging more than i need to.

It's not your typical 9-steps to riches book, it's much deeper than that. I've read many personal finance books, but never came across one that really deals with the pyschological aspects of things. And that's actually where most of us need help and the book offers a very philosophical approach in the last chapter.

Absolutely recommended.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A surprising page turner, June 23, 2006

By 

Kendra Crook (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Green with Envy: A Whole New Way to Look at Financial (Un)Happiness (Hardcover)

This was a surprising page turner for me, because I NEVER read books like this....I don't even slow down by the personal finance section of Barnes & Noble. I decided to read it because I felt like I was seeing mention of it everywhere - CNN, NPR and USA Today. Figured if it was getting this much press, it was probably worth a try....and I was right.

I enjoyed it so much that I bought a copy for my parents, my in-laws and several accountant friends. And they have all enjoyed it....and for different reasons, my parents and in-laws liked the personal stories (the confessions of other people's dirty financial secrets) and my accountant friends liked Boss' mental approach to other people's money in the conclusion.

I plan on continuing to give copies as gifts - great for recent college graduates, newlyweds, etc.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read, May 9, 2006

By 

K. Parsons (Berwyn, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Green with Envy: A Whole New Way to Look at Financial (Un)Happiness (Hardcover)

While it's true that there is not a great deal of "new" information in this book-that's largely true of most books on money. There is only so much money information to dispense and there are many, many books on money out there. Green with Envy gives a new and interesting spin on that information. It is also fun and--I'll admit it--a little gossipy. It was particularly interesting to read about the money woes of our members of congress. Many people, myself included, read books on money not so much for information, but for incentive to keep saving, and the encouragement of knowing that we're doing pretty well compared to, well, the Joneses.