Something New to Read

For Christmas, my aunt visited her local used book store and picked up my gift there. I'm just starting this new-to-me book, and so far I'm really enjoying it. It's called Not Buying It by Judith Levine.

It's all about this woman (who happens to be a writer, so it's easy on the reader) who decides she and her life-partner, Paul, have had it with the consumer driven society that we've built around ourselves. So, in 2004, she and Paul go a year without shopping. So far, it's been thought-provoking. It's written like a journal, with entries every so often about what they are missing and what they are learning about what it is like to break away from the expectations we have about ourselves and the stresses of the consumer market. I've only read the first two chapters, but so far I'm very intrigued as the rules start to unfold as to what "not buying it" means to this couple and how their journey will present itself.

My coworker, Andree', is doing her own sort of "not buying it" experiment where she can't buy anything new except for essentials and things that get used up. (Things like food, obviously, and like changing the oil in her car: something that must be done to maintain the car and is used up. You can't buy used motor oil!) And she is excited to read this one as well. It has been fun comparing the two missions of "not buying it."

Mostly, I'm excited about this book and I wanted to share. I'll let you know how it goes from here!