A tongue-in-cheek nod to the misplaced moralism we invoke every time we rationalize our will to purchase. Mother Jones [A] gripping and illuminating account of the culture of consumerism and everything it involves: marketing, brand names, fashion, shopping, packaging, garbage, and above all the nature and meaning of consumerism itself.
A. C. Grayling Financial Times Twitchell is a manic ... Read morewriter. But the mania never overshadows the scholarship, which makes this a book that has the facts to back up the bons mots.
Ted Anthony The Associated Press [A] feisty defense of American materialism... Informative, lively... Twitchell has written vibrantly about everything from vampires to aesthetics, and he once again offers a stimulating ride.
Jack Sullivan, chair of American Studies at Rider University The Washington Post Book World An entertaining and insightful history of American commercialism.
David Kusnet Baltimore Sun [Twitchell] sets out to debunk the widely held belief that Americans are the hapless victims of advertising demons... A good read. Booklist Twitchell... offers an unparalleled diagnosis of consumerism as the primary meaning-making practice in Western culture. Christianity Today Show Less