Winner of the 2011 NCTE George Orwell Award for outstanding contributions to the critical analysis of public discourse. One of The Atlantic's Top 11 Philosophy/Psychology Books of 2011 As human beings, we've always told stories: stories about who we are, where we come from, and where we're going. Now imagine that one of those stories is taking over the others, narrowing our diversity and creating a monoculture. Because of the rise of the economic story, six areas of your world - your work, your relationships with others and the environment, your community, your physical and spiritual health, your education, and your creativity - are changing, or have already changed, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. And because how you think shapes how you act, the monoculture isn't just changing your mind - it's changing your life. "I found myself reading non-stop, underlining like crazy...an astute explanation about what I've been feeling recently, something I couldn't put my finger on...[Michaels] writes in clear, energetic prose that's thoughtful, engaging and unforced. She defines and analyzes without judgment or insistence...a breath of fresh air..." - NPR Ohio "...a singularly brilliant and accessible analysis of some of the fundamental assumptions and driving principles of our time." - Comment Magazine "...a single lucid narrative that's bound to first make you somewhat uncomfortable and insecure, then give you the kind of pause from which you can step back and move forward with more autonomy, authenticity and mindfulness than ever." - The Atlantic "5 stars: The cause and effect of our world is more surprising than you'd think. With intriguing notions about the driving ideas of stories in every shape of our life, "Monoculture" is an incredibly fascinating way about how the mind works and today's consumer culture." - Midwest Book Review "If you just read one book this year, read this one." - BuriedInPrint blog "A smart and realistic guide to first recognizing the monoculture and the challenges of transcending its limitations." - BrainPickings.org "A thin, enrapturing gem. It's accessible, sensible--exactly the sort of book that should have (and still could + should!) take off and create a tiny little dent in books." - Kenyon Review
Monoculture: How One Story is Changing Everything
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By 88ways
Format:Paperback
In "Monoculture," FS Michaels methodically lays out how our societal worldview has been slowly overtaken by a single story - the story of economics. From education and the arts to how we eat, think, and play, Michaels asserts that we have been steeped in a single point of view in which value is reduced to what can be sold and worth is determined by financial expediency. Michael's writing is clear and sharp as she brings the impact of this pervasive global philosophy down to the personal, showing how it affects our lives in the everyday.
Michaels spent years researching this book and it shows. This book is packed full of observations and opinions from a wide range of economists, artists, philosophers and scholar, and Michaels introduces each new section of the book with a concise historical context outlining how things once were, how they developed, and how we arrived where we are. Michaels is presents a clear argument without resorting to soapboxing, emotional appeals, or badgering. There is no guilt trip here, just a careful deconstruction of philosophical assumptions that too often go unquestioned. And while it is intellectually satisfying, "Monoculture" is no overbearing academic tome. Michaels' writing is engaging and accessible for readers with a wide range of ability and interest. This is not a pounded pulpit, but a door opening into a discussion that we as a society are badly in need of having.
Michaels spent years researching this book and it shows. This book is packed full of observations and opinions from a wide range of economists, artists, philosophers and scholar, and Michaels introduces each new section of the book with a concise historical context outlining how things once were, how they developed, and how we arrived where we are. Michaels is presents a clear argument without resorting to soapboxing, emotional appeals, or badgering. There is no guilt trip here, just a careful deconstruction of philosophical assumptions that too often go unquestioned. And while it is intellectually satisfying, "Monoculture" is no overbearing academic tome. Michaels' writing is engaging and accessible for readers with a wide range of ability and interest. This is not a pounded pulpit, but a door opening into a discussion that we as a society are badly in need of having.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By R. S.
Format:Paperback
It's not often that a book about big ideas so rapidly changes my understanding of the world, but Monoculture maps a general dis-ease I've had for a long time about all sorts of different things (but couldn't quite articulate). Now I can't NOT think about my life from the lens of the economic story. It becomes self-evident.
Monoculture does something important by helping us identify the economic story that drives our era. This story affects all of us in profound ways (and will continue to do so even more, judging from the monetization of our online personas, the substitution of corporate largesse for shrinking public funds, the global spread of GMO crops, increasing pharmaceutical influence in government, and on and on.) We need to know what we are immersed in if we want to choose a different life.
