Consumerism FROM THE PUBLISHER
How and what you buy has repercussions that impact on people worldwide. This book examines the fundamental questions surrounding the issue of consumerism today. What is consumerism? When did consumerism begin? Why do businesses advertise? Are children affected by consumerism? How does consumerism affect poorer countries?
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Greg M. Romaneck
For many people living in developed countries the availability of a steadily increasing variety of products makes life quite comfortable. Conversely, citizens of developing countries see a world where the consumption of the privileged leads to a continuance of their poverty. Consumerism has become a fact of modern life; every time we turn on the television, drive a car, or visit a shopping mall we engage in an act of consumerism. Yet, while buying things can be fun, they bear a price tag far beyond that of the products selected. Consumerism also contributes to environmental destruction, waste, greed, and exploitation. For example, the cup of coffee purchased at a gourmet coffee vendor may be satisfying to the consumer, but the coffee beans used were probably produced in a poor country by farmers who eke out a subsistence living. It is inequities and hidden realities such as these that the author presents in this illustrated work using an analytical perspective to describe the growth of a consumer economy that spans the globe. This well-crafted and critical work does a superb job of connecting the social dots that link purchasing patterns with human costs. In the end, readers will come away from this thoughtful book with food for thought about this subject and their own behavior. 2004, Chrysalis Education, Ages 12 up.
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