Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic

"Affluenza" is about the personal, social, economic and environmental costs of over-consumption - and what we can do to beat the "all-consuming bug" that's infecting the planet. The book presents symptoms (such as stress of excess, family convulsions, dilated pupils, resource exhaustion); historical and cultural origins; and proven cures. Here, in one source, is an accessible, humorous overview of a subject that is usually difficult to tie together. Looking at it as a single disease helps us connect the dots. The book is both accessible and academically rigorous and is directly linked with a popular TV series seen by 10 million people. It presents alternatives to the "American Dream" via five years of research and fascinating facts and data. There are short, interesting interviews with the best thinkers on this subject together with dozens of ideas and examples for improving our lives. The reader should be left with a feeling that we can "beat the bug".