Jerrold J. Mundis (1941–2020)

There are more recent versions of this book available and I suggest the reader find one. The premise of the book is two-fold. First, no matter how desperate one feels, you are not your debt and you are just as entitled to your life as your debtors are to their money. The second part is where the datedness of the work is a problem. The author suggests making a budget and paying only what you can afford, while stopping debt increase (which he calls debting) entirely. However, his examples use show more interest rates that are quite low. It seems likely that anyone with a serious debt problem in 2014 may find it difficult to afford the monthly interest charges, much less make headway on their debt. Its age also gives it a level of quaintness, such as debit cards being available only to a privileged few.

The principles are sound, though a bit in dissonance with my new guru Dave Ramsey (who advocates a fast, hard push at knocking out debt rather than doing it at a comfortable pace). I would be interested to see how the book's recommendations are changed in later versions. show less

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3080793.html

I saw the Oscar-winning film when I was a teenager, and was somewhat confused by it, knowing a bit about the Vietnam war but much less about the blue-collar culture which turns out to be the main theme of the story. It's a very effective film, in sound and vision, and some of it has lingered with me for three decades. It will be some time before I reach it in my current viewing sequence, however. The novelisation is a poor substitute, reminiscent of show more the least energetic Doctor Who novelisations; it feels like a direct transcription from the screenplay, with very limited authorial insight into the thinking or experiences of the characters. I guess that back in the ancient days of the late 1970s, before there were easily available video tapes, this was the most accessible way for fans of the film to re-experience it. show less

Excellent guide to getting out of debt, it's based on the principles of Debtor's Anonymous (similar to AA). The author calls it the "Back to the Black" program and if you follow the steps that's exactly where you'll be (easier said than done, but the debt didn't pile up in a month and it won't go away quite so quickly either, but it *will* go away).

A really good book that sets out to change your attitude towards money. An ideal companion not only for those trying to pull themselves out of debt but also for anyone starting out their adult life; it tells you which common mistakes to avoid, the type of advice many young people could do with.