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Temptation: Finding Self-Control in an Age of Excess, by Daniel Akst
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" This elegantly written and useful book . . . describes how, for millennia, human beings have struggled to rein in desire." -USA Today
At a time when the fallout from reckless spending and unrestrained consumption is fueling a national malaise, Daniel Akst delivers a witty and comprehensive investigation of the central problem of our time: how to save ourselves from what we want. Temptation reminds us that while more calories, sex, and intoxicants are readily available than ever before, crucial social constraints have eroded, creating a world that sorely tests the limits of human willpower. Referencing history, literature, psychology, philosophy, and economics, Akst draws a vivid picture of the many-sided problem of desire-and delivers a blueprint for how we can steer shrewdly away from a campaign of self-destruction.
- Sales Rank: #641006 in Books
- Published on: 2011-12-27
- Released on: 2011-12-27
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.45" h x .70" w x 5.50" l, .60 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 320 pages
From Booklist
In a book full of startling facts, this might be the most startling: of the 2.5 million deaths in the U.S. annually, “something approaching half could be prevented . . . if people simply managed to lead healthier lives.” But this isn’t a book about living a healthier lifestyle. It’s an exploration of “the challenge of moderation in the face of freedom and affluence.” The weapons of mass consumption, Akst calls them, are everywhere. We eat too much food, spend too much money, have too much sex. It’s not that we lack willpower; rather, the temptations have vastly multiplied over the years. In the course of defining the reasons why self-control is becoming such a rare commodity, Akst examines our tendency to blame everything except ourselves, citing a woman he met who blamed excess weight on genetics, fast food, advertising, and high-fructose corn syrup—all while polishing off two plates of waffles and cream cheese. It is this kind of willful self-destruction, Akst concludes, that’s killing us in greater and greater numbers. A very thought-provoking and colorfully written book. --David Pitt
Review
"You wouldn't be able to stop yourself from reading this book! Daniel Akst is among the sharpest, most perceptive writers of his generation, and he is in fine form in We Have Met the Enemy."
-Gregg Easterbrook, author of Sonic Boom
"This book entertains even as it pokes at our most sensitive spots. Daniel Akst handles the touchiest heretical ideas with charm, humor and painless scholarship. With no ax to grind, no cause to serve but reason he opens up the foregone conclusions by which we live and leaves a reader with new and alternate views of ourselves and others. Like the finest essayists Akst makes the deepest ideas fascinating and fun to read."
-Nicholas von Hoffman
"The more a society progresses, the bigger a problem self-control turns out to be. If you wish to be ahead of the curve for understanding America's problems, Dan Akst's excellent and informative book is the place to start."
-Tyler Cowen, Professor of Economics, George Mason University, and co-creator of the blog The Marginal Revolution
About the Author
A native New Yorker, Daniel Akst is a well-known journalist who has worked at the LA Times and Wall Street Journal and now writes a monthly column in the Sunday New York Times. He also writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal culture pages, and has appeared in many other publications, including American Heritage, the Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, Civilization, Technology Review, the Washington Monthly, and on both public radio and television. His first book, Wonder Boy (Scribners), chronicled the eye-popping ZZZZ Best fraud perpetrated by teenage entrepreneur Barry Minkow, and was named one of the 10 best of 1990 by Business Week. He is also the author of The Webster Chronicle published by BlueHen in October 2001.
Akst is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania who spent 13 years in Los Angeles before moving to the Hudson Valley, where he lives with his wife and two sons.
Most helpful customer reviews
64 of 69 people found the following review helpful.
Pogo Would be Proud
By AdamSmythe
The Pogo comic strip, with its characters set in the Okefenokee Swamp, featured an uncommonly effective and entertaining mixture of sophisticated wit and humor that was enjoyed on different levels by a wide variety of readers over the years. Perhaps Pogo Possum's most well-known line was, "We have met the enemy, and he is us," from which this book sources its title. Appropriately so, I'd say, since the book deals with a number of serious/sophisticated issues, though sometimes in an irreverent way.
In Chapter 2 (out of 21 chapters covering about 275 pages) we're told that about one million Americans die prematurely each year due to behavioral risk factors such as smoking, drinking, being overweight, having high blood pressure and being physically inactive. If you think a lack of self-control is a contributing factor in these instances--as author Daniel Akst does--then maybe it's reasonable to spend some time thinking more in depth about the topic of self-control. In this vein, the book's subtitle, "Self-Control in an Age of Excess," should let you know what to expect.
Some of the author's points are reinforced with interesting examples from modern life. For example, perhaps you haven't heard of the LifeSeat 600. Well, that's a motorized toilet designed to smoothly raise a person of up to 600 pounds to a standing position. (The manufacturer is now working on a LifeSeat 750.) Or, did you know that studies of teenagers show that self-discipline is a better predictor of academic performance than IQ? Issues of self-control being as common as they are (ask Eliot Spitzer, John Edwards, Tiger Woods ... the list could--and does--go on), there is plenty of material for the book to draw upon.
