Book Review: Not Buying It

I recently received a copy of Judith Levine's newest book: Not Buying It (My Year Without Shopping) from the book's publisher. Having just turned the final page, I'm now offering an equally free review of the book. Caution: free advice is often worth about as much as you paid for it. [wink wink]

The Good: Judith's journey into frugality is well-penned, illustrating her day-to-day struggles with an austere lifestyle. Her target market is the typical American, who tends to overspend, overconsume, and undersave. She draws some interesting parallels with writers of antiquity, ranging from the obvious--like Thoreau--to the obscure, such as a 1950's anthropologist who discusses the morality of gift-giving.

The Bad: The chief complaint I have about the book is that Judith's journey into frugality isn't terribly remarkable. Her self-imposed asceticism is simply normal for many Americans. Instead of giving up consumption altogether, she just ratchets it down to a level that many would peg at "sensible." While it's interesting to watch her wrestle with the dividing line between wants and needs, I have trouble relating to her agonizing over buying a $130 skirt that doesn't fit right in the first place. (She doesn't buy it) But viewing this sort of dilemma as some sort of sacrifice is sulf-indulgent to say the least.

Further, Judith's narrative has a heavy political slant, which tends to distract from the central financial message. I even had to skim over the occasional rant when she got preachy. Judith's writing also lacks transparency at times, often over-embellishing with ten dollar words, when 10 cent words would do just fine. While I commend her on her grade AAA vocabulary, she should aim for a lower common denominator if she's going to write a book for the unwashed masses.

On a final note, there's a grammar mistake that slipped past the author's and editor's eye. I point it out because I'm a pedant, and it disappoints me to see professionals fail to use the proper form of the verb graduate. A student graduates from a school. The school graduates the students. The distinction between the intransitive and transitive form is one that escapes many an American.

While I have no doubt that Judith's experience was personally enlightening for her, I would think that most people who already consider themselves frugal would find this book uninspiring. All in all, I'd recommend this book if you're not particularly financially savvy, tend to spend impulsively, or shop to cope with boredom. Others may be well advised to continue browsing the bookshelf.