Not Buying It -- My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine

From Publisher's Weekly:

Since giving up shopping entirely is impossible in North America (buying food requires money), the most interesting aspect of Levine's adventure is the process of defining necessity. High-speed Internet access, Q-tips and any soap fancier than Ivory, for example, are all ruled out as luxuries. With chapters divided by month, the book witnesses Levine's journey from enthusiastic experimenter in January to a still game but weary participant by the fall, as favorite luxuries run out and clothes become shabbier. As Levine trades in movies and restaurants for the public library system and dinner parties at home, she is forced to reflect on not only the personal indulgences she's become used to but also their place in defining her social space. Since this book is about exploring consumerism rather than economizing (although she does manage to save $8,000 by the end of the year), Levine investigates several anticonsumer movements—she joins her local Voluntary Simplicity group, participates in Buy Nothing Day and consults experts on issues of consumerism and conservation. Yet the most insightful aspect is Levine's account of her own struggle to keep down her day-to-day consumption of goods and to define the fine line between need and want.

This book was not what I expected. I was prepared for a much lighter read, something with more humor (although there were a couple of light chuckles). The author makes a number of good points, although many of them are decidedly political -- since I am of the same political stripe as Ms. Levine, this was not a problem, but I can definitely see where others of differing viewpoints would get distracted and lose the point of her message. All told, I'd have to say that the book was slightly better than average, the writing style is easy to follow and it moves quickly. I'm not sorry to have read it but I do wish I'd read some of my other TBR books first.