>I'm on a discussion list with John de Graaf, one of the authors of
Affluenza
>(and producer of the PBS documentary). When I noticed that his book
>was ranked 236 in sales on Amazon and had 8 5-star reader reviews I
sent a
>note to the list remarking on John's modesty. I got a reply from a
fellow
>named Gabe Sinclair who has written a utopian novel called "The
Four-Hour
>Day." Gabe called Affluenza a cheap shot and challenged me to order a
copy
>of his book.
I wouldn't describe "Affluenza" as a "cheap shot." It's more like a blank bullet. Even before the foreword is done, De Graaf is assuring us this book will be "entertaining." He even wishes us "happy reading!" However, niceness and social criticism don't blend together well.
This leads to my biggest problem with the book -- it yearns too much for the absence of conflict. At one point, it warmly describes one community where the various members get together and discuss "issues." The books assures us that "that groups of ten encourage the sharing of opinions, stories, and convictions that stimulate personal change." They are also likely to encourage arguments which will make the ten people hate each other. "Affluenza" assumes too much benignity past the realm of materialism.
The book is not totally without value. It has all kinds of interesting statistics on the amount of gas sucked down by SUV's and the gallons of water needed to make hamburger. Yet the thesis is smothered by the friendly attitude.
I wrote a rough essay describing everything I don't like about this book. It's too big to post here, but if you're curious...
-- David