Stuffocation: Living More with Less

(Paperback)

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Stuffocation is a manifesto for a vital change in how we live. It's the one important book you won't be able to live without. We're all stuffocated. We have more stuff than we could ever need - clothes we don't wear, kit we don't use, toys we don't play with. But having everything isn't making us happier. It's bad for the planet. It's cluttering up our homes. It's making us stressed - and it might even be killing us. In this groundbreaking book, trend forecaster James Wallman finds that a rising number of people are turning their backs on all-you-can-get consumption, from the telecoms exec who's sold almost everything he owns, to the well-off family who have moved into a remote mountain cabin. Wallman's solution to our stuffocation crisis is less extreme, but equally fundamental. We have to transform what we value. We have to focus less on possessions and more onexperiences. Rather than a new watch, or another pair of socks or shoes, we should invest in shared experiences like holidays, festivals and time with friends. Stuffocation is a manifesto for a vital change in how we live. It's the one important book you won't be able to live without.

Reviews

Experientialism, as Wallman calls it, will define our future just as materialism has shaped our present * Observer *
Fascinating, inspiring, and great fun to read * Sunday Times *
Particularly timely ... [Wallman] is spot on * Daily Mail *
Persuasive... clever * Financial Times *
With a sociologist's eye and a storyteller's ear, James Wallman takes us on a tour... he identifies the rise of a new value system among those who are consciously replacing materialism with what he rightly calls experientialism. Spot on * B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore, authors, The Experience Economy *
Amazing, brilliant, incredible ... It's going to change my life. Buy this book and give 10 others away -- Chris Evans * BBC Radio 2 The Chris Evans Breakfast Show *
James Wallman has engagingly woven a mix of true-life stories to demonstrate why our materialistic society no longer makes us happy and what we can do about it. This is written with warmth and wit. The surprise is that Wallman's glimpses of the future also illuminate, with rare insight, the difficult process of culture change -- Caroline van den Brul MBE, author, Crackle and Fizz
Mixes personal and social commentary with a sympathetic understanding of where excessive consumerism comes from, and also has really good recommendations on what to do about it. An original, provocative mixture -- Peter N Stearns, provost, George Mason University
An exhilarating ghost train ride through the madness of over-consumption, during which we are taunted by our own greed. Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel - and James Wallman takes us there -- Mark Tungate, author, Adland: A Global History of Advertising
It will definitely change your life and could change the world -- Chris Evans
Stuffocation will take you on the journey of your life. As Wallman builds his case, the true value of experience emerges and resonates .... I'll venture that no one goes unchanged by this book -- Jeanne E Arnold, professor, department of anthropology, UCLA
What Malcom Gladwell did for psychology in Blink, James Wallman does for the fascinating world of trend forecasting in Stuffocation. Backed with quirky stories and compelling examples that are a joy to read, Wallman lifts the veil on why we live the way we do today... and why our obsession with 'stuff' may be about to change. You'll never look at a visit to the shops in the same way again. A gem -- Marianne Cantwell, author, Be a Free-Range Human
Wallman perceives a new flowering of resistance to the siren lure of physical commodoties * Guardian *
Sounds tempting, doesn't it Achieving happiness through consciously chucking out or flogging off what we no longer need ... If I can purge my wardrobe of half its contents, then I will be happier, just as Mr Wallman predicts -- Janet Street-Porter * Daily Mail *
Clearly argued and contains plenty of interesting case studies * Independent on Sunday *
Compelling * Daily Telegraph *
Incisive, passionate, persuasive ... Wallman writes in an engaging, fluid style * The Sunday Business Post *
a blueprint for future living * Daily Telegraph *

Author Bio

James Wallman is a journalist, trend forecaster, speaker, and author. He has written for GQ, the New York Times, the FT, and advised clients such as Absolut, BMW and Nike. James wrote the futurology column in T3 magazine and was editor of The Future Laboratory's forecasting publication. He currently lives in London with his wife and children.