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Lädt ... No Shopping!: Ein Selbstversuch (2006)von Judith Levine
Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. Awful. The only good thing about this book is that I didn't pay for it but got it from the library. It's boring and badly written (even though the author is a professional writer). I was looking forward to some reflections and analysis but the author is about as self aware as a rock. There was basically a whole chapter dedicated to the tantrum she had when she couldn't find her favourite socks. Really. P.S. I actually resent adding this book to my bookshelves because it was so bad but I'm terrified that I'll block the memory of its awfulness and may attempt to reread it again in the future and would end up subjecting myself to further trauma. By the time I got around to reading this, I couldn't help remembering someone's crack about the simple-living movement not being new; it's called being poor. Of course, simple living is a deliberate lifestyle whereas being poor isn't anything people really strive for. Still, I just couldn't really buy this story about a childless, educated, intellectual couple making a decent living and owning a New York apartment and Vermont cabin, attempting to live simply. The author does a lot of intellectualizing and quoting philosophers, and by the September chapter I just lost patience. I rode it out through the December chapter and the one thing I could appreciate about their year-long experiment is that it got them more civically engaged. If it were written from a different approach, I might have enjoyed it more. The author of this book and her partner decide to cut out all unnecessary spending for a year, which started out as an interesting concept but veered off into too much emphasis on political points. Several times the author refers to their home in Vermont as being in the "Northeast Kingdom" which I had never heard of and had to look up - turns out the Northeast Kingdom consists of just 3 counties in the northeastern corner of Vermont - seemed kind of snobby. I found the book disappointing.
Savings was not the goal of the project, but, admittedly, I was disappointed by the bottom line. Levine offers banal solutions in search of a problem, while leaving the real problems for others to investigate. But otherwise, this honest and humorous tale of a nonspending year is well worth putting aside a few hours to read. Best of all, while she makes you want to repent for your greed more than a few times, she also points out the absurdities of ''voluntary simplicity'' and recognizes the soul-stirring happiness implicit in finding a perfect new pair of heels, making Not Buying It well worth its price.
Der Selbstversuch wurde von den Medien bereits dankbar aufgegriffen, trifft er doch ins Herz unseres Wohlstandslebens voller aufkommender Selbstzweifel und ökologischer Schuldgefühle. Platzen würde die hippe "Simplify"- und "Clear-Your-Life"-Blase, würde weiter vorne angefangen, Überflüssiges erst gar nicht angeschafft. Vor allem in USA, wo shoppen als Hobby, zu Fuß gehen als europäisch gilt, ökologische Ignoranz (noch) politisches Programm ist. Ein Jahr lang konsumierten die Autorin und ihr Mann nur das Nötigste zur Versorgung, Gesundheit und Arbeit. Eingebracht hat ihnen das reichlich Erspartes, "mindestens drei Monate" Zeitgewinn und viele kluge Erkenntnisse über moderne Gesellschaften. Sie beschäftigten sich in diesem Jahr mit Texten und Utopien von Gesellschaftsphilosophen (schon Lafargue forderte einen Drei-Stunden-Tag!), mit psychologischen Aspekten des Konsums ("Hoffnung auf mehr Glück, Schönheit, Vergnügen, höheren Status") und reflektieren eigene Wahrnehmungs- und Verhaltensveränderungen. Über weite Strecken ein Buch für den amerikanischen Markt, sind Idee und Fazit doch global bedeutend. (1) (Heidrun Küster)
Ein Jahr lang konsumierten die Autorin und ihr Mann nur das Nötigste. Eingebracht hat ihnen das eine Geldersparnis, mindestens 3 Monate Zeitgewinn und viele Erkenntnisse über moderne Gesellschaften. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)301Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Sociology and anthropologyKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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Ms. Levine, on the other hand, still wants to buy stuff, struggles with the idea of "necessity" and shares the good and bad of her experience.
After reading another "1 year project" book in which it seemed the author's partner did little but belittle and ridicule her and her project, I liked how Ms. Levine's partner was. Refreshing to read a book where the author really likes the people in their lives. ( )