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Calder, Lendol. Financing the American Dream: A Cultural History of Consumer Credit. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999.
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"Americans feel ashamed about so-called consumption debt, writes Mr. Calder in prose that's as clear as a bell, because they're psychologically frozen in a 100-year-old mindset. ...Mr. Calder's argument is so deliciously seditious that you have to wonder: What's wrong with this picture? ...Mr. Calder's sections on pawnbrokers, door-to-door peddlers and small lenders are worth the price of admission alone."
--Cynthia Crossen, The Wall Street Journal
"Contrary to those who piously and ahistorically rail against consumer debt as a modern fall from grace, Calder takes a much more nuanced and interesting view. [He] is to be commended for showing us the other side."
--Reason
"In a surprisingly lively book about a potentially dreary subject, Calder argues that debt is as American as apple pie and that consumer borrowing has been an important engine of economic growth."
--Charles Stein, The Boston Globe
"A broadly researched book on the history of US consumer credit that breaks new ground and revises prevailing views... This finely written volume is a major contribution...."
--Choice
"Those who complain that the debt represents an abandonment of thrift and a growing lack of willingness to defer gratification are wrong, claims Calder... [He] makes the case that today's 'culture of consumption' arose as much from the availability of credit as from the efforts of advertisers and marketers."
--Booklist
"Calder is at his best ...drawing extensively on anecdotal and literary evidence to create a lively narrative."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A colorful narrative style and clear, strong arguments will help readers understand this aspect of American social and economic life."
--Library Journal
More reviews...
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