The book does not read like a Puritan lecture, fortunately. Indeed, it acknowledges upfront that self-control is tougher when calorie-rich foods, the Internet, various casinos, and other potential temptations are so readily available nowadays in America. Further, the author addresses the notion that the greater liberties that most (though not all) people now enjoy can lead to greater problems of gambling, addiction, overeating, overspending, etc. Indeed, the subtitle to Chapter 1 ("Liberty is dangerous!" attributed to Albert Camus) succinctly makes that point. And, of course, we're constantly bombarded with advertising, such as, "Resist the temptation to resist the temptation!" (from an ad in a well-known magazine). Then there's the recent financial crisis--now there was another example of a lack of self-control and self-regulation. All told, as the author notes, "self-control has lost some of its traditional stature, at least compared to self-actualization." Think about that for a moment. And it's not all the fault of modern American society, either. The ancient Greeks (also discussed in the book) had their problems, too.
Summarizing, this well-written book seems intended to give support to the notion that a little self-mastery can improve the quality of your life, as well as its quantity. You certainly don't have to be a totally out-of-control individual to gain something from reading the book. Frankly, few of us are without some weaknesses that we'd like better to control. Basically, if the concept of self-control is something you'd like to explore further, then this book deserves your consideration.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful.
Thought-Provoking, Wide-Ranging and Funny
By History Buff
I loved reading this book, for its insights, humor and masterful synthesis of material and ideas.
In "We Have Met the Enemy," Daniel Akst tackles some of the biggest questions of our times, questions that we're often afraid to ask because they require us to think about thorny issues like freedom, willpower, human nature, and how to make sense of many of our social ills: obesity, alcoholism, overspending, etc. The term "personal responsibility" has been hijacked by conservatives over the last few decades, and Akst's topic of self-control unavoidably wades deep into those waters. His politics appear to be an interesting combination of libertarian and liberal. Yet he eschews knee-jerk hysteria and political correctness and instead brings to the discussion a great deal of nuance, thoughtfulness and scientific evidence. He's grappled long and hard with how we as a society can balance freedom with the many temptations it brings.
Somehow he manages to address these issues with a sense of humor that often had me laughing out loud.
Along with the intellectual courage of his arguments, what impressed me most about Akst's book was his astonishing range of references. From Odysseus to 19th century European novelists to Gnarls Barkley, Akst seems to have a voracious appetite for high and low culture, and he weaves it all seamlessly into his writing. In the wrong hands, this might seem pretentious. In this author's hands, it seems totally natural and effortless. The book is a great read -- somehow completely accessible while being intellectually challenging. Highly recommended.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful.
We Do Not Know How Unhappy We Are
By Jeffrey Swystun
Before I get into the purpose and content of Akst's book, let me first say how much I enjoyed his passion and his prose. This is a wonderfully written and timely rant (perhaps a bit overdue - we should have been on this pre-recession). Akst's thesis is the study of "the challenge of moderation in the face of freedom and affluence." It is a book that examines self-control and the challenge of willpower in a world where temptations have evolved and expanded beyond many's ability to manage.
As the author explains, "Yet while temptations have multiplied like fast food outlets in suburbia, the superstructure of external restraint that once helped check our impulses has been weakened by loosening social constraints, the inexorable march of technology, and the same powerfully subversive force - capitalism - that has given us the wherewithal to indulge." Do not fear, the book is not a socialist shout-out - Akst is just providing accurate context: "That we have the chance to get ourselves into so much trouble - with food, drink, money, and one another - is actually a testament to human progress, for what we're talking about here is nothing less than the democratization of temptation."
And we are doing a poor job in controlling ourselves. We are smoking, eating, boozing, and screwing with wild abandon. These activities now account for "more than a million fatalities annually in this country, or close to half of all U.S. deaths." We have a few other problems like conspicuous consumption, living beyond means, all the while filling landfills with discarded crap. Akst's metaphor of a giant buffet stocked with calories, credit, sex, intoxicants is apt and so is our inability to diet and choose wisely.
Some may say that the one flaw in the book is that Akst fails to provide a prescription. He does call for help from family, friends, colleagues and community but admittedly the issues are extensive and so intertwined that any roadmap would come across as a flakey self-help book and this is not that type of book. Its strength is presenting a strong argument for change and putting the onus on each individual reader to be the change they wish to see in the world (to paraphrase Ghandi). The book resonates, provokes thought, and is a call for changes that would have far-reaching benefits for individuals and society as a whole.
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