I Wanted That, But Now I Don't.
Although this 2003 book about shopping has some nice historical tidbits and occasional sharp observations and isn't very long (222 pages), I had to struggle to finish. The author gives the impression that he had to struggle to finish writing the book. I Want That! feels labored and a bit perfunctory at times. Maybe it would have worked better as a longer book with more information about modern-day shopping or perhaps in a shorter form, like an article in The New Yorker.
I'm putting this book in my cull pile and donating it to the bookshelf in the foreign exchange students' dormitory. Maybe someone will appreciate I Want That! more than I did.
At least I enjoyed shopping for it.
3 comments:
So you wanted that book, but now you don't? :-)
There is a great book on a similar topic called Deluxe by Dana Thomas. It reads like a New Yorker article too but it doesn't feel at all padded. Plenty of material for a fascinating book. Perhaps the most enlightening chapter was on fake handbags and such and the truly horrific labor practices that go into making conterfeit products.
Maybe the title is meant to be taken as ironic.
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