Amazon.com ReviewIn their eye-opening, soul-prodding look at the excess of American society, the authors of Affluenza include two quotations that encapsulate much of the book: T.S. Eliot's line "We are the hollow men / We are the stuffed men," which opens one of this book's chapters, and a quote from a newspaper article that notes "We are a nation that shouts at a microwave oven to hurry up." If these observations make you grimace at your own ruthless consumption or sigh at the hurried pace of your life, you may already be ill. Read on.The definition of affluenza, according to de Graaf, Wann, and Naylor, is something akin to "a painful, contagious, socially-transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more." It's a powerful virus running rampant in our society, infecting our souls, affecting our wallets and financial well-being, and threatening to destroy not only the environment but also our families and communities. Having begun life as two PBS programs coproduced by de Graaf, this book takes a hard look at the symptoms of affluenza, the history of its development into an epidemic, and the options for treatment. In examining this pervasive disease in an age when "the urge to splurge continues to surge," the first section is the book's most provocative. According to figures the authors quote and expound upon, Americans each spend more than $21,000 per year on consumer goods, our average rate of saving has fallen from about 10 percent of our income in 1980 to zero in 2000, our credit card indebtedness tripled in the 1990s, more people are filing for bankruptcy each year than graduate from college, and we spend more for trash bags than 90 of the world's 210 countries spend for everything. "To live, we buy," explain the authors--everything from food and good sex to religion and recreation--all the while squelching our intrinsic curiosity, self-motivation, and creativity. They offer historical, political, and socioeconomic reasons that affluenza has taken such strong root in our society, and in the final section, offer practical ideas for change. These use the intriguing stories of those who have already opted for simpler living and who are creatively combating the disease, from making simple habit alterations to taking more in-depth environmental considerations, and from living lightly to managing wealth responsibly. Many books make you think the author has crammed everything he or she knows into it. The feeling you get reading Affluenza is quite different; the authors appear well-read, well-rounded, and intelligent, knowledgeable beyond the content of their book but smart enough to realize that we need a short, sharp jolt to recognize our current ailment. It's a well-worn cliché that money can't buy happiness, but this book will strike a chord with anyone who realizes that more time is more valuable than toys, and that our relentless quest for the latest stuff is breeding sick individuals and sick societies. Affluenza is, in fact, a clarion call for those interested in being part of the solution. --S. KetchumFrom Library JournalDe Graaf, producer of the PBS documentaries Affluenza (1996) and Escape from Affluenza (1998); David Wann, a former EPA staffer and expert on sustainable lifestyles; and Thomas H. Naylor, professor emeritus in economics at Duke, have assembled an updated and more in-depth look at the epidemic of overconsumption sweeping the United States and the rest of the world, based on de Graaf's documentaries. They define "affluenza" as "a painful, contagious, socially-transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more" and examine the spiraling cycle of overconsumption, spending, stress, and broken relationships caused by America's obsession with uncontrolled economic growth at any cost. This witty yet hard-hitting book provides evidence of the social problems caused by the American obsession with acquiring "stuff" and proposes solutions for living more sustainably. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries. Mark Bay, Indiana Univ.Purdue Univ. Lib., Indianapolis Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 39
Scotland, 1306. Violet of Caladan refuses to be any man’s prize, though her
father insists she marry a warrior who can protect their land from a vicious killer.
