We Have Met the Enemy: self-control in an age of excess - Softcover

'You wouldn't be able to stop yourself from reading this book! Daniel Akst is among the sharpest, most perceptive writers of his generation, and he is in fine form in We Have Met the Enemy.' -- Gregg Easterbrook author of Sonic Boom 'This is a serious book on a significant subject ... Akst explores the conundrum that our biology and physiology evolved to deal with a very different world from the one we find ourselves in ... It is sharp, funny and provocative.' -- Richard Begbie The Canberra Times 'We Have Met the Enemy paints a stark picture of modern self-control ... readers will have no trouble identifying (somewhat guiltily) with the issues it raises.' -- Judith Ireland The Weekend Australian

How do you save yourself from your destructive desires? All this freedom is making us ill. Perhaps half of all deaths are caused by overeating, smoking, drinking too much, failing to exercise, and other behaviours we indulge in against our better judgement. Why do so many of us embark knowingly on the long march to slow-motion suicide? In this brilliant and irreverent search for answers, Daniel Akst delves deep into overconsumption, overspending, procrastination, expletive-laden anger, promiscuity, and most of the other homely transgressions that bedevil us in a world of freedom, prosperity, and technological empowerment. He draws a vivid picture of the many-sided problem of desire - and delivers a blueprint for how we can steer more directly toward the wants we most want for ourselves.