We Have Met the Enemy: Self Control in an Age of Excess by Daniel Akst

I picked We Have Met the Enemy: Self Control in an Age of Excess by Daniel Akst as the library’s January book discussion title. In this month of New Year’s resolutions, it is a timely choice. Akst suggest that Americans are surrounded by temptations – drinking, smoking, drugs, porn, gambling, food, and more – and that life is a constant battle to resist overindulging.

This is not the kind of book I normally pick up to read, but on the whole I found it interesting and enjoyable. The author got a little too scientific in parts for my taste, but I just skimmed over these parts until I reached a more readable section.

Although most of the temptations outlined in We Have Met the Enemy do not attract me, I certainly feel the appeal of too much cheap and delicious food, as well as the pull to waste a lot of time on the Internet when I should be doing more useful things. I doubt I will change my behavior after reading this book, but I thought about it!

The author meanders around a lot of topics, musing about this and that stray idea that interests him. This is a book you can put down and pick up later. We Have Met the Enemy reminded me of Freakonomics and Mindless Eating (although it’s not as good as either of those books). If you enjoy not-too-scientific scientific books that challenge you to think about your own behavior, you might enjoy We Have Met the Enemy.