Highlander Finn Mac Néill has answered her father’s call for a champion to hunt the
murderer, but it is Violet who catches the seductive warrior’s eye. She cannot long
resist Finn’s sensual pursuit, blaming a faulty love potion for her heated response to
him. But the longer she serves the Highlander’s pleasure, the more she discovers her own
desires…. Views: 39
For every attraction...When it comes to breaking the rules, Summer Farnsworth is an expert. From her wild braids to her vintage bustiers, she lives by her own guide. So how can she explain her attraction to Mr. By-the-Book, Jackson Taggart? Sure, the guy is gorgeous with to-die-for shoulders, but she can't get to those shoulders through all the starch in his shirt! After a few steamy kisses, however, she's willing to play by the rules of seduction...if only for a day or two!There's an equal opposite reaction!Jackson knows that life with Summer would be simpler if he just wanted a fling. But something about her uninhibited ways has him captivated and he knows it will take more than a few weeks to satisfy his desire for her. In fact, it could take forever. So, armed with a few sensual moves, Jackson begins his campaign to persuade Summer that the best sparks fly when opposites attract.... Views: 39
The Left Hand of DarknessSutty, an Observer from Earth for the interstellar Ekumen, has been assigned to a new world-a world in the grips of a stern monolithic state, the Corporation. Embracing the sophisticated technology brought by other worlds and desiring to advance even faster into the future, the Akans recently outlawed the past, the old calligraphy, certain words, all ancient beliefs and ways; every citizen must now be a producer-consumer. Their state, not unlike the China of the Cultural Revolution, is one of secular terrorism. Traveling from city to small town, from loudspeakers to bleating cattle, Sutty discovers the remnants of a banned religion, a hidden culture. As she moves deeper into the countryside and the desolate mountains, she learns more about the Telling-the old faith of the Akans-and more about herself. With her intricate creation of an alien world, Ursula K. Le Guin compels us to reflect on our own recent history. Views: 39
From the National Book Award-winning author of classics like THE WOMAN WARRIOR comes a stirring collection of essays, celebrating memory, history, and island tradition.In these eleven thought-provoking pieces, originally gathered in a limited, hand-printed edition, acclaimed writer and feminist Maxine Hong Kingston tells stories of Hawai'i "piece by piece, and hope that the sum praises her." The essays provide readers with a generous sampling of Kingston's signature: her exquisite angle of vision, her balanced and clear-sighted prose, and her stunning insight that awakens one to a wealth of knowledge. Views: 39
The greatest treasures from the ancient world have been brought together in one place...a magnificent floating exhibition aboard a luxury cruise line...and the wealthy, powerful and famous have come to bask in the glow of ancient riches. Unfortunately, someone is about to crash the party in a big way. When Nick Kismet foils an attempted pirate takeover of the cruise ship and rescues the lovely Elisabeth Neuell, a former Hollywood starlet living the fairy tale dream of royalty, little does he suspect that he has been drawn into a dangerous game controlled by diabolical occult scholar Dr. John Leeds...a game where the prize is an ancient source of mystical power, and where the stakes are the fate of the world. Joined by Al Higgins, the former Curkha who once followed him into Hell---and Higgins' daughter, Annie Crane, Kismet begins a desperate race to find the source of immortality and keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Surviving Leed's web of intrigue and betrayal will put Kismet's courage and luck to the ultimate test. But fortune favors the bold! Views: 39
By day, she's a tough-minded prosecutor in Raythune County, West Virginia, a region scarred by poverty and prescription drug abuse. By night, Bell Elkins takes on a softer role. She volunteers at an auxiliary intensive care unit where nurses deal with the youngest and most vulnerable victims of drug abuse: the children born to mothers addicted to painkillers.The place is known as Evening Street, and it is here Bell comes whenever she can spare the time. She rocks ailing infants to sleep, and she provides what medical science-for all of its marvels-cannot: A simple human touch.One terrifying night, the distraught father of an Evening Street baby breaks into the facility. Gun in hand, he holds the staff hostage and demands a reckoning for a family grudge—with helpless infants only inches away. And so begins a standoff at Evening Street. Bell Elkins is swept up into the crisis, as the drama escalates toward a lethal flashpoint. At the center of it all is... Views: 39
February 1813With convoys from Canada and the Caribbean falling victim to American privateers, Sir Richard Bolitho returns to Halifax to pursue a war he knows will not be won, but which neither Britain nor the United States can afford to lose.England's youngest admiral desires only peace. But peace will not be found in the icy Canadian waters, where a young, angry nation asserts its identity and men who share a common heritage die in close and bloody action. Nor will there be a peace for those who follow the Cross of St George: for the embittered Adam, mourning his lover and his ship, nor for Rear-Admiral Valentine Keen, who must confront both grief and responsibility. Nor will there be peace from those enemies who use this struggle between nations as an instrument of personal revenge.Review"One of our foremost writers of naval fiction" Sunday Times "Shipwreck, survival ... a spirited battle ... a splendid yarn" The Times About the AuthorDouglas Reeman (Alexander Kent) did convoy duty in the Atlantic, the Arctic and the North Sea. He has written over thirty novels under his own name and more than twenty bestselling historical novels featuring Richard Bolitho under the pseudonym Alexander Kent. Views: 39
THE TRUE EVENTS THAT INSPIRED THE UPCOMING MAJOR MOTION PICTURE starring Forest Whitaker, Garrett Hedlund, Andrea Riseborough, and Usher; written and directed by Andrew Heckler; and produced by Robbie Brenner (Dallas Buyers Club)
A harrowing true story about the modern Ku Klux Klan and an act of compassion that shook a community in the Deep South.
