I appreciate having had an opportunity to read and review this book. The appeal of this particular book was not evident to me, and if I cannot file a generally positive review I prefer simply to advise the publisher to that effect and file no review at all.

This is a really awesome, thought-provoking, and empathetic book. We're ALL influenced by things, but it's easy to forget that we don't have to go all-in on whatever's being sold to us (literally or metaphorically), and that we also have influence -- on our family, friends, community, and maybe beyond. It's a great rallying cry of a book!

I think I may be too old for this book, which is strange since I think I am near the same age as the author. There were some amusing and recognizable anecdotes about being a teenager in the nineties but the advice for living intentionally is more common sense than new material. I read most of this but finally got bored around 70% and put it down.

I think the audience for this book is meant to be younger than I am—as a middle-aged Gen Xer I've already gone through much of what Elefante writes about and have long started seeing through the societal influences that interfere with what I really want out of life. It might have been helpful to read it when I was making the many dumb decisions I made growing up, but like her I have reached the point where I can make choices that are more genuine to myself. It is a worthy topic, though, and I would recommend it to people in their teens and twenties who can sense that the pursuit of happiness is not necessarily what they understand it to be.

If you're interested in more detached takes on these topics, I would recommend F. S. Michaels' Monoculture: How One Story is Changing Everything, which uncovers how the system molds how we see ourselves and the world around us; Alain De Botton's Status Anxiety, which dissects the societal pressures of success; and Heath and Potter's Nation of Rebels: Why Counterculture Became Consumer Culture and Thomas Frank's The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism, which in different ways reveal the hidden capitalist forces behind the idea of "cool."

"Raising Hell, Living Well" is an enjoyable and readable book on how and why we, as a culture, are so influenced by society. As a former brand strategist, Jessica Elefante provides an escape plan for those of us who wish to unplug. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in cultural criticism and/or the subject of influence. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.