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sadiereadsagain's review
3.0
I picked this book up thinking I was going to get a memoir of a woman who had to clear out her mother's house following decades of accumulated excess belongings. As someone who grew up in a home which was bursting at the seams, and as an adult who is trying to tame her own clutter whilst coming to terms with the fact that the monumental task of clearing out my parents' house will fall to me sooner than I want to imagine, I was looking for solace.
I didn't get that from this book. Howard uses her experience of clearing her mother's clutter as a jumping off point for a deeper discussion on why we struggle with the accumulation of stuff, but she doesn't go particularly deep into the emotional impact of her experience. However, the result is still an interesting and easily digestible book about the problems inherent in consumerism, capitalism, industrialism, and of course the clutter many of us have to then deal with as a result. But this isn't a book about messy homes, or even a book about worst-case-scenario health and safety nightmares. She touches on both of these things, but a big point Howard is keen to make - and one that doesn't often get made when we're busy rubbernecking at people who live in warrens of antique newspapers and rotting food - is that hoarding and clutter are not individual problems. She looks at the impact on sanitary and emergency services, the environmental damage, the history of accumulation, the decluttering industry, and much more besides.
I do have to say though, that this is possibly the most badly edited book I've ever read. Typos, missing words, wrong words... I understand it's a small press, but that was really disappointing to see. I also think this book could have benefitted with some topics being given more time on the page, and that the mental health aspect could have been explored a lot more. Howard has a great writing style for non-fiction in that she brings arguments together well and has a strong voice - I could happily have read more than 176 pages both by her and on this topic.
I may not have found a whole lot of solace (though I did find some), and I may have come away from this book even more dismayed and depressed at the damage caused by capitalism, but I gained a whole lot of understanding. Understanding why we feel we need stuff, and most importantly why it's important to reduce our reliance on it.
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Indeed.
I didn't get that from this book. Howard uses her experience of clearing her mother's clutter as a jumping off point for a deeper discussion on why we struggle with the accumulation of stuff, but she doesn't go particularly deep into the emotional impact of her experience. However, the result is still an interesting and easily digestible book about the problems inherent in consumerism, capitalism, industrialism, and of course the clutter many of us have to then deal with as a result. But this isn't a book about messy homes, or even a book about worst-case-scenario health and safety nightmares. She touches on both of these things, but a big point Howard is keen to make - and one that doesn't often get made when we're busy rubbernecking at people who live in warrens of antique newspapers and rotting food - is that hoarding and clutter are not individual problems. She looks at the impact on sanitary and emergency services, the environmental damage, the history of accumulation, the decluttering industry, and much more besides.
I do have to say though, that this is possibly the most badly edited book I've ever read. Typos, missing words, wrong words... I understand it's a small press, but that was really disappointing to see. I also think this book could have benefitted with some topics being given more time on the page, and that the mental health aspect could have been explored a lot more. Howard has a great writing style for non-fiction in that she brings arguments together well and has a strong voice - I could happily have read more than 176 pages both by her and on this topic.
I may not have found a whole lot of solace (though I did find some), and I may have come away from this book even more dismayed and depressed at the damage caused by capitalism, but I gained a whole lot of understanding. Understanding why we feel we need stuff, and most importantly why it's important to reduce our reliance on it.
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Indeed.
citybookspgh's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Great way to start 2023. Motivated me to purge some stuff—but this book is more than a how/why to. It’s a history of clutter and it’s cultural and economic significance. Eye opening in many unexpected ways. I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.
Content Warnings
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
glecharles's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
"We're drowning in the byproducts of a system that makes productivity a priority and encourages people to be consumers first and foremost." (pg 139)
Part memoir of a moment, part history of why so many of us have too much stuff in our homes. About 2/3rds through, "Swedish death-cleaning" unexpectedly made it a more poignant read than I was expecting, and by the end I had a new perspective on recycling, individual responsibilities, and my own possible digital hoarding problem. 😬
👍🏽👍🏽
Part memoir of a moment, part history of why so many of us have too much stuff in our homes. About 2/3rds through, "Swedish death-cleaning" unexpectedly made it a more poignant read than I was expecting, and by the end I had a new perspective on recycling, individual responsibilities, and my own possible digital hoarding problem. 😬
👍🏽👍🏽