I have a real compulsion about these types of books that suggest that my state of overtiredness and my consumer spending habits are a result of "the system" rather than me -- but that also give me suggestions on how to combat these problems. Ask me about "Not Buying It" by Judith Levine. Or Oprah's Debt Diet. Or anything about voluntary simplicity.

I enjoyed this, and it was a good collection of essays (particularly the work of Juliet Schor, who wrote "The Overworked American" and "The Overspent American", two excellent books). It didn't tell me anything I haven't read elsewhere, though. And opposed to Levine's book, which I found myself compulsively reading over and over--as if it were scripture, for god's sake--I found that I wasn't that excited about anything here. Maybe, much like other types of self-help literature, writing on the "simpler life," doesn't lend itself to breaking new ground, but rather repeating common sense. ( )