- Paperback: 294 pages
- Publisher: Da Capo Press; Reprint edition (29 Aug 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0738207721
- ISBN-13: 978-0738207728
- Product Dimensions: 20.9 x 13.9 x 1.9 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 931,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Dematerializing: Taming The Power Of Possessions
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Product Description
Product Description
An insightful look at the misplaced faith we place in things, and meaningful advice on achieving material and emotional well-being. "Getting what you want" today is increasingly linked to buying something. But is the purchase always enough? Picking up where "simplifying" may not satisfy, Dematerializing acknowledges the pleasures, along with the pitfalls, of living in a material world. With a sharp reporter's eye and a wry sensibility, Jane Hammerslough encourages readers to explore how a consumption-crazed culture affects their own relationships with objects. By considering what possessions can and can't do, and by exploring where belief in the magic of the material encroaches on belief in ourselves and other people, Dematerializing offers insight into the pressures of living in a possession-obsessed environment--and ways to tame materialism in our own lives. Grounded by real-world examples, research, and the author's own experience, this inspiring book is for those who appreciate having "nice things" but are also disturbed by the control "nice things" sometimes have on their lives.
About the Author
An award-winning journalist, Jane Hammers lough has written feature stories and essays for Parenting, Child, Garden Design, Saveur, Trave l & Leisure, Country Living, and other national ma gazines. She lives with her husband and two sons i n Westport, Connecticut.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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11 reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Perceptive and Practical
27 Nov 2001
Format:Hardcover
This wonderful book is both highly thought-provoking and down-to-earth. It is a truism that American values over the last 20, 50, or 100 years have shifted dramatically toward accumulating material goods. Hammerslough explores the desperate paradox that even though we buy more and more things, they don't make us happier or draw us closer to our loved ones, despite the marketers' promises. Her distinctive contribution is to show just how far excess materialism alienates us from our own best selves, from loving and understanding others, from nurturing a true sense of security and belonging.
Every day, Americans receive over 3,000 marketing messages such as "Do you care enough to send the very best flowers?" or "Promise her anything, but give her Arpege". What effect does this really have on our relationships? On our sense of adequacy?
The book concludes with several modest and practical suggestions to help individuals refocus their emotional energies on what really matters, and to begin to ask the right questions to help separate between "want" and "need". One of the most appealing aspects of the book is Hammerslough's warm and humane first-person voice; she does not take a cold above-it-all approach by any means.
At Thanksgiving this year, we all agreed that Americans share a new sense of togetherness in the wake of recent national tragedies. In a sense, "Dematerializing" could not be more timely. This book is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to appreciate the simple pleasures of life more directly, without having to have the right "kit".
Also worth mentioning is the companion website, which contains source materials for discussion and interesting facts. An excerpt from the book's opening chapter is also available there.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Great Read
3 Oct 2001
Format:Hardcover
Dematerializing is a thought-provoking, fascinating book about why
we want, want, want to buy more and more things. It's original and relevant because it doesn't go over the same tired arguments about consuming and spending less. Instead, it explores motivation behind buying and the meaning that objects hold, and offers practical suggestions for feeling you have 'enough' in a materialistic culture. Hammerslough's very appealing tone and thorough research resonated for me, and I'd recommend it highly.
we want, want, want to buy more and more things. It's original and relevant because it doesn't go over the same tired arguments about consuming and spending less. Instead, it explores motivation behind buying and the meaning that objects hold, and offers practical suggestions for feeling you have 'enough' in a materialistic culture. Hammerslough's very appealing tone and thorough research resonated for me, and I'd recommend it highly.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Thoughtful advise
31 May 2002
Format:Hardcover
Because we practice a voluntary simplicity, your money or your life way of living I am always interested in books on the subject of downsizing or decluttering or dematerializing. So this book caught my eye. I especially liked how she speaks to the issues of fear and feeling one may be deprived if they do with less. How as a society we have evolved and look to things to bring us a feeling of worth or happiness whereas in decades past it was family and friends whom we turned to. Ironically those were also the decades when people had money in savings accounts and weren't in debt. The books premise really is money cant buy you love.
I especially liked Chapter 11 where the author talks about the value of having one day (Sunday) where we don't do anything except rest and relax. And she differentiates between recreation and fun and real rest and relaxation. And she discusses developing a will for living. Doing what gives one pleasure as well as an income. And the importance of simply being thankful for what one has. I really agree with her on that. I often stand in the shower and realize that there are people who have no indoor plumbing. No hot water at the turn of a knob, and now clean clothes fresh out of a washing machine and dried and ready for me to wear. Or the fact that I turn a knob and I have hot water to wash dishes, which in turn helps prevent diseases that in so many of the worlds countries are rampant.
It is a book I recommend although I believe Your Money or Your Life is number one and the author agrees since she lists it on the books to read section.
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