Book Review - Get Real:What Kind of World are YOU Buying? by Mara Rockliff

This is the book that got me started on the whole consumerism and environmental thing. Before I read Get Real, I wasn't really a big tree-hugger. I recycled, and I turned off the lights when I left a room, but that was just habit. I never really thought about why I did those things, or what would happen if I didn't.

This book explains how everything you buy, from a car to a tuxedo to a Tootsie Roll, has an impact on the world. One chapter is about advertisements and how they try to deceive you. The next is about sweatshops and factory workers (titled "And All I Got was this Lousy T Shirt"). More are about fast food, e-waste, and genetically modified foods. Then it shifts to a positive focus, mentioning local stores, fair trade chocolate, and "designer greens" (products designed to be good to the environment). Next it tells you about how to tell actual eco-friendly products from the "greenwashers."  The last quick chapter is appropriately titled, "Do It." This chapter is about how you can make a big difference.

After reading this book, I've started seeing things in a new light. Instead of seeing a shirt, for example, just for how it looks or fits, I see where it came from, what was used to make it, and how it will eventually become trash. It inspired me to start this blog and really got me thinking about the world.

If you read one book I recommend, this should be it.

Check it out from your local library or buy it on Amazon