Wishing Shelf Review - AMERICAN STEW

THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS
25th Jan, 2016
TITLE: American Stew: Hope in a Toxic Culture
AUTHOR: Stephen James
Star Rating: 4.5

‘A fascinating, often uncomfortable look at the ‘toxic’ problems inherent in North American culture. Highly recommended.’

REVIEW
Let me begin by saying I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating look at North American contemporary life and the author’s proposals to alter it. Well written and highly accessible, it looks critically at a number of important cultural problems including many Americans’ obsession with ‘bigger – everything’. But, thankfully, the author also has the courage not only to critically analysis but also to offer solutions to what he feels is a culture that has evolved to ‘oppress and exploit’.
Acknowledging how effective the American way of life is to ‘propelling humanity forward’ he confronts the negative
effects of such a mechanism and how it results in pushing the populace to ‘their psychological limits, leaving them exposed to rising levels of anxiety’. He also looks at how Americans disconnect from this reality, relying on an outdate American image of ‘freedom and opportunity for all’.
I would think, a day after putting this book down, that many Americans would find this cultural analysis uncomfortable reading. It is not a ‘pat on the back’ read and it is not a ‘put it down and forget it’ sort of read. It is a thoughtfully and well-argued look at ‘toxic culture’ and a suggested method of countering it.
Can I recommend this book? Yes. I think students of psychology and economics would find it interesting and eye-opening as it offers a very different problem/answer to many cultural ills. But, I think, many everyday Americans would also find it helpful. With so many being affected by stress, alcohol and drugs, this book might help them to understand how ‘American life’ is the root of many such problems. As the author shows us from USA TODAY ‘…a 16-hour day means you don’t have to deal with the messiness of life’.
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
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