More or Less

<p><strong>WINNER OF THE EASTOVER PRESS PRIZE FOR NONFICTION</strong></p><p> </p><p>The essays in <em>More or Less</em> explore the degree to which we are defined and confined by what we own.  </p><p><br></p><p>In 2017 novelist Ann Patchett wrote in the NYT about planning a year buying nothing other than what she would consume-and Susannah Q. Pratt took the hint. In 2018 after some convincing (that included a family PowerPoint!) Pratt and her family decided to buy nothing too: We undertook a 365-day moratorium on the purchase of new clothes toys games books electronics gear furniture housewares and other things that fall in the general category of 'stuff.' For twelve months we purchased only essentials - food toiletries light bulbs and a few pairs of shoes for my growing boys. We stayed out of stores and off of online shopping sites. We fixed things. We made things. We went without.</p><p> </p><p>The twenty-one essays in<em> More or Less</em> are much more than the story of that year. Pratt thoughtfully considers what might bring someone to step outside the usual American consumerism coming to examine the ways in which what we buy and own can change who we are or want to be. Intertwining scenes of homelife with sustained reflection on notions of utility disposability and community the book addresses the central question of how to live well in a culture of consumerism from which there is no meaningful exit. </p>