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kssntigger's review against another edition
3.0
Some interesting things discussed about shifting the "American Dream."
k80uva's review against another edition
2.0
I've thought a lot about the issues the author raises in this book (living smaller, living collectively, trying to have a good quality of life on less income than my parents), so I'm a natural audience for it--but for me this reads too much like a long TEDtalk and should have gone deeper on the subject.
pbobrit's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very interesting read. It takes as its premise that unfortunately most people today in the US (and other Western countries) won't be "better off" by the traditional standards; home ownership, available leisure time, security etc. than previous generations. The book examines how people are choosing new ways to define better off, using measures of social responsibility, experience over possessions, flexible working and thriving in the "gig" job market etc. The book is engagingly written and well researched. The author's writing style is a mixture of memoir, academic research and journalism. It is certainly a thought provoking read and one I'd recommend.
yanulya's review against another edition
2.0
Plenty of nuggets of good & worthy topics I'd love to see more discussion of... (and to discuss more with others). And I'm all for getting big topics across through personal stories, but the execution of the content felt TOO anecdotal, meandering, and often tangential to the topic at hand. It occasionally felt like it veered from social/cultural commentary to self help & motivational cheerleading. I wavered between 2 and 3 stars. I'm curious how many people read it and felt like they had "aha" moments, vs it mostly preaching to the choir. I suspect more of the latter. Nonetheless, it could be a decent discussion starter.
amyb24's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about redefining success to be about connection and community. I really enjoyed it. The book didn't strike the right balance for me between memoir and research, but I'd nonetheless recommend it.
christinel's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
This would have hit differently if I had read it when it first came out, but it seems sadly overoptimistic now.
puzzlebound's review against another edition
3.0
It didn't have any revolutionary ideas, but it did help solidify a lot of smaller ideas. I liked taking the opportunity to step back and reflect with the book.
boehmek's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know why we all think it's just millennials who are redefining how to live, and searching for what it means to be alive. We're in an age now that ALL of us are waking up to the fact that there's more than one path in life, and we all need to take responsibility for living it. Even though reviews of this book keep giving millennials the credit, I'm glad that the author doesn't beat this old tune. In THE NEW BETTER OFF, she challenges each of us to re-examine ourselves, forge a new path that feels right, and engage with others.
cpbindel's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this more than I did. Good for referencing many different initiatives, businesses, and projects that are innovative and driven by values. But a bit slow and overly focused on the author's own life.
lizziehutchins's review against another edition
4.0
"Independent contractors are increasing in number as well, growing by 2.1 million workers from 2010 to 2014, and accounting for 28.8 percent of all jobs added during the recovery. It is estimated that by 2020, freelancers will constitute more than 40 percent of the workforce." (p. 53)
"We're in the midst of a huge transition. Though many of the core ideas of what makes work meaningful and life bearable remain constant, we've come to realize that our old frameworks no longer serve us. The questions before us now aren't just technical, as in: How do we ensure that a profoundly transient workforce has access to fundamental human rights like healthcare, sick days, and family leave? Should we institute a basic income? They're philosophical as well, as in: How do we think about flexibility and fairness in a freelance world? Who is responsible for our fundamental well-being? Whom are we accountable to?" (pg. 55)
"Though 'mutual aid networks' is a wonky term, it means something pretty simple: groups of people who figure out ways to create more stability by pooling their resources (time and money, primarily) rather than being out for only themselves." (pg. 58)
"Numerous studies have shown that it's very difficult to break habits--and making money, in its own weird way, is a habit. What's more, a higher wage might protect you from plunging into medical debt, but stress and overwork are disastrous for your health in the first place. So many of us pursue more earnings as if on autopilot, either because we're convinced a bigger bank account will bring blanket security, or because we've conflated success with the figure on our paychecks." (pg. 72)
"Without cooperation, without community, our potential is defined in strictly individual terms. And for much of contemporary America, that is still the case. It's why we obsessively talk about work/life balance as if it were a problem best solved by 82.5 million different ways—that is, one solution for each mother in the U.S. It's why the vast majority of us commute alone in our own cars, an average of twenty-five minutes each way—it's too tricky to fit in errands with carpooling, ridesharing, or public transportation. It's why almost half of us eat fast food at least once a week... the faster we can eat those packaged calorie-bombs, the faster we can get on with our busy days. But when our lives become rooted in communities—whether because we've intentionally sought them out, bucking against the conditioning of our privileged class, or because it's what we've always known out of economic necessity—our potential expands beyond our individual limitations. We focus less on our own failures and more on structure failures, such as more family-friendly work policies, more public transportation options, more healthy, whole foods available in a wider variety of neighborhoods. We put less energy into figuring out how to hack it solo and more into all the creative ways a group of people could make life easier, healthier, more fun. We become individually less important and collectively more powerful." (pg. 174)
"We are—it seems—in a constant state of application. We apply to get into schools. We apply to get jobs. We apply to get state or federal assistance, scholarships, insurance, mortgages." (pg. 184)
"We're in the midst of a huge transition. Though many of the core ideas of what makes work meaningful and life bearable remain constant, we've come to realize that our old frameworks no longer serve us. The questions before us now aren't just technical, as in: How do we ensure that a profoundly transient workforce has access to fundamental human rights like healthcare, sick days, and family leave? Should we institute a basic income? They're philosophical as well, as in: How do we think about flexibility and fairness in a freelance world? Who is responsible for our fundamental well-being? Whom are we accountable to?" (pg. 55)
"Though 'mutual aid networks' is a wonky term, it means something pretty simple: groups of people who figure out ways to create more stability by pooling their resources (time and money, primarily) rather than being out for only themselves." (pg. 58)
"Numerous studies have shown that it's very difficult to break habits--and making money, in its own weird way, is a habit. What's more, a higher wage might protect you from plunging into medical debt, but stress and overwork are disastrous for your health in the first place. So many of us pursue more earnings as if on autopilot, either because we're convinced a bigger bank account will bring blanket security, or because we've conflated success with the figure on our paychecks." (pg. 72)
"Without cooperation, without community, our potential is defined in strictly individual terms. And for much of contemporary America, that is still the case. It's why we obsessively talk about work/life balance as if it were a problem best solved by 82.5 million different ways—that is, one solution for each mother in the U.S. It's why the vast majority of us commute alone in our own cars, an average of twenty-five minutes each way—it's too tricky to fit in errands with carpooling, ridesharing, or public transportation. It's why almost half of us eat fast food at least once a week... the faster we can eat those packaged calorie-bombs, the faster we can get on with our busy days. But when our lives become rooted in communities—whether because we've intentionally sought them out, bucking against the conditioning of our privileged class, or because it's what we've always known out of economic necessity—our potential expands beyond our individual limitations. We focus less on our own failures and more on structure failures, such as more family-friendly work policies, more public transportation options, more healthy, whole foods available in a wider variety of neighborhoods. We put less energy into figuring out how to hack it solo and more into all the creative ways a group of people could make life easier, healthier, more fun. We become individually less important and collectively more powerful." (pg. 174)
"We are—it seems—in a constant state of application. We apply to get into schools. We apply to get jobs. We apply to get state or federal assistance, scholarships, insurance, mortgages." (pg. 184)