Scan barcode
through_my_eyes81's review against another edition
5.0
Essay about how not having money impacts you throughout your life. People born into money don’t understand this perspective. Money gives many confidence that they don’t have to ask the question, “How much is it?” Before considering a purchase. Worth the read.
drillvoice's review against another edition
5.0
This was the first thing I've read by Rick Morton and what a delight!
This is a short essay 'on money': specifically on how growing up having money means a completely different approach to life. I particularly liked how Morton talks about the inverse, the long-term effects of growing up without money, and how this still affects him, even as someone who now has much more money available. It is both philosophical and political, also looking at the way we blame poor people and how that's totally bullshit.
It's really well written, very engaging, non-pretentious, still with lots of interesting things to say.
This is a short essay 'on money': specifically on how growing up having money means a completely different approach to life. I particularly liked how Morton talks about the inverse, the long-term effects of growing up without money, and how this still affects him, even as someone who now has much more money available. It is both philosophical and political, also looking at the way we blame poor people and how that's totally bullshit.
It's really well written, very engaging, non-pretentious, still with lots of interesting things to say.
nina_reads_books's review against another edition
4.0
“So it is true, then, to say that money can’t buy us happiness. But is can and does eliminate the stresses of our own existence”.
On Money by @squigglyrick is a small book with a powerful message. It is a witty, insightful unpacking of the meaning of money and it's effect on our lives. In particular the effect on those that live in poverty.
Rick Morton uses his experiences growing up poor and his eventual move into “comfortable living” to illustrate some very interesting points about how money makes the world go round. It is very contemporary and provides astute comments on the current Morrison Government and Australia in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
He argues that the current government has a mantra of “if you have a go, you’ll get a go” but counters with what a false concept this really is. The underlying message to those on the poverty line seems to be “just don’t be poor”. But when you can’t afford to buy food or household items in bulk, you pay more per item. When you can’t afford to make your home more energy efficient, you pay more in energy costs. This vicious cycle of the costs of living is one I feel so fortunate to not know firsthand. Which is why essays like this are important.
I read this little book in one sitting and it flows nicely from Morton’s first book One Hundred Years of Dirt which I read in January. I am very much looking forward to reading Rick Morton’s next book “My Year of Living Vulnerably” which is out mid-March.
Rick Morton is a really important voice in Australian non-fiction writing and I'd recommend seeking out his work.
On Money by @squigglyrick is a small book with a powerful message. It is a witty, insightful unpacking of the meaning of money and it's effect on our lives. In particular the effect on those that live in poverty.
Rick Morton uses his experiences growing up poor and his eventual move into “comfortable living” to illustrate some very interesting points about how money makes the world go round. It is very contemporary and provides astute comments on the current Morrison Government and Australia in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
He argues that the current government has a mantra of “if you have a go, you’ll get a go” but counters with what a false concept this really is. The underlying message to those on the poverty line seems to be “just don’t be poor”. But when you can’t afford to buy food or household items in bulk, you pay more per item. When you can’t afford to make your home more energy efficient, you pay more in energy costs. This vicious cycle of the costs of living is one I feel so fortunate to not know firsthand. Which is why essays like this are important.
I read this little book in one sitting and it flows nicely from Morton’s first book One Hundred Years of Dirt which I read in January. I am very much looking forward to reading Rick Morton’s next book “My Year of Living Vulnerably” which is out mid-March.
Rick Morton is a really important voice in Australian non-fiction writing and I'd recommend seeking out his work.
desterman's review against another edition
5.0
Having read Morton’s excellent memoir, One Hundred Years of Dirt (2018), I was interested in his insight on this particular topic. This essay looks at the way money changes lives in the sense that having it doesn’t guarantee happiness, but offers choices, relieves stress and shapes our psychology. Morton discusses his own experiences growing up watching his hard-working, poverty stricken, single mother struggle to pay bills and support her three children. He reflects on the impact this has had on him as he has become a successful writer and journalist, shifting comfortably from poverty into middle class, and the uneasy and difficult relationship he now has with his wealth. He examines the structural factors that make the movement out of poverty so hard for so many people, all while helpful politicians like PM Scott Morrison make meaningless statements about how you need to “have a go to get a go”. As Morton states, “Choices. It’s a strange slur from those above, isn’t it? It’s like yelling at a woman in the jaws of a lion that she should have gone to night classes. Or watching a man drown and saying, ‘Well, I’m not going to rescue you, you should teach yourself to swim.’ That drowning man? Imagine telling him that he should just kick his feet. After all, that’s what you did. Only, the man has concrete boots on and you had flippers. Or, if you were really privileged, a trained dolphin and an EPIRB beacon.” (p.93) It’s a really engrossing reflection that offers a lesson in empathy and understanding.
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a big fan of Morton's writing - print books and journalism alike (also his evening IG stories cooking dinner to paired music!) and he is particularly one of my go-to people to read on the topic of money and finance. I think reading his work for the first time a few years ago felt incredibly refreshing - there is an honesty and acknowledgment about financial security (or lack thereof) without a lick of blame and shame passed onto the reader that I don't always get reading books on this topic. He explains spending behaviours and some of the behavioural patterns around money that hit incredibly close to home for me and the way I grew up, and how that informs my approach to money as an adult. He is also just really bloody funny and witty and there is a self-deprecation to his writing that is so charming and endearing that I will always seek out his work when I see a new release.
nrwatkins's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0