Over the past century, Americans transformed from citizens to consumers, their identities defined by how they spent money. This history argues that while unsustainable, consumer culture has consistently served as a principal source of meaning and purpose in people’s lives.
This book poses a provocative argument: the standard practice of employing outer-directed measures of success—notably wealth, power, and fame—has worked to the psychological disadvantage of many Americans. Ironically, the traditional model of success has been a failure.
The baby boomer generation reshaped the world, but now younger generations blame them for damaging the nation and planet. This fact-based, objective history contextualizes this deep generational divide, a key theme in contemporary American culture.
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