A review by dmturner
Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale by Adam Minter
5.0
Astonishing overview of the thriving reuse industry
I practice what the author describes as “Preemptive Morbid Decluttering (PMDC)” (his wife Christine Tan does it) and thus I read this book on Kindle, borrowed from my local library. But I’m tempted to make an exception to my rule and acquire a physical copy of my own.
The book surprised me and informed me repeatedly about the way things are reused in the world, not least in the final chapter where the author points our that the recycling and repair of electronics in Africa has been reported through a fundamentally racist and classist lens. The reality is much more interesting and factually different from the image of toxic dumping on the benighted poor which dominates the public image of reuse.
I learned a lot about reuse, though I will still be resisting the urge to accumulate because I just don’t need the stuff the world wants me to buy.
I practice what the author describes as “Preemptive Morbid Decluttering (PMDC)” (his wife Christine Tan does it) and thus I read this book on Kindle, borrowed from my local library. But I’m tempted to make an exception to my rule and acquire a physical copy of my own.
The book surprised me and informed me repeatedly about the way things are reused in the world, not least in the final chapter where the author points our that the recycling and repair of electronics in Africa has been reported through a fundamentally racist and classist lens. The reality is much more interesting and factually different from the image of toxic dumping on the benighted poor which dominates the public image of reuse.
I learned a lot about reuse, though I will still be resisting the urge to accumulate because I just don’t need the stuff the world wants me to buy.