To be American is to hoard, to collect. But what if that wasn't a bad thing? Emily Mester's American Bulk asks readers to see our national consumer obsession as more than a modern scourge-to consider consumption a complex character in a larger story of capitalism, imperialism and technology. In sharply witty prose, Mester details how a seasonal stint at Ulta Beauty reveals the insidious performance of retail sales, how Yelp reviews highlight the lengths Americans go to curate their personal ephemera, and why they can't help but find joy at Costco. In a stark reexamination of diet culture and fatness, Mester recounts her teenage summer at fat camp and the liberatory body neutrality that surrounded her. And in Storm Lake, Iowa, Mester excavates her grandmother's abandoned hoard, among other discoveries about her own family's history. American Bulk asks us to regard consumption not with guilt but with grace and empathy.

About the Author
Emily Mester is a writer from the suburban Midwest, where her family went to Costco every Sunday. She holds an MFA in nonfiction from the University of Iowa, where she was the winner of the Prairie Lights Nonfiction Prize. She lives in New York.


Book Information
ISBN 9781324035237
Author Emily Mester
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 239g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 18mm