The Overspent American
Why We Want What We Don't Need
Schor, Juliet B.
Publisher: HarperCollins, New York
Year Published: 1998
Pages: 272pp ISBN: 978-0060977580
Library of Congress Number: HF5415.33.U6S36 199 Dewey: 339.4/7/0973
Resource Type: Book
Cx Number: CX15944
The Overspent American explores why so many of us feel materially dissatisfied, why we work staggeringly long hours and yet walk around with ever-present mental "wish lists" of things to buy or get, and why Americans save less than virtually anyone in the world. Unlike many experts, Harvard economist Juliet B. Schor does not blame consumers' lack of self-discipline. Nor does she blame advertisers. Instead she analyzes the crisis of the American consumer in a culture where spending has become the ultimate social art.