... clever, informative, and unexpectedly charming ... Schlossberg is careful to remind readers that we’re all in this (planet) together ... Though the subject matter is bleak, Schlossberg takes care to emphasize that while individual choices matter, governmental and corporate transparency matters much, much more. To halt the climate crisis, we must first understand the many factors that create and sustain it, and this book offers the tools for that understanding. The author breaks complex issues down to be understandable to the lay reader, while her humor and wit ensure that readers will close the book feeling energized rather than hopeless.

This book careens and skitters across the landscape of its topic, which means I now know a number of interesting things I didn’t know when I picked it up ... [Tatiana Schlossberg] has not done a great deal of original reporting — the book includes accounts of just a few short trips. But she has scoured the internet for pretty much every scary and fascinating statistic on her subject that you can imagine, and her time has been well spent. You come away from her book with a stronger sense of the sheer largeness of the human enterprise ... When I picked up this book, I feared it might go down the same cul-de-sacs, but it doesn’t ... fighting for the Green New Deal makes more mathematical sense than trying to take on the planet one commodity at a time. And that, interestingly, is where Schlossberg seems to come out, even as she conducts her rambling tour of each of those commodities ... there are a few places where her reporting covers issues that few people know about and everyone should ... I confess that Schlossberg’s writing style grates on me — the rate of cutesy asides per page is diabetic. But she deserves real credit for coming through her journey into the guts of the consumer machine with a clarifying insight.

Although Schlossberg’s asides sometimes derail the journalistic narrative, with this call for mass action she presents valuable information that could help readers make more sustainable choices in their lives.

Schlossberg’s investigative reporting skills are a huge asset in explaining how we got to this point, why it matters and what we can do about it ... The detailed scientific evidence and statistics she uncovers are mind-boggling and very scary, particularly the complexity of the consumer impact on the environment and how swiftly it’s altering our world. But she does her best to lighten the mood by mixing these cold, hard facts with witty prose ... Inconspicuous Consumption is a call to action for our future success and survival.

... an informative, practical guide to understanding and acting on climate change ... Although the thrust of the book is climate change, this is more a volume about cause and effect that tackles a broad scope of topics ... chlossberg brings a variety of current conversations on environment together in down-to-earth, easily understood terms. Avoiding dense technical language and writing in a highly personalized style laced with humor and asides, the author provides much-needed clarifications about climate change and pollution that not only empower average consumers with the ability to act and make informed decisions, but also encourage and inspire that action ... If fighting climate change can be engaging, fun, and fulfilling, this is the road map.

... straightforward, accessible ... Style-conscious readers should be particularly fascinated by Schlossberg’s critical look at fashion industry practices, notably the water-intensive process through which cotton gets made into denim. With insight and urgency, Schlossberg prods readers to think more deeply about how they participate in these and other activities, and how they might mitigate their impact. In the process, she delivers an intriguing and educational narrative.