Not Buying It by Judith Levine Review
January 9th, 2007 by admin
Ever since my husband read a self improvement book last year that recommended a person go wild and really de-clutter their living quarters (and after being harassed about doing it so long that I finally gave in and did it just so my husband would quit bugging me), I’ve become more aware of how much stuff I have and how much of it I don’t need. By the way, the de-cluttering was painful but my house looks much better and I can easily find something I’m looking for, mostly because I no longer have very much stuff to look through.
Also my daughter is an environmental major at college, so I’ve been taught lots about what people from highly industrialized countries, especially people in America, are doing to our planet. It’s not a pretty story.
That’s a long introduction to why I wanted to read this book. I’ve been trying to simplify my life and be more conscious of what I’m purchasing, so I was intrigued by the thought of someone taking a whole year to not buy anything other than items the author and her partner deemed necessities.
Although there were interesting parts in the book, I didn’t think it spent enough time talking about how the author and her partner managed to not buy things. After all, they did live in New York City part of the year and that’s not exactly a place where you can dig up a patch in your yard and plant a big garden to help sustain you. Yes, the author explained how they repaired their toaster and her watch instead of buying new ones; but those stories were a minor part of the book instead of the main focus. I was disappointed by that.
Instead I learned a lot about the author’s philosophical and political views on various topics including the state of New York City’s library system.
Yes, the author talked about topics that were thought provoking, such as how Americans consume and waste much more than people of other countries and how, if everyone consumed at the rate people in America do, that we would need three planets to sustain the people of the world.
Although I will never diminish how hard it must have been to forgo dining out and purchasing items like clothing for an entire year, I also wonder how much of a stockpile of things they had if it took until August of the year of “not buying it” to finish the last jar of hoisin sauce they owned.
Do I recommend the book? Yes, I do. It will get you thinking about your consumer habits and maybe get you to think twice before you purchase un-necessary items. But be aware that you will be reading about a lot more than someone’s one year journey in life without shopping for un-necessary things.
Did I enjoy the book and learn as much as I thought I would? No. More stories and strategies directly related to getting by without purchasing things would have made the book much more enjoyable to me.
My rating (0-10 smilies): 5 ☻☻☻☻☻☺☺☺☺☺