Debt impact the way we think about a wide range of tpoics; clever book; Makes one think about things not being ‘ free ‘ ( )

A fascinating reflection on what it means to be in debt and to be owed. I highly recommend Atwood's 2008 CBC Massey Lectures.

I like this rating system by ashleytylerjohn of LibraryThing (https://www.librarything.com/profile/ashleytylerjohn) that I have also adopted:
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful.) ( )

Charming and thought-provoking. Agree with AltheaAnn that the last chapter took away from that a bit. ( )

I found this a very interesting view on Debt (financial and other) and man's attitude to it through the ages. Atwood explores it in the context of ancient civilizations and justice and then moves more into the modern era and considers the good and bad sides of debt. I was intrigued by the view that the requirement for money and capital flow that arose with the industrial revolution and capitalism changed our attitudes to debt radically. She also comes to the conclusion that money (rather than love) is often the driving force for change and narrative development in the great novels (Little Dorrit and Vanity Fair are the examples that spring to mind).
The last chapter with her updating Scrooge to see a global view of man's debt to the world felt a bit preachy but was though provoking.

Maybe because it's based on lectures, I did find that the whole book rambled slightly but as I've indicated contains many interesting pieces of information and different views on debt. ( )

terrific ( )