Jeffrey Sauro

A for analysis, D- for solution, Jan 9 2003

This book is the continued conversation started by Thorstein Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class which argued that in affluent societies spending becomes the vehicle through which people establish social position. "The conspicuous display of wealth and leisure is the marker that reveals a man's income to the outside world." Veblen's conspicuous consumption evolved into James Duesenberry "keeping up with the Joneses" and finally to Schor's overspent American who has more but *feels* poorer.

The book provides several interesting nuggets of consumer behavior based on survey data and sociological research that pieces together a curious picture of consumer behavior:

* The most common… Read more

The Cliche House, Jan 9 2003

The book opens with the murder cover-up of the underachieving Peter Mullen parking cars at an exclusive Hampton party. The rest of the novel details the story of his surviving lawyer brother Jack trying to prove his brotherï¿s death was a murder and not a self-loathing suicide.

Pattersonï¿s descriptions of the Hamptons and the lavish parties and lifestyles are reminiscent of a Gatsby scene with the occasional references to contemporary stars. Patterson keeps it interesting with action and the unraveling of lurid sexual details although at the sake of implausibility and a few too many chapters past 100.

In the end Jackï¿s ï¿courtroomï¿… Read more

Street Boys. . .The Movie?, Jan 8 2003

This book will probably get a better response if it's made into a movie. It reads like a screenplay with all the usual suspects: Nazis, Italy and WWII. The author spends most of the book detailing minor battle sequences of boys destroying tanks and picking off Nazis-scenes best left for the big screen special effects studios. I was barely able to get behind our hero-Connors-the sole American orchestrating much of the Neapolitan insurrection.

My favorite part was when the boys of Naples ask Connors where in the US he was from. They explained that they knew only of California and New York and asked if Kentucky was in New York. Connors incredulously said it was somewhat near Chicago,… Read more