Sarah Z. Wexler

I enjoyed this one & learned a lot.
I found it interesting that she used people she knows as examples. I wonder if her friendships with her friend that owns the McMansion & the friend that owns an obnoxiously large diamond engagement ring lasted after the book was released & they read her opinions of their choices of going bigger.

Her friend with the huge diamond ring talks about how uncomfortable it is when someone stares at her ring or makes comments about how big it is. She finds it rude. Well...come on lady! If you're wearing a diamond on your finger that is as big as a cough drop...people are going to notice & comment. Don't like it? Then don't wear your "cry for attention" piece of jewelry. I really don't care if a girl has a big diamond...but I don't want to listen to some girl with a huge diamond complain about people noticing it. Put a 3 karat diamond on your finger every day & expect people not to notice it? Ha! You wear a 3 karat diamond ring TO get noticed. No one thinks "Oh, no one will notice this" when they buy a 3 karat diamond ring...unless they already have a 5k ring they're gonna wear on a finger next to the 3k ring.

I think she could've found a better way to talk about big box stores than to follow a kid with terminal cancer around a big box store using his Make A Wish foundation wish. The poor kid is dying & is stuck in his room 24 hrs a day...almost bored to death...and this lady is following him around complaining about Americans & their need for affordable items. Does he "need" the stuff? Probably not, but come on...he is dying. Let him play video games to take his mind off of it instead of laying around in his bedroom with nothing to do other than laying around dying & thinking of dying. Should he literally die of boredom in his bedroom where he is spending his last days? I think not.
I think she should've selected someone else for this portion of her book. Instead of a kid with terminal cancer...maybe someone from the People of Walmart website? Just saying...

I am however on her side with respect to her feelings about the need to own a Hummer. I always find myself rolling my eyes when I'm sitting in traffic behind a huge a$$ Hummer. It's blocking my view in front of me so I can't see the street signs or upcoming traffic lights & I can't help but imagine that I am sitting in all of the harmful exhaust that is being released by the big a$$ gas guzzler. Did I experience a tiny bit of "Yeah, that's Karma for you" when I read that it cost more than $125 (in 2010) to fill up the gas tank in a Hummer? You bet! Fingers crossed they're paying closer to $150 now that gas is $3.79 in this area! Seriously, who needs a Hummer when you live in the burbs outside of DC? You're not hunting...deer or terrorists...get a normal car. It's more likely that the only thing you're hunting for out here is a parking spot...and good luck parking that massive hunk of metal in the teeny tiny parking spots in any parking garage in the DC Metro area.

I found it interesting to read about the "alls" compared to the "malls". I started to notice these "alls" popping up in the NoVA DC Metro area back in 2008/2009 & wondering if people would like them. Little neighborhoods that have it "all". Your condo/townhouse is built above/next to a clothing store, grocery store, dentist, daycare, dance studio, health club, etc. Your community/neighborhood has it "all" so there is no need to leave your "hood" & drive to a mall or a grocery store because it is all available within walking distance.
I think they're becoming more & more popular as evidenced by the increase in number of them in this area. Planners back in 2008 were on to something, I've noticed more & more of these types of communities/neighborhoods being built in this area.
However, they are much more expensive to buy/rent than in a regular subdivision/neighborhood. Convenience has a cost...and in this area, the cost is often much higher than some can afford. Lucky for the builders, this area has an obnoxious amount of people that are extremely affluent. I don't think they're trading in their McMansions to live in these communities...but the ones that didn't buy McMansions are moving from their condos/townhomes in traditional neighborhoods to these more convenient communities.

It's not the best written book but it's an easy read & there are some valid points made.… (plus d'informations)