In 1996, the town of Laurens, South Carolina, was thrust into the international spotlight when a white supremacist named Michael Burden opened a museum celebrating the Ku Klux Klan on the community's main square. Journalists and protestors flooded the town, and hate groups rallied to the establishment's defense, dredging up the long history of racial violence in this formerly prosperous mill town.
What came next is the subject of an upcoming major motion picture starring Forest Whitaker, Garrett Hedlund, Tom Wilkinson, Andrea Riseborough, and Usher Raymond. Shortly after his museum opened, Michael Burden abruptly left the Klan at the urging of a woman he fell in love with. Broke and homeless, he was taken in by Reverend David Kennedy, an African American preacher and leader in the Laurens community, who plunged his church headlong in a quest to save their former enemy.
In this spellbinding Southern epic, journalist Courtney Hargrave further uncovers the complex events behind the story told in Andrew Heckler's upcoming film, Burden, which won the 2018 Sundance Audience Award. Hargrave explores the choices that led to Kennedy and Burden's friendship, the social factors that drive young men to join hate groups, the intersection of poverty and racism in the divided South, and the difference one person can make in confronting America's oldest sin. Views: 38
Finding Atlantis is just the beginning...Psychic ex-spy Mira Raiden's discovery of the tomb of an Atlantean king, is just the first piece in a puzzle that will launch her on a journey to find the Trinity—an ancient device with the power to remake the world.But Mira is not alone in her search for the Trinity. Arrayed against her is an unholy alliance of evil: a team of brutish mercenaries; the beautiful but deadly daughter of Mira's former mentor; a manipulative grave robber, risen from the dead; and the heirs of the greatest evil the world has ever known.To find the Trinity and prevent the awakening of a horror beyond comprehension, Mira will travel to the ends of the earth, and into the darkest corners of a world that existed before history.*THIS BOOK WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE "DARK TRINITY- ASCENDANT"Praise for Ascendant“Sean Ellis delivers again with a globetrotting adventure replete with ancient... Views: 38
Car detective Jack Colby has a new case, but soon suspects much more is at stake...All is not well on the film set of director Bill Wade's new blockbuster Dark Harvest. At first Jack Colby, car detective, can't believe his luck when he is called in to investigate the disappearance of Bill Wade's rare 1935 Auburn speedster, but he soon realizes that this is no straightforward theft. Jack's warning lights are beginning to flash about his assignment—and rightly so, because the stage is set for murder. Views: 38
WINNER OF THE BOARDMAN TASKER PRIZE 2008Metro magazine recently wrote that Andy Kirkpatrick makes Ray Mears look like Paris Hilton. Words like boldness, adventure and risk were surely coined especially for him. As one of the world's most accomplished mountaineers and big-wall climbers, he goes vertically where other climbers (to say nothing of the general public) fear to tread.For the first time, this cult hero of vertical rock has written a book, in which his thirteen-day ascent of Reticent Wall on El Capitan in California - the hardest big-wall climb ever soloed by a Briton - frames a challenging autobiography. From childhood on a grim inner-city housing estate in Hull, the story moves through horrific encounters and unique athletic achievements at the extremes of the earth. As he writes, 'Climbs like this make no sense ... the chances of dying on the route are high.' Yet Andy, in his thirties with young children, has everything... Views: 38
