The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need

Juliet Schor is witty and compelling, as always, in her exploration of how Americans have come to be overburdened with debt, groaning credit cards at the ready to tackle even more spending. How did we move from being prudent to being profligate? And how do we stop? I wouldn't say this book has all the answers, but at least it's asking the right questions.

Across the front of my copy is a review excerpt: "Schor's study is a scornful indictment of consumerism—which, she argues, has created a nation of debtors but failed to fill a gaping cultural maw." A nation of debtors, indeed, which is now crashing around us. I read this ten years ago, and it is well worth a look to get some perspective on what we're dealing with today.

Here, twenty some years later, I'm rereading my notes about Schor's very interesting ideas, especially those about what kind of economy would result if we began consuming less. I must have read this book of sociology and economics some time around the turn of the century, and liked it enough to save those notes. The process has made me want to follow her websites and find her other books.

Although written 10 years before the credit crisis, the book looks at the consumerist culture that ultimately led to the credit crisis. It looks at the reasons why Americans have become so confortable with living beyond their means. Overall a good read mainly because it makes you look at yourself and assess the risks you're exposing yourself to by raking up more debt than you can manage.

Interesting.