It's good to know that I'm doing at least some things right, though I know I could do more. Reading this book only reaffirmed my beliefs about the state of over-consumption in America and increasingly, in the world. Written tongue-in-cheek as an exposé of the disease of affluenza, the authors discuss the disorder's symptoms, causes, and treatments.

I always seem to read these types of books after the predictions have come true. For example, take the credit crash of fall 2008. For anyone in government or business who said the state of credit in America was fine and were surprised by the catastrophe, this book is but one exhibit in a litany of books, articles, and documentaries that surmised a crash would be the inevitable conclusion. It makes me wonder what the authors of Affluenza would have written had they had the chance to see what happened under the Bush administration. I imagine it would have gone from concerned and distressed to appalled and disgusted.

For me the highlight was part two: causes of affluenza. It was wonderful to hear Marx again and incongruous that as a society we still fail to heed his advice. Again and again throughout history we are shown the errors of our ways yet still make the same mistakes. And now with the rest of the world watching and imitating us, we're taking everyone down the primrose path. Hopefully this time, we will have learned some lessons. It's not just the economy that is at stake if we don't - it's our environment, our health, our families, and our self-worth.

A very insightful book about our out of control consumer culture. Though it is about 6 or 7 years old, it is very prophetic about our current economic situation. It basically says that unbridled greed and consumption will lead to a massive economic downturn. Sound familiar? ( )

Although I agree with the overall premise of the book, that we should all consider how we spend our earnings and evaluate our wants versus our needs, I found this book to be very repetitive and preachy. ( )

This might be the closest possible thing to empirical evidence of our national misadventure in culture, and yet it remains conversational and light throughout. Americans should read it. ( )

Great book. And one that really makes you think about all the things we have and buy and think we need.
If you like this, I recommend www.thestoryofstuff.com as well =) ( )