Based on two highly acclaimed PBS documentaries, Affluenza uses the metaphor of a disease to tackle a very serious subject: the damage done – to our health, our families, our communities, and our environment – by the obsessive quest for material gain. The authors show that problems like loneliness, rising debt, longer working hours, environmental pollution, family conflict and rampant commercialism are actually caused by the same “disease:” affluenza.
Affluenza presents the symptoms – stress of excess, family convulsions, dilated pupils, resource exhaustion – along with their historical and cultural origins. Most importantly, the book explores causes and cures, such as the “new frugality” and “voluntary simplicity” movements, and suggests strategies for rebuilding families and communities and for restoring and respecting the earth.
“The authors have packed their book with stunning facts, searing insights—and they point out a path forward.”
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“Affluenza should make us all realize that material possessions are never enough to satisfy spiritual hunger. The authors challenge us to think beyond the superficiality of individual economic demand to the deeper meaning of life.”
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“You’ll laugh…You’ll cry…You’ll cheer…You’ll growl. But you’ll be challenged and moved by this book. Affluenza shows how we can live simpler, more meaningful lives. It’s a fantastic book, very funny yet deeply serious.”
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