- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (24 Oct 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0470379200
- ISBN-13: 978-0470379202
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.3 x 1.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 546,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
A Year Without "Made in China"
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Journalist Bongiorni, on a post–Christmas day mired deep in plastic toys and electronics equipment, makes up her mind to live for a year without buying any products made in China, a decision spurred less by notions of idealism or fair trade—though she does note troubling statistics on job loss and trade deficits—than simply "to see if it can be done." In this more personal vein, Bongiorni tells often funny, occasionally humiliating stories centering around her difficulty procuring sneakers, sunglasses, DVD players and toys for two young children and a skeptical husband. With little insight into global economics or China′s manufacturing practices, readers may question the point of singling out China when cheap, sweatshop–produced products from other countries are fair game (though Bongiorni cheerfully admits the flaws in her project, she doesn′t consider fixing them). Still, Bongiorni is a graceful, self–deprecating writer, and her comic adventures in self–imposed inconvenience cast an interesting sideways glance at the personal effects of globalism, even if it doesn′t easily connect to the bigger picture.(July) (Publishers Weekly, August 6, 2007)
"a wry look at the ingenuity it takes to shun the planet′s fastest–growing economy." (Bloomberg News)
"The West′s dependence on Chinese exports was neatly summed up" (The Telegraph, Sunday 12th August 2007)
"What the year–long experiment did achieve, was to switch on Bongiorni as a consumer and make her alive to the complexities and shifting power of the international economy. (Financial Times, Saturday 25th August)
"...a fascinating and entertaining look at just how much of a challenge an average consumer faces...to avoid buying Chinese goods." (Supply Management, Thursday 31st January 2008)
"...an interesting sideways glance at the personal effects of globalism..." (Publishers Weekly, August 6, 2007)
"a wry look at the ingenuity it takes to shun the planet′s fastest–growing economy." (Bloomberg News, Tues 31st July 2007)
"The West′s dependence on Chinese exports was neatly summed up" (The Telegraph, Sunday 12th August 2007)
"What the year–long experiment did achieve, was to switch on Bongiorni as a consumer." (Financial Times, Saturday 25th August)
"...a fascinating and entertaining look at just how much of a challenge [...a...] consumer faces...to avoid buying Chinese goods." (Supply Management, Thursday 31st January 2008) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
The Telegraph, Sunday 12th August 2007
"The West's dependence on Chinese exports was neatly summed up"
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a very entertaining read, where the author, Sara Bongiorni, shares her adventures of a year without trying to purchase any products made in China. As the year gathers pace, she realises just how difficult this task really is. The tales of how her children, husband and mother react to her experiment will put a smile on your face! She shares insights into how much we rely on the manufacturing industry of China, but without giving over-powering facts and figures. This is definitely not a China-bashing book, but a thought-provoking read on one person's quest to see how easily we can live without China.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
From head to toe, American consumers are walking advertisements for products from China. But few shoppers realize the depth and national economic implications of their dependence on "Made-in-China" goods. Writing with heart and precision, Sara Bongiorni - who decided that her family wouldn't buy Chinese merchandise for a year - uses trade data, shopping mishaps and family squabbles to outline the complex relationship between Chinese merchandise, U.S. consumers and American job loss. Her narrative is funny, factual and entertaining. She delivers insightful lessons about trade, manufacturing and finance. The author attempts to avoid China-bashing and repeatedly mentions her distant Chinese ancestry, but the book occasionally steps into the uncomfortable territory of nationalism on the subject of race and international commerce. Still, this is a delightful, informative read. We recommend it for every shopping list.
0 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Very bad book... Sara should have decided to take EVERYTHING CHINA MADE out of her family's life, not only new items. Her family are not described like real characters. We expect everything that happens. It's truly not worth reading.
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