Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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354 of 375 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What you need to know to decide if this is for YOU, March 8, 2006
I bought this book after hearing a discussion with the author on public radio on March 8, 2006. If it is still up on the NPR site, I would strongly advise listening to a partial or full transcript of that show. It will help you make a decision to buy this book and whether it meets your needs [...]
In the interview, the author not only discusses her experiences, refusing to buy her usual daily latte, to make do with an old, used truck and to (ouch!) even give up her book buying habit. In short, if it wasn't absolutely necessary, it wasn't a purchase. She also discusses larger political views about consumerism in our culture and this, perhaps, is what is upsetting so many readers. She speaks of achieving balance, of deciding whether an ephemeral object is more important than devoting one's time and money towards larger pursuits, such as improving the school system or contributing to safer parks and neighborhoods or...whatever.
I think that maybe some readers were disappointed because they wanted a "how to" book rather than an exploration of consumerism and one woman's very individual experience. The book provides food for thought, a beginning step in a process rather than an absolute program. Those looking for absolutes should get a "how to" book.
This wasn't an easy process for Ms. Levine. Like so many of us, she had deeply entrenched habits and some seemingly minor daily purchases that were nearly automatic. Changing habits was far more difficult than she could have foreseen.
The author speaks of "unexpected longings" which she felt, longings that could be so easily focused or symbolized by objects or purchases. A new handbag may be simply a practical way to carry one's money and some tissues or it can carry meanings far beyond the obvious, including the desire to be seen as a person with "taste", buying nice items and avoiding the cheap, the apparently tacky.
Certain brands may smack of taste, style and reflect an image. They affect our very identify and sense of self...that's a LOT of emotional baggage to put on a specific object and yet, without those extra layers of meaning, how many expensive consumer items would actually sell?
Shopaholics should definitely buy this book. It may not cause them to completely revise their habits but they may well become more conscious of their motivations.
I will admit up front that I LOVED the book. It was more than an exploration of consumerism but of certain assumptions about "the better life" and what items constitute our viewpoints about ourself and reflect our values. Why do we surround ourselves with the possessions we have? Why do we buy the homes we do? Why do we spend far more than we really need to?
Yes, as some critics here have pointed out, the author has a political agenda and, yes, it is admittedly on the liberal side. If that bothers you, do not buy this book. This book is about making you THINK about your values, what motivates you to shop and buy what you do. It will help you reconsider both your conscious and subconscious motivations for doing so.
However, if you are looking for a HOW TO book, a guide to getting you out of debt or a program for saving money, don't expect this book to provide that structure. It isn't about that. It is simply one woman's experience (and experiment) with trying to do without for a year, as much as possible. It touches upon greater political and social issues and how our choices affect the world, not just our personal lives.
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49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Why Free isn't Always Good, February 11, 2007
Let me begin by saying that, in the main, I am on Ms. Levine's side of the political aisle. I certainly think of myself as a liberal and a feminist.
That being said, this book was not a cogent call to arms for likeminded activists, a reasoned diatribe against consumerism, or even a mildly entertaining look at how Americans live (and buy) in the early part of this century.
Instead the book is a poorly written, self-indulgent, and condescending look at "doing without". While the author and her partner enjoy the benefits of two homes, three cars, and a plethora of options not possible to the working class, Ms. Levine is nevertheless ballsy enough to embark on a book about doing without. I think one of the moments that best summed up this entire failed experiment was when the author mentioned how often her friends are shocked to hear she is doing without films.
In the real America, when we "decide" to do without, we make decisions about whether to let our prescription drugs lapse or buy food for the family, whether to make an ER trip because we couldn't afford to go to a primary care physician, and whether to pay the heat, electric, or water bills this month. I know I don't get to decide that the New York Times and $55 haircuts are necessities. Let's talk about real decisions. I don't begrudge the author her $1,000/year diabetic cat, or even her non-processed organic foods (another option many of us simply can't afford), but I most certainly resent that Judith Levine holds up this year of her life as anything more than a cute and patronizing indulgence of her own whims.
As my husband pointed out when I was discussing the book with him, "They aren't buying anything, but they can't even cut their own hair? They have a forty-acre place in Vermont and can't even grow SOME of their own food?"
I don't know that I picked up this book (from the library) expecting a book that would teach me how not to buy, or solve the big problems of the world. But I think I should get more than this book had to offer. Like some of the "g*dawful" free entertainments the author substituted for her usual round of paid theatre and film performances, I expect more than this book has to offer. Even when I don't pay for it.
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86 of 99 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable..., March 26, 2006
Judith Levine's "Not Buying It" is an enjoyable read, a tale of how the author saved $8000 in one year (and paid off her debt) by cutting her expenses to a mere $3900, not including rent and utitilties. This meant a pretty drastic cutback -- everything from DVD rentals to new socks were nixed for a period of one calendar year. The project wasn't motivated merely by financial burden. Instead Levine was sick of the mindless consumption she was partaking in and vowed to do something about it.
The book is political in nature, and is filled with socio-political details. During her year she meets various eco-friendly types, and engages in some local politics, such as a public debate over whether to allow a cell tower in a rural area.
This isn't a book that is full of answers, but it is an enjoyable memoir. Fans of "Your Money or Your Life" will welcome the chance to experience this year vicariously.
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