Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things

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Synopsis
The New York Times bestseller. &“Gripping . . . By turns fascinating and heartbreaking . . . Stuff invites readers to reevaluate their desire for things.&”—Boston Globe &“Amazing . . . utterly engrossing . . . Read it.&”—The Washington Post Book World What possesses someone to save every scrap of paper that&’s ever come into his home? What compulsions drive a person to sacrifice her marriage or career for an accumulation of seemingly useless things? Randy Frost and Gail Steketee were the first to study hoarding when they began their work a decade ago. They didn&’t expect that they would end up treating hundreds of patients and fielding thousands of calls from the families of hoarders. Their vivid case studies (reminiscent of Oliver Sacks) in Stuff show how you can identify a hoarder—piles on sofas and beds that make the furniture useless, houses that can be navigated only by following small paths called goat trails, vast piles of paper that the hoarders &“churn&” but never discard, even collections of animals and garbage—and illuminate the pull that possessions exert over all of us. Whether we&’re savers, collectors, or compulsive cleaners, very few of us are in fact free of the impulses that drive hoarders to extremes. &“Authoritative, haunting, and mysterious. It is also intensely, not to say compulsively readable.&”—Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize-winning author &“Fascinating . . . a good mix of cultural and psychological theories on hoarding.&”—Newsweek &“Pioneering researchers offer a superb overview of a complex disorder that interferes with the lives of more than six-million Americans . . . An absorbing, gripping, important report.&”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Copyright:
2009

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
306 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780547487250
Related ISBNs:
9780547422558
Publisher:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
status in your country.
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Self-Help, Psychology
Grade Levels:
Ninth grade
Reading Age:
14 and up
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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