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mads_jpg's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
Genuinely so interesting and gave me so many lightbulb moments about how I feel about life under capitalism. I particularly loved the Work section and the overall structure of the book, it occasionally got a bit too abstract for me but was otherwise an amazing book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Car accident and Colonisation
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, and Racial slurs
savvylit's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
The title of this collection, Having and Being Had, refers both literally to the possession of capital and also to being swindled into unethical ways of existing. Such an apt title for a book that is primarily about the absurdity of consumerism and labor.
In this book, Biss often traces the etymology of everyday words and considers how we use them to define ourselves. What is worth? What is labor? What is capital? What is service? These etymological dissections of words that we take for granted is one of the strongest aspects of Having and Being Had.
Another great strength of this book is the confessional/diaristic tone of the essays. Biss also refers to conversations with her real-life friends by using their first names. In this way, the essays of this collection feel immersive; as though you too are having thoughtful conversations with Biss.
I wanted to love this book. I really did. But I didn't connect with it. Perhaps I've read too many nonfiction books with similar topics that go much deeper. Throughout my reading of this collection, I felt as though Biss would continuously just begin to scratch the surface of something and then move on. I wanted an interesting investigation into the hows and whys of late-stage American capitalism. What I got was an incredibly self-aware yet oddly tone-deaf series of meditations. It sometimes felt like Biss was unapologetically defending her own privileges. She expresses discomfort over unethical practices and inequalities but then changes absolutely nothing about her own life. She is frank about how much money she has spent - which is refreshing - but it ultimately felt very defensive & disappointing.
I think this book would be perfect for people exactly like Biss herself. White Gen Xers who are upper-middle class and want to explore the ickiness of capitalism without really getting their hands dirty.
In this book, Biss often traces the etymology of everyday words and considers how we use them to define ourselves. What is worth? What is labor? What is capital? What is service? These etymological dissections of words that we take for granted is one of the strongest aspects of Having and Being Had.
Another great strength of this book is the confessional/diaristic tone of the essays. Biss also refers to conversations with her real-life friends by using their first names. In this way, the essays of this collection feel immersive; as though you too are having thoughtful conversations with Biss.
I wanted to love this book. I really did. But I didn't connect with it. Perhaps I've read too many nonfiction books with similar topics that go much deeper. Throughout my reading of this collection, I felt as though Biss would continuously just begin to scratch the surface of something and then move on. I wanted an interesting investigation into the hows and whys of late-stage American capitalism. What I got was an incredibly self-aware yet oddly tone-deaf series of meditations. It sometimes felt like Biss was unapologetically defending her own privileges. She expresses discomfort over unethical practices and inequalities but then changes absolutely nothing about her own life. She is frank about how much money she has spent - which is refreshing - but it ultimately felt very defensive & disappointing.
I think this book would be perfect for people exactly like Biss herself. White Gen Xers who are upper-middle class and want to explore the ickiness of capitalism without really getting their hands dirty.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Classism
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