Busier Than Ever!: Why American Families Can't Slow Down

Busyness defines the lives of most Americans. For some, the focus of busyness is family. For others, it is career or social activities. Sometimes busyness results from a big event, like the catastrophic illness of a family member, but much of it builds from many seemingly inconsequential demands that collectively become overwhelming. We search for the best airline prices on the Internet, are partners with teachers in our children's education, and employ a battery of devices that promise to save labor if only we can learn how to use them.

Busier Than Ever! follows the daily activities of fourteen American families. It explores why they are busy and what the consequences are for their lives. Busyness is not just a matter of personal time management, but of the activities we participate in and how each of us creates the good life. While numerous books deal with efficiency and the difficulties of balancing work and family, Busier Than Ever! offers a fresh approach. Busyness is not a problem to be solved--it is who we are as Americans and it's redefining American families.

Author: Charles Darrah, James M. Freeeman, J. a. English-Lueck
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: 03/22/2007
Pages: 296
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.88lbs
Size: 8.98h x 6.04w x 0.65d
ISBN: 9780804754927

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 11/01/2007 pg. 147
Choice 02/01/2008 pg. 1246

About the Author
Charles N. Darrah, James M. Freeman, and J.A. English-Lueck are professors of anthropology at San Jose State University.