The last part of the book looks at parallel structures - ways that people manage to move out from under the monoculture. I really appreciate F. S. Michaels' clarity regarding the risks one takes choosing to dis-engage from the economic story. However, if I have one disappointment with this book, it's that I felt like I needed much more of this, more examples of people finding their own way with audacity and grit and real-life results. I craved more details, more strategies for overcoming the monoculture. I hope the author writes another book just about this.
Overall, I think Monoculture does a tremendous job of taking some wide-ranging and complex ideas and distilling them in a way that gets to their essence. The writing is clear and jargon-free without oversimplifying things. It is clear that this book is the result of hard thinking, lots of research, and tight editing. Every sentence pulls its weight; there is no extra fat anywhere. F. S. Michaels makes good on supporting the ambitious claim made in the title - not an easy thing to do!
Monoculture does something important by helping us identify the economic story that drives our era. This story affects all of us in profound ways (and will continue to do so even more, judging from the monetization of our online personas, the substitution of corporate largesse for shrinking public funds, the global spread of GMO crops, increasing pharmaceutical influence in government, and on and on.) We need to know what we are immersed in if we want to choose a different life.
The last part of the book looks at parallel structures - ways that people manage to move out from under the monoculture. I really appreciate F. S. Michaels' clarity regarding the risks one takes choosing to dis-engage from the economic story. However, if I have one disappointment with this book, it's that I felt like I needed much more of this, more examples of people finding their own way with audacity and grit and real-life results. I craved more details, more strategies for overcoming the monoculture. I hope the author writes another book just about this.
Overall, I think Monoculture does a tremendous job of taking some wide-ranging and complex ideas and distilling them in a way that gets to their essence. The writing is clear and jargon-free without oversimplifying things. It is clear that this book is the result of hard thinking, lots of research, and tight editing. Every sentence pulls its weight; there is no extra fat anywhere. F. S. Michaels makes good on supporting the ambitious claim made in the title - not an easy thing to do!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By crazybatcow
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
ah-hah... I just found out that the author is Canadian... this explains a lot about the tone of the book. I'm not exactly sure how to explain what I mean, but there is a Canadian flavor to this book, even though the content is American (i.e. the references to health care processes are based on the U.S. version of healthcare, not the Canadian pseudo-socialist version).
It actually reads more like a journal article (complete with many pages of references) than a book - and is short like a journal article too. It seems to be well-researched and, for the most part, well-supported by other research.
I found it interesting to see just how pervasive the economic model of the world is, at least in North America, and how this "dollar-value" approach to everything lowers our quality of life, even if it might raise our standard of living (for those lucky ones among us anyway).
The author did offer some alternative models but the bulk of the book is spent looking at how our modern world has applied economic assessments to everything, even things that traditionally don't/shouldn't have an economic component (such as our health and well-being).
All in all, it was an interesting and enlightening read even while it was sort of depressing to see how nearly every part of our world has been boiled down into its value in dollars and cents.
It actually reads more like a journal article (complete with many pages of references) than a book - and is short like a journal article too. It seems to be well-researched and, for the most part, well-supported by other research.
I found it interesting to see just how pervasive the economic model of the world is, at least in North America, and how this "dollar-value" approach to everything lowers our quality of life, even if it might raise our standard of living (for those lucky ones among us anyway).
The author did offer some alternative models but the bulk of the book is spent looking at how our modern world has applied economic assessments to everything, even things that traditionally don't/shouldn't have an economic component (such as our health and well-being).
All in all, it was an interesting and enlightening read even while it was sort of depressing to see how nearly every part of our world has been boiled down into its value in dollars and cents.
Want to see more reviews on this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 21 reviews
3.8 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting read!
The main idea in this book is that there is a loss of value diversity in different areas of life, and that changes how we live. Read more
Published on May 25 2011 by mysterious3rd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must Read!
This book completely captured my attention. I thought it would be a hard read but I was intrigued right from the beginning about how I could "transcend" the monoculture once I... Read more
Published on May 19 2011 by specialhdk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Relevant and well-written
An excellent, thought-provoking read. This was one of those books that really made me think days after reading it because suddenly I was aware of how the economic culture seeps... Read more
Published on May 16 2011 by tannis
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Management
- Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Social Psychology & Interactions
- Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Cultural
- Books > Professional & Technical > Business Management > Management & Leadership > Management
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
