Juliet B. SchorBorn to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture

Simply put . . . if you're not left in shock within the first 50 pages, you haven't been reading. Ms. Schor's account of our nation's perverse youth-directed advertising, market research and media practices is a profound eye-opener. You will be appalled at what our children are being subjected to - not to mention the hyper-sophisticated marketing strategies & manipulations that take place behind-the-scenes, to ensure our children's psychological captivity.The only deficit to Ms. Schor's work are the, at times, specious and/or factually incorrect claims about macro and micro-level behavior of America's youth. She can be rather quick to jump to conclusions that serve her arguments' ends, while glossing-over counterpoints to highly debatable issues. Case-in-point -- she cites the youth increase is ADD/ADHD diagnoses as "mounting" "evidence of distress among children", while completely sidestepping the highly complex etiology behind the increase in those diagnoses.She also appears to be somewhat out-of-touch with contemporary culture, to the point that she makes statements like (as appears on page 141), "He's supposed to do his homework, but he has lied and said he doesn't have any so he can spend his time playing a new Gameboy." A statement like that reads like someone saying referring to a car as a "motor carriage"; she more likely meant "...playing a new Gameboy game.", as effectively no child would ever receive a new Gameboy handheld console with enough frequency to refer to their current one as "new". Perhaps I'm being hypercritical, but, if someone is indicting elements of pop culture, I'd prefer their terminology be accurate.However, an intelligent reader should be able to sift through the missteps and inconsistencies, as the vast majority of the book's content & assertions are reputable, well-researched and well-articulated.This is A TRUE MUST-READ for all parents, as well as anyone concerned about the impact of media and advertising on their own life.

Learned some interesting info, but it was more like reading a scholarly paper than a traditional book. If that’s what you are expecting, it is a good read. I found some parts difficult to finish. Written about 20 years ago so some info (like cable, and children’s ads on cable) didn’t feel super relevant anymore. Still found relevancy in other areas.

Judging from the reviews below, I guess I'm in the minority. I found some of her points good, but overall it seemed more advocacy that evidence. (No, I don't work for the advertising industry.) If you believe Ms. Schor, every conceivable problem with kids or teens can be traced to advertising. Any everything is as bad now as its ever been. If Ms. Shor was alive 50 years ago I'm sure her book would have been about the evils of Elvis Presley. Doesn't that seem a bit overheated. I can't possibly recall all the personal problems and social ills supposedly caused by advertising. I'm sure I'll miss 30 or so but here's a shot.Advertising causes in kids:ObesityAneroxiaBad body imageDepressionStressPoor social skillsAnxietyAlcohol abuseIllegal drug abuseLegal drug abuseMisogynyRacismInsensity to othersXenophobiaHeadachesPoor performance in schoolApathyLack of achievementDelinquencyRudenessMemory problemsPoor memory skillsI could go on and on. Gee, maybe some of these things have other causes? As any teenager who has taken Psych 101 would say, "Duh."

Once you read this book you'll annoy all of your friends about how corrupt the media is, and how television and movies are warping all of our brains, especially our children. Yes, that's right, you'll be wary of everything around you, but you'll still be watching Game of Thrones and every commercial out there, because hey, it's too late for us adults already, but somebody please think of the children!

As a new parent this book opened by eyes to a lot of things I would never have recognized as "marketing" and would not have occurred to me how potentially harmful this culture is the psyche of a child. The data gets a little cumbersome at times, and I skimmed over some of the detail so that I didn't get bogged down in it, but lots of great information along the way.

I'm a practicing child psychologist, and I have followed the media and their impact on children for a number of years. I found Dr. Schor's arguement accurate and convincing. I think the book is a must read for parents seriously concerned about the way big advertising is socializing their kids.By the way, I recommended the book to my book club -- all men, mostly with children. Me, a child psychiatrist, a lawyer and a bunch of engineer types. Not a group for "chick books." We thought it was one of the best we've read in a couple of years.

Everybody thinking of having a child or that has a child should read this. We nixed cable 8 years ago, our children only get to watch an episode of something we approve of a day (we have Netflix); reading Born to Buy reinforces making the right choice for our family.

This is a book every parent (and teacher like myself)must read. It cuts to the heart of the exploitation of children that is tearing kids away from parents, family and culture. There is no way to protect children from the devious assault of advertising (you may be shocked at the tactics!) unless we are armed with the facts, and this book tells it like it is.

Book is bit dry. Lots of reserch, not enough conclusion

The item is in really good condition thank you so much.

Wonderful book especially for researchers doing study in the field of consumer behavior..