Spent

October 1, 2014

In this distinct and thoughtful work, editor Cohen (Seeing Ezra) brings together over two dozen authors to share their insights and experiences of shopping both online and in their favorite stores. Individual authors' narratives are discussed in various frames such as the parent-child relationship and how shopping can strengthen or weaken these bonds, the urge to steal and its subconscious meaning, and the desires for and the realities of an anticonsumer lifestyle. The text also includes perspectives on what motivates people to purchase and acquire possessions. Readers who frequently and joyfully shop will be nodding along through many of the stories and recognizing and appreciating the heart and humor associated with this familiar act, artfully displayed by each contributor. However, even people who rarely visit stores or enjoy shopping will find that this book provides introspection as well as sociological and cultural insights into a ordinary but often marginalized behavior. VERDICT Recommended for shopping enthusiasts and those interested in the activity's sociological, economical, and personal effects on our lives.--Jennifer Harris, Southern New Hampshire Univ. Lib., Manchester

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2014
This collection of essays reads like True Confessions, which, after all, is how shopping is perceived by many U.S. women. Cohen (Loose Girl, 2008; Dirty Little Secrets, 2011) knows how to mix and match these 31 stories, providing a smile or a tear, instant recognition or bemused wondering. There's the mother's coveted red bag in The Things She Carried; merchandise bought that reminds the writer of the L'Oreal campaign, You're worth it; a bizarre tale of buying a stripped-down practical car while in the last stages of labor; even the poignant memory of shopping for breasts after cancer surgeryand a larger cup size. Every event in life is remembered, from birth and growing up to marriage, divorce, and cleaning out estates after parents pass on, in the context of shopping, no matter what the reason for retail therapy. Different voices, all plucked from professional writers, add power and polish to this anthology.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)