Blubberland: The Dangers of Happiness

We all know that we have to cut our "carbon footprint" and become more green-conscious. Farrelly (architecture, University of Sydney, Australia) admits that she is part of the problem, too. She puts forward some ideas for planned communities with examples from Australia, but her book is more a philosophical rumination of the way in which we place our desire for things above all else. She considers the "blubber" in our lives, once a survival cushion, now an abundance of fat on our bodies and in our homes. What can we do? Farrelly believes that we can change our goals and concepts in order to live in harmony with nature and still be happy. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Elizabeth Farrelly is one of Australia's liveliest and most provocative writers on architecture and the environment. The winner of the CICA International Critics' Award, the Pascall Prize for Critical Writing, and the Marion Mahony Griffin Award, she is a columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, a commentator on Australian television and radio, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Sydney.