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Boston.com

Best nonfiction books of 2011

  December 18, 2011

A century into mankind’s love affair with plastic,’’ writes Susan Freinkel, in “Plastic: A Toxic Love Story’’, “we’re starting to recognize this is not a healthy relationship.’’ [208] This eloquent, elegant book thoughtfully plumbs the cascading, unintended consequences of our dependence on plastics, from the way obesity followed ballooning cola bottles to a new and now permanent culture of disposable material goods. The author sketches the history of a series of plastic products, along the way inviting readers to think about consumerism, luxury, design, waste.

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