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Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing to Us Paperback – April 2, 2019

by Will Storr (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 818 ratings
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We are living in an age of heightened individualism. Success is a personal responsibility. Our culture tells us that to succeed is to be slim, rich, happy, extroverted, popular―flawless. We have become self-obsessed. And our expectation of perfection comes at a cost. Millions are suffering under the torture of this impossible fantasy. The pressure to conform to this ideal has changed who we are.It was not always like this. To explain how we got here, award-winning journalist Will Storr leads us on a “terrific tour through the history of self-obsession” (NPR, On Point) that explores the origins of this notion of the perfect self that torments so many of us: Where does this ideal come from? Why is it so powerful? Is there any way to break its spell?Full of thrilling and unexpected connections among history, psychology, economics, neuroscience, and more, Selfie is an unforgettable book that makes sense of who we have become. Ranging from Ancient Greece, through the Christian Middle Ages, to the self-esteem evangelists of 1980s California, the rise of the “selfie” generation, and the era of hyper-individualism in which we live now, Selfie tells the epic tale of the person we all know so intimately―because it’s us.
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  1. Print length
    416 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harry N. Abrams
  4. Publication date
    April 2, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.13 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1468316958
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1468316957
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  1. If you’re prone to social perfectionism, your self-esteem will be dangerously dependent on keeping the roles and responsibilities you believe you have.
    Highlighted by 227 Kindle readers
  2. It’s the self that wants to become perfect, and it’s our culture that tells it what ‘perfect’ actually is.
    Highlighted by 213 Kindle readers
  3. One of the most critical functions of the human self is to make us feel in control of our lives.
    Highlighted by 188 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Will Storr is an award-winning journalist and novelist whose work has appeared in the Guardian, Sunday Times, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. His books include Selfie: How the West Became Self-Obsessed and The Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science (Overlook/Abrams Press). His writing courses are among the most in-demand offerings of the Guardian Masterclasses and the Faber Academy. He lives in Kent, England.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harry N. Abrams; 1st edition (April 2, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1468316958
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1468316957
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.13 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 818 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
818 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book fascinating and entertainingly humorous, with one review noting it provides astonishing facts and observations throughout. Moreover, they appreciate its readability. However, the writing style receives mixed reactions, with several customers finding it not reader-friendly.

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8 customers mention "Readability"6 positive2 negative

Customers find the book easy to read.

"This book is a decent read and has some good points. Storr’s writing style is accommodating and vivid...." Read more

"...when marooned with it on a ship for 10 days, I discovered that it was fantastic!..." Read more

"...Anyway, I am sure there are better, more focused and enjoyable books about what is actually going on NOW...." Read more

"...I will now go back and leisurely absorb his work. Great job!! Worth every penny (Kindle edition)." Read more

7 customers mention "Thought provoking"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and fascinating, with one customer noting it provides astonishing facts and observations throughout, while another mentions it serves as a starting point for introspection.

"Selfie is an incredibly dense and information filled journey to a satisfying ending...." Read more

"This book is a decent read and has some good points. Storr’s writing style is accommodating and vivid...." Read more

"...I found this book riveting, entertainingly humorous, terrifying in its implications, but then, in the end, it brought me relief from the pressures..." Read more

"...It was instead a fantastic exploration of our changing understandings of who we are - history, psychology, philosophy - read like an Adam Curtis..." Read more

4 customers mention "Humor"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertainingly humorous.

"...Its an easy, entertaining read. Go for it." Read more

"...I found this book riveting, entertainingly humorous, terrifying in its implications, but then, in the end, it brought me relief from the pressures..." Read more

"...and writes his discoveries in clear, elegant, and sometimes humorous prose. Highly recommended!" Read more

"Great read! The author is also has a funny, dry sense of humor." Read more

7 customers mention "Readership"4 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some finding it not reader-friendly, while one customer describes it as an incredibly well-written exploration.

"...Storr’s writing style is accommodating and vivid. He is clearly a compelling writer and the best use of this book is a starting point for..." Read more

"...The concepts the author compiles together are not reader friendly and not particularly easy to see a relation to with one another or what..." Read more

"...Storr investigates with great curiosity and openness, and writes his discoveries in clear, elegant, and sometimes humorous prose. Highly recommended!" Read more

"...text is there but the pages are out of order and the book is essentially impossible to read...." Read more

Fascinating Read - Enjoyable
5 out of 5 stars
Fascinating Read - Enjoyable
This is an engaging history of psychology and how the self esteem movement was promoted without proper scientific studies. The author really goes into depth with his research there. He explains how this led to the change in economics which took protections and limitations off business. It explains why there are lower salaries now, little customer service and how the onus of being successful is more and more on the individual. I felt connected to the author as I read it and wanted to meet him. Not every history book does that! His stories are fascinating.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • BobbyDart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dense but insightful
    Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Selfie is an incredibly dense and information filled journey to a satisfying ending. Will Storr clearly did an immense amount of research for his latest book. Traveling through history he shows how various people and cultures have impacted the way we think and view ourselves. The journey has a lot of insight into the way we think.

    However, as a mental health therapist and a Christian, much of his views are lacking in depth and understanding of the complexities of both topics. Throughout the book he mentions therapy and alludes to Christianity being a factor in the way we think. His simplified versions of both topics leads to misunderstandings of both topics. Both therapy and Christianity are meant to be messages of self-acceptance regardless of our imperfections which is not reflected in his writings. Much to his admission at the end of the book, Storr has a lot of knowledge on the subjects but little depth and it shows. Though, in my opinion it doesn't undermine his overarching message.

    Regardless though, Storr concludes the book with a message of self-acceptance and hope. This message is definitely not aimed at accepting our strengths but rather accepting our limitations and weaknesses. Overall, whether or not you agree with his interpretations of certain topics, his underlying message is much needed in a time where perfectionism is the standard.
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Elizabeth Mustol
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good examination of our inability to change ourselves
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Storr speaks largely to Americans in examining our preoccupation with ourselves and our pursuit of personal perfection. After engaging in cultural commentary and recounting his experience in various programs for self-transformation, such as a Benedictine Abbey and the Esalen Institute, at the end of the book (pp. 315-36), he concludes that we really cannot change ourselves much, nor can we achieve perfection - a vital insight for a lot of Americans who believe otherwise. I recommend the book, especially the last part (315-36) for all of us who so believe.
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  • A.H. Derman
    3.0 out of 5 stars About as Deep as a Selfie
    Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This book is a decent read and has some good points. Storr’s writing style is accommodating and vivid. He is clearly a compelling writer and the best use of this book is a starting point for introspection. However, he provides almost no deep, unique insight into our self-obsessed culture or its historical/sociological/psychological roots. His conclusions are regurgitated, casual and uncritical. While