Synopses & Reviews
Shocked by the commerce in everything from pet cloning to patriotism, frightened by the downward spiral of her finances and that of the trash-strewn earth, Judith Levine enlists her partner, Paul, in a radical experiment: to forgo all but the most necessary purchases for an entire year.
Without consumer goods and experiences, Judith and Paul pursue their careers, nurture relationships, and try to keep their sanity, their identities, and their sense of humor intact. Tracking their progress -- and inevitable lapses -- Levine contemplates need and desire, scarcity and security, consumerism and citizenship. She asks the Big Questions: Can the economy survive without shopping? Are Q-tips necessary?
Not Buying It is the confession of a woman any reader can identify with: someone who can't live without French roast coffee or SmartWool socks but who has had it up to here with overconsumption and its effects on the earth and everyone who dwells there.
For the humor and intelligence of its insights, the refreshment of its skepticism, and the surprises of its conclusions, Not Buying It is sure to be on anyone's list of Necessities.
Review
"An important book." Bill McKibben
Review
"I love this book." Barbara Ehrenreich
Review
"One of the five best books on consumer culture." Paco Underhill, The Wall Street Journal
Review
"Sharp and witty....honest and humorous....By thinking harder about how it would feel to consume less, we might just make ourselves and our planet a lot better." The Christian Science Monitor
Review
"[Levine] explores with refreshing doses of self-critique the emotional and social impulses that drive shopping....[A] lively, thoughtful look at consumerism and anticonsumerism." Library Journal
Review
"An entertaining exploration of personal desires and needs, with larger social and economic implications." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
An award-winning journalist traces a year during which she and her partner struggled with a pledge to avoid consumer spending practices in spite of their American conditioning, an effort that had a profound impact on their careers, family relationships, and personal identities. By the author of Do You Remember Me? Reprint. 35,000 first printing.
Synopsis
This cold-turkey confession by an award-winning journalist follows her progress and inevitable relapses over an entire year of not spending.
About the Author
Levine has written about the ways in which culture, politics, and history are enacted in people's intimate lives over the past twenty-five years. Her articles and essays have appeared in dozens of national publications, including Harper's, The New York Times, and salon.com. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and Hardwick, Vermont.