Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping | 
|  | | | Title: | Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping | | Author: | Judith Levine | | Publisher: | Free Press | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | 27 February, 2007 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0743269365 / 9780743269360 | | List Price: | $14.00 | | You Save: | $2.80 | | Amazon Price: | $11.20 | |
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Product Description
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.
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Customer Reviews:
• Dont Buy It 01 June, 2008
dont buy "Not buying it" it not as enlightening as I thought it would be.
- Reviewed by customer ID: ANEUPVXP9GKJQ
• Wouldn't Bother... 22 May, 2008
I flew through the first third of this book...when she was still having a hard time with not buying things.
Then, apparently, she adjusted, because the rest of the book didn't really have much to say about the lack of buying. It was mostly about politics at that point - which I'm not interested in reading about in the least.
Several hypocritical points, as other reviewers have mentioned. And by halfway through, I found I just didn't care anymore.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1FJPLOEAORGUU
• Not Buying It (this Book) 22 July, 2008
First off, this book lost points with me for a fairly two-faced marketing strategy. The title and a review on the back of the book suggest that this book is about making do with a very minimalist approach to shopping, spending, and possession. Barbara Ehrenreich, who wrote the bit on the back, says "if you have to do without... Levine is the person to do it with." However, the blurb on the inside of the dust jacket paints the author in a markedly different light, and seems to suggest that Levine found that she couldn't hack it without dropping tons of cash, which is the conclusion I reached as a reader.
Although Levine probably had very good intentions, her follow-through falls depressingly short, to the point that this book paints a very unremarkable story. Part of the dust jacket blurb describes the author as "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." Right off the bat, I can't relate to that. I don't think I've ever drunk French roast coffee or worn SmartWool socks, and I still feel like I can cut down my consumption a lot. Levine seems to realize she is part of the problem, not the solution, and wants to fix that, but the book strays from this a lot.
Other reviewers have made very good points about the author's vastly hypocritical spending habits. If the author talked about these habits like they were unsurmountable psychological tendencies, and tried to address how to cure them, then okay. But she didn't, and it just comes off as the author wanting to talk a good game about saving money and the environment, but not backing it up with action at all. She also strays considerably from the point of this book by discussing at length political issues that are unrelated to consumption.
If you want to make it a year without shopping, start by leaving this book on the shelves.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3DFTF6LYRR9BN
• Don't Waste Your Money 19 May, 2008
Honestly, I just couldn't finish this book. The author was so self-absorbed, and sounded so self-important that it became difficult for me to read, even though the actual writing style was at times pretty entertaining. I guess she sounded a bit like a grownup version of a teenager who decided that she was above going to the mall for awhile. Moreover, she spent most of the time, it seemed, complaining about her choice, and the fancy junk she couldn't buy as a result of it. I'm not trying to belittle what this woman has done (hey, I don't have a book on consumerism, do I?), but let's face it - most of us who are now looking at these types of books are doing so in hopes of gleaning meaningful lessons from our new-found need to economize. Because of this, to us, taking a dip in such shallow water, by someone who is careful to not be confused with a person who might need to economize, is not usually our desired experience. Most of us just want someone to get real. I tried to like the book, but I couldn't. Obviously, people look for different things in their reading, and I wasn't expecting the book to deliver what it did. I'd probably recommend going to the library and checking this out first, though, before determining whether it has a permanent home on your own bookshelf. I swapped mine out online last week, with a bit of guilt toward the recipient. I hope she's not expecting what I was (sigh).
I think I would have been better off reading from the wisdom of our previous generations. They lived without buying the hype, they created support for one another, and they centered their lives on the important things. They did this because, especially during times of war and need, they were not tempted by the preoccupancies that distract and/or steal meaning from our lives and the truth they should bear.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1HUT5PK5GW6ML
• Thought-provoking, Entertaining Read 05 June, 2008
I was surprised to see the number of negative reviews that people have given this book. Expecting to read a book of what it's like to resist the urge to spend frivolously, I was pleasantly surprised to find an entertaining, deeper reflection on culture that surrounds consumerism and buying. I noticed many people seemed bothered by Judith Levine's "hypocrisy" and I feel they have failed to miss the point of this book. Levine is not preaching her experience, instead, sharing it as a human being with elements that show she is every bit as human as anyone, which in my opinion makes this all the more inspirational.
I greatly enjoyed the authors witty style, and she brought up an number of intriguing statistics and facts. It does get a little political at times, but it's a true reflection of the circumstances that surround the book. While I'm not about to embark on a similar social experiment after reading this, it has made me reflect on how buying is defined in society and ask myself why do I want to buy the things I want to buy, and are they necessary?
- Reviewed by customer ID: A29FHB8BOIRR08
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