"Sam Dogen, creator of the Financial Samurai blog, knows that you need to spend money to make money. He’s taught over 90 million readers how to invest wisely in all facets of life, from education to parenting to relationships to side hustles, even choosing where to work and play. Now, in his Wall Street Journal bestseller, Buy This, Not That, the Financial Samurai takes the guesswork out of financial planning and shows you exactly what to buy, how...

The best-selling phenomenon from Japan that shows us a minimalist life is a happy life.

Fumio Sasaki is not an enlightened minimalism expert or organizing guru like Marie Kondo—he's just a regular guy who was stressed out and constantly comparing himself to others, until one day he decided to change his life by saying goodbye to everything he didn't absolutely need. The effects were remarkable: Sasaki gained true freedom,

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Meet Randall, one of 20 million people worldwide shopping for a shirt on any given day. Amazingly, he and the 19,999,999 others find a shirt they want to buy. Who's behind this remarkable system that supplies shirts, food, shelter and most other desires of daily life?

In these deeply researched essays, a Paris Review contributor blends science, history, and memoir to explore human obsession with gorgeous things, exposing the fraught histories of makeup, silk, jewels, perfume, and other objects, helping readers to ethically partake in the beauty of the world around them.

"White Noise tells the story of Jack Gladney, his fourth wife, Babette, and four ultra­modern offspring as they navigate the rocky passages of family life to the background babble of brand-name consumerism. When an industrial accident unleashes an 'airborne toxic event,' a lethal black chemical cloud floats over their lives. The menacing cloud is a more urgent and visible version of the 'white noise' engulfing the Gladneys—radio transmissions,...

Economist and bestselling author Juliet Schor lays out a positive vision for rethinking our relationship to consumer goods in this accessible and timely analysis of the devastating ecological, social, and personal costs of mass consumerism. Ranging from cutting-edge developments in economic theory, social analysis, and ecological design to real-world examples of these ideas being put into practice around the world, Schor makes a compelling case that...

Edward O. Wilson The future of life: Biodiversity in the New Millennium excellent. A vivid and hopeful journey through the world of biodiversity. Wilson's ideas are seminal to any serious discussion of the relationship between science, nature, and humanity. Peter Raven, Chair, National Research Council, Division of Earth and Life Studies Bottlenecks: From the destruction of natural habitats to the accelerating loss of species, Wilson sets his stage...

"As we become a more digital society, the gains that have been made for the environment by moving toward a paperless world with more and more efficient devices will soon be or already have been offset by the number of devices in our lives that are always using energy. But many don't think about the impact on the environment of the "Internet of things." Whether it's a microwave connected to the internet, use of Netflix, or online shopping, these technological...

"Eleanor Tucker sets out a bold vision of how sustainable sharing can save us money, and lead to a happier future. What is the Sharing Economy? How can it help us live more affordable, more sustainable, and ultimately more fulfilling lives? What would happen if for one year a family pledged to share as much as they possibly can? Instead of owning more and more stuff, what it’s like to stop owning things and borrow, lend, rent and swap instead?...

"In Consumed, Barber calls for change within an industry that regularly overreaches with abandon, creating real imbalances in the environment and the lives of those who do the work--often in unsafe conditions for very low pay--and the billionaires who receive the most profit. A story told in two parts, Barber exposes the endemic injustices in our consumer industries and the uncomfortable history of the textile industry, one which brokered slavery,...