Daniel Akst

I was very surprised that I ended up giving this book five stars, especially since there were a couple of sections I skimmed, but overall it was both fun and insightful.

While not denying the physical/chemical realities of addiction and disease, never stooping to preachiness or being holiner-than-thou, Askt makes a strong case for the lack of self control as one of the deadliest conditions of modern life.

His hero is Odysseus, who - being both self-aware and cognizant of the threats in his show more environment during the trip home from Troy - managed to enjoy the delights that presented themselves without falling prey to them.

Akst discusses the banking crash, Freud and Maslow, the Puritans and the 1960's, consumerism, social controls (and the lack thereof), all with an entertaining, breezy style that still delivers a convincing case for developing better self awareness, better self control and -- consequently -- a better, healthier life. show less

If you have not heard of Daniel Akst, you’re likely to become a huge fan after reading We Have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess.

The “enemy” in We Have Met the Enemy is us and our lack of self-control in a world that is full of temptations. While our ancestors had to exercise their willpower to stay away from a few certain bad habits, our bad habit possibilities have vastly multiplied. We have access to cheap and widely available unhealthy foods, riveting TV shows that show more keep us glued to the couches, and prior to the economic meltdown, loads of unsecured credit that had us spending money into oblivion. And our bad habits are not just bad economically speaking, they are also deadly. As Akst puts it, “we do ourselves in … slowly and prosaically, jumping to a premature death in a sea of batter-fried shrimp, booze, and bad television, which we watch instead of exercising.”

Akst traces self-control from the Ancient Greeks, to British Victorians to Freud and so on, interspersing opinions on the issue from a variety of individuals who had something to say about the topic. However, We Have Met the Enemy is by no means a finger-pointing diatribe against our excesses. Instead, Akst strives to define the reasons behind the low-supply of self control in today’s age, and cite the social, cultural, religious and other constraints that can help us “behave”.

Akst’s brutally honest exploration of our self-control, or the lack thereof, is as disturbing as it is hilarious. And that is where his genius lies – in his ability to discuss a serious topic with the wit that will have you laughing out loud. We Have Met the Enemy is the first book in a long time that had me pulling out a highlighter in an effort to remember especially cheeky lines and bring them up in conversations later. show less

WWII Like You've Never Seen It Before. This is an account primarily of WWII and specifically a few particular people and their associates within the war - and these are people who you may have heard of, but likely never heard of their actions within the WWII period. As the description states, some of these people became quite famous indeed *after* WWII for their actions during the Vietnam / Civil Rights era - but those actions were originated when they were 20 years younger, during the show more trials and travails that history now knows as World War 2. As an anarchist who strives toward pacifism himself, learning of these people - several of whom I had never heard of before, and the others of whom I had never heard of this side of before - was utterly fascinating, and indeed actually eye opening, as even I had never heard of the philosophy of personalism before reading this book. Now, I intend to research it further.

The *singular* detriment to this book is that while it is clear in the narrative that the book is quite well researched indeed... the Advance Reader Copy of this text I read had barely any bibliography at all, clocking in at just 5% of the overall text when a minimum of around 20% is much more common for even barely-researched-at-all texts.

Still, even if the publisher doesn't correct this flaw at actual publication, this is absolutely a worthy read and one that anyone who wishes to discuss the events and impacts of WWII needs to study in order to have a more complete picture of that era. Very much recommended. show less

An excellent examination of self-control, with very interesting background on this issue from a philosphical, psychological and economical perspective. Written so that it is fun to read.