Affluenza: Amazon.co.uk: Oliver James: Books

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Product Description

Daily Telegraph

"full of sensible advice" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

The Guardian, Nick Lezard

"as Oliver James's very important book demonstrates...he has thought about the problem a lot and he approaches it in a very winning fashion...he is consistently engaging in both his apercus and his occasionally eccentric asides"
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

74 Reviews

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(28)

Average Customer Review

2.7 out of 5 stars (74 customer reviews)

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44 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting theory, poorly delivered, 12 Jun 2008

By	C. J. Paterson "C P" (England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Affluenza (Paperback)

I agree that this book is not very well written at all, so much so that it failed to keep me engaged. I gave up half way through. Although I agreed with the authors original premise, I do believe that Alain De Botton wrote a much better book with Status Anxiety and explained the premise in a much clearer and concise manner.

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143 of 168 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment, 3 Mar 2007

By	Psychoanalysis is quackery - See all my reviews

Poorly researched and badly debated arguments are put forward in almost every chapter. For example, we are told that the Italian are better at coping with advanced capitalism than the British or the American; yet no statistical evidence is provided to support this notion.
Conversly, the author tells us that the Danish are better adjusted and more contented than any other population in the western world; he has overlooked the statistic on suicide, alcohol abuse and racism available all the scandinavian countries, including Denmark.

This is a classic example of navel gazing and bellyaching by the middle class for the middle class. A real disappointment.

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210 of 247 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A book to be sneezed at, 13 Feb 2007

By	Thomas B. Kilcourse "Tom Kilcourse" (France) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In the first chapter it becomes clear that the author set out with an answer, and didn't need to ask the questions. For me he lost credibility by using a conversation with a Nigerian driving a Taxi in New York to 'demonstrate' that Nigeria is a happier place than NY. So what was 'Chet' doing in Big Apple? Having been to Nigeria I know the answer. The author asked 'Chet', this very nice,decent man, if he had ever cheated on his wife. Did he really expect a truthful answer?

I found the writing lightweight, and the 'research' banal. Sorry, but I prefer Fromm undiluted.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A plea for sanity
Of course, those on the market-minded right hate this book (just read some of these rabid reviews), but they would - because James convincingly shows them to be worshipping false... Read more

Published 2 days ago by The Less Deceived

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible as Science and Social Science book... possibly okay as a self help book
The book is all about what the author (Oliver James) causes affluenza, by which he basically means the social pressure to "keep up with the Jones". Read more

Published 1 month ago by Paul UK

5.0 out of 5 stars The model for happiness
Money does not equal success. The celebrity obsessed, TV on all day, shop 'till you drop generation are never going to get this but just leave them to their X Factor, lottery,... Read more

Published 1 month ago by P. LEWIS

1.0 out of 5 stars Dreadful read
Save your time as well as your money by not buying this book. I got about a third of the way through, before giving up, and realising that the list of spurious examples given to... Read more

Published 2 months ago by R. English

4.0 out of 5 stars Provocative, potentially life changing but a puzzling literary style
Bought this book despite the welter of hysterical antipathy expressed by a number of previous reviewers, maybe even because of it and am glad I did. Read more

Published 2 months ago by B. A. Hallewell

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and essentially correct but has flaws
The central premis of the book is that our increasing obsession with more possessions and jobs with "status" in bad for our mental health. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Mr. J. P. Shields

1.0 out of 5 stars Patronising, verbose anecdotal observations
The book jacket says that there's an epidemic of 'affluenza' sweeping through the English-speaking world, an obsessive, keeping-up-the-the-Joneses feeling that makes us twice as... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Stephen T.

4.0 out of 5 stars Affluenza
I'm only a 1/4 of the way through this book... but it makes me feel good about myself!

:)

Published 3 months ago by Ms. J. Richards

1.0 out of 5 stars Superficial and full of confirmation bias
Awful, awful book. I thought Freud had been comprehensively removed from modern psychiatric practice, and yet Oliver James, claiming to be a practising psychiatrist, continually... Read more

Published 4 months ago by Robert J. Kerr

2.0 out of 5 stars A long rant by James
The opening chapter puts forward the premise that society and our mental health is being damaged by overspending. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Barry

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	84% buy the item featured on this page: Affluenza 2.7 out of 5 stars (74)
	7% buy They F*** You Up: How to Survive Family Life 4.0 out of 5 stars (41) �5.51
	5% buy Status Anxiety 4.0 out of 5 stars (27) �5.72
	3% buy The Selfish Capitalist: Origins of Affluenza 3.6 out of 5 stars (23) �5.74

Affluenza (Hardcover)

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