Laurence Shames: The Hunger for More (USA 2015)

From the Publisher:
In the lyrical yet tough-minded tradition of Thoreau, this prescient and impassioned volume, written by a former Ethics columnist for Esquire magazine, examines the myths and follies of a culture that celebrates greed and defines success solely in terms of wealth. As timely today as it was upon its original release in 1989, the book examines the corrosive effects of money-worship on the social fabric and warns of the consequences of pursuing a lifestyle rather than building a life. Written in a lively, journalistic style, and filled with telling observations, the volume takes an unsparing look at the world as it is -- and also points the way toward the more humane and fulfilling world that is in our power to create. Said The New York Times, "Shames' critique is on the mark... concrete, compelling reading."

"A scathing indictment of the excesses of our time as well as a prophecy of changes ahead." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Laurence Shames: The Hunger for More. Values in an Age of Greed. CreateSpace Independent Publ., ISBN: 9781508581000 (February, 2015), 239 p., $19.50, eBook $9.99.

Laurence Shames: The Hunger for More (USA 1991)

From the Publisher:
"A scathing indictment of the excesses of our time as well as a prophecy of changes ahead.... As a rebuke to the compulsive materialism of the 1980s, The Hunger for More is compelling reading." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In this milestone analysis of contemporary social values and foibles, Laurence Shames, the former ethics columnist for Esquire, offers a brilliant and acerbic anatomy of America's "hunger for more," from its roots in the optimism of the high frontier to its apotheosis in the frenzy -- and panic -- of the Reagan years. As a history of our love affair with consump-tion, as a prescription for a more durable and dignified national ethic, The Hunger for More is a truly important book -- one that may shape the era to come even as it defines the one just passed.

"A spirited, often trenchant book by a disciplined essayist heralding what may be one of the most dramatic stories of the '90s." -- Winston-Salem Journal

Laurence Shames: The Hunger for More. Searching for Values in an Age of Greed. Vintage, ISBN: 0679733280 (March, 1991), 291 p., $11.00.