Elsewhere, U.S.A.: How We Got From the Affluent Society to the Home Office Audiobook (Unabridged)

" I want to like this book--from the descriptions it seems that it describes my lifestyle pretty well. But 50 pages in, I'm not liking it much at all. Sorry, but using the word "paradigm" several times on the very first page is not a way to hook readers. Right now it's reading as a mildly interesting book appearing on a course syllabus, which I can only read a few pages at a time without falling asleep. The author IS a professor, which could be why it has that feel. It's short on actual examples of people's lives and long on complicated thoughts and sentences. The most interesting part so far is when he describes how is own wife ignores their child -- even when he has wet his bed and needs to be comforted by mom -- in order to keep working through all hours of the night. I keep waiting for him to mention his divorce but it appears that he doesn't think anything is wrong with his wife doing that because it's reflective of current societal norms. I'll give it one more chapter before it's reduced to "skim only" status. If it were from the library I'd probably be skimming already. ---- Update: Yep, it got reduced to skim-only! But I did finish it at least. "

" A busy professional with an equally busy spouse -- he is Chair of New York University's Sociology Department; his wife is experimental designer Natalie Jeremijenko -- Dalton Conley lives the multiple lives he describes. Most critics think he has honed a forward-looking book that successfully combines personal anecdote and hard science. Even if his ideas are not cutting-edge, he is a "lively if sometimes overheated writer" (New York Times Book Review) who presents a snapshot of our times that some of those "intraviduals" might actually read on the morning commute. Conley's penchant for coining new expressions and his ability to synthesize discrete strands of information draw a few comparisons to the work of Malcolm Gladwell. That's not necessarily a good thing, though, as some critics feel Conley is more interested in creating lingo than in figuring out where Elsewhere is really at.This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine. "

" I hated this book so much that I kept reading so I could find more things to hate about it. It's like an all-you-can-eat stereotype buffet. It opens with an absurd caricature of an urban professional as if Conley's ability to dream it up somehow proves his point. This becomes a habit, in which he simply makes huge assumptions and then works off of them without bothering to justify them. The only observations that I didn't hate were the completely obvious and unoriginal ones. I don't know why I don't learn my lesson about these books. "

" Wished it was less sociology and more philosophy (the multiple-selves thing). Entertaining enough in a 3-star way, though. "

" Great read on how profoundly daily life has changed in the last 40+ years. And not always for the better. Fascinating. "

" very interesting read. Makes me feel old though as the author is almost talking about another generation taking over. . . "

" Thesis was a little all over the place, but a lot of good social commentary on the negative impact of "stuff" and being constantly connected in our society. "

" A should-read book for knowledge workers and entrepreneurs on concepts and social trends. "

" Good book that discusses how our business life is now co-mingling with our personal life "

" Easy read- and interesting read as well about how we live and how the public/private lives we lead are blurred. Didn't know he was also the author of "Honky" which is a book I received about 6 years ago and haven't read yet! Will be digging it out of storage to check it out. "

" Intelligent and well-researched, I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in why we are where we are at currently in regards to the 24-hour work cycle, which I personally desperately try to get away from. An excellent book. "

" An interesting view of our fast paced lives with new research to explain why we never get it all done. "

" Great sociological review of how american society has changed from the time of the 1950's "Organization Man" to the current always on blackberry lifestyle with less and less true leisure time. "

" Short book on demographic changes in the US and how upper-middle class lives are changing; over-generalized at times but some interesting insights "

" The 1st 100 and last 8 pages are worth a read. It presents an interesting perspective on the changing role of work and leisure in today's world ... "

" Mostly boring. I skimmed through and wasn't sucked in. "

" interesting all the way through "

" Mostly boring. I skimmed through and wasn't sucked in. "

" A sociological view on how the family and work dynamic has changed with the advent of technology and work and such. I’m still not sure if I liked it - some conclusions sat well with me, some did not. "

" The 1st 100 and last 8 pages are worth a read. It presents an interesting perspective on the changing role of work and leisure in today's world ... "

" Definitely full of facts and things to think about, whether or not I entirely agree with the thesis. "

" I enjoy comparing social/culture changes between generations and this book definitely outlines how much faster our world has changed in the last 50 years, and whether or not we can call that progress? "

" Thesis was a little all over the place, but a lot of good social commentary on the negative impact of "stuff" and being constantly connected in our society. "

" Easy read- and interesting read as well about how we live and how the public/private lives we lead are blurred. Didn't know he was also the author of "Honky" which is a book I received about 6 years ago and haven't read yet! Will be digging it out of storage to check it out. "