Our February book selected by moderator Jolene Redvale is Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale by Adam Minter
Brief Description:
Downsizing. Decluttering. Discarding. Sooner or later, all of us are faced with things we no longer need or want. But when we drop our old clothes and other items off at a local donation center, where do they go? Sometimes across the country-or even halfway across the world-to people and places who find value in what we leave behind. In Secondhand, journalist Adam Minter takes us on an unexpected adventure into the often-hidden, multibillion-dollar industry of reuse: thrift stores in the American Southwest to vintage shops in Tokyo, flea markets in Southeast Asia to used-goods enterprises in Ghana, and more. Along the way, Minter meets the fascinating people who handle-and profit from-our rising tide of discarded stuff, and asks a pressing question: In a world that craves shiny and new, is there room for it all? Secondhand offers hopeful answers and hard truths. A history of the stuff we've used and a contemplation of why we keep buying more, it also reveals the marketing practices, design failures, and racial prejudices that push used items into landfills instead of new homes. Secondhand shows us that it doesn't have to be this way, and what really needs to change to build a sustainable future free of excess stuff.
Biographical Note:
Adam Minter is the author of Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade and a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. He lives in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
You can order online from us below or pick up a copy in-store. We offer a 10% discunt on book group titles - simply put a note in your order that it's for the book group and we will adjust your order before processing payment.
We hope you'll join us for our next discussion!
Event date:
Thursday, February 24, 2022 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Event address:
9 N. 6th Street
Redlands, CA 92373-5258
$17.00
Email or call for price.
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9781635570113
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - January 19th, 2021