Reviews

"Levine joins the ranks of authors who do crazy things (like reading the "Encyclopedia Britannica)" and then write books about it -- in her case giving up buying anything but 'necessities' for a year. But Levine lends her project global implications with thorough reporting about everything from consumer psychology to the decline of public libraries. She sells the heavy stuff by interweaving it with her lighter personal quandaries: Can she live without her beloved SmartWool socks? Are Q-tips a necessity? And, 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 her own book well worth its price."-- "Entertainment Weekly" (Editor's Choice)

"Provocative. Plus, its secondary sources, from the recently issued "Trading Up" to federal deficit projections to Socratic pronouncements, add a great deal of depth to a topic that could be perceived as frivolous."-- "Booklist"

"With great wit and spirit, Judith Levine tackles a profound question: Why do we buy and what do we get out of it? Clue: the answer is not just things. Outside the marketplace, the author travels from Simplicity self-help meetings to the terrorism marketplace, from confrontations with private longing to celebrations of the public good -- and from consumer to citizen. If you have to do without, or just want to do with less, Levine is the person to do it with."-- Barbara Ehrenreich, author of "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" and "Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream"