Overview

What if we explored our relationship to consumption with the same depth and feeling we use to tell stories of great loves and losses? Americans are caught up in bulk. We guiltily watch Amazon boxes pile up on the porch, wade through endless reviews to find the perfect product, and crave the comforting indulgence of a chain restaurant. In American Bulk, Emily Mester intertwines cultural critique and personal history to explore how the things we buy, eat, amass, and discard become an intimate part of our lives. With humor and sharp intellect, she reflects on the joys and anxieties of family Costco trips, how a seasonal stint at Ulta Beauty taught her the insidious art of the sale, and what it means to get Mall Sad. In a nuanced examination of diet culture and fatness, Mester recounts her teenage summer at fat camp and the unexpected liberation she finds there. Finally, she ventures to Storm Lake, Iowa, to reckon with her grandmother's abandoned hoard, excavating the dysfunction that lies at the heart of her family's obsession with stuff. American Bulk introduces listeners to a striking new literary talent from the American heartland, one who dares to ask us to regard consumption not with guilt but with grace and empathy.

Full Product Details

9798228381964

Table of Contents

Reviews

""[American Bulk] excels at restoring texture to the smooth banalities of our consumer existence."" -- ""New York Times Book Review"" ""A dryly witty and deeply thoughtful essay collection."" -- ""Vogue"" ""Chloe Cannon's performance captures the restrained emotion of a writer who is looking at social patterns around her with keen sensibilities...The satisfying blend of social commentary and her own coming-of-age story makes it a moving way to understand some of what's happening in American culture today."" -- ""AudioFile"" ""Sly and brilliant...Looks not only at the rise of ever more disposable goods but at the relationship we as consumers have with them."" -- ""The Guardian (London)""

Author Information

Emily Mester is a writer from the suburban Midwest, where her family went to Costco every Sunday. She holds an MFA degree in nonfiction from the University of Iowa, where she was the winner of the Prairie Lights Nonfiction Prize. Chloe Cannon is a non-union multi-genre audiobook narrator living in the Mid-Hudson Valley region of New York. Audiobook narration seized her interest when reading aloud to local seniors, who informed her that her reading sounded ""just like their audiobooks!"" Since then, she has narrated titles in a variety of genres, including young adult, sci-fi/fantasy, romance, self-help, thriller/suspense, sports memoir, and biography, with a special affinity for young adult/middle grade works. Her ""shapeshifting"" voice provides depth to each character within a story. AudioFile magazine has reviewed her narration: ""Cannon sounds so authentic that it's impossible not to be moved."" Chloe Cannon is a non-union multi-genre audiobook narrator living in the Mid-Hudson Valley region of New York. Audiobook narration seized her interest when reading aloud to local seniors, who informed her that her reading sounded ""just like their audiobooks!"" Since then, she has narrated titles in a variety of genres, including young adult, sci-fi/fantasy, romance, self-help, thriller/suspense, sports memoir, and biography, with a special affinity for young adult/middle grade works. Her ""shapeshifting"" voice provides depth to each character within a story. AudioFile magazine has reviewed her narration: ""Cannon sounds so authentic that it's impossible not to be moved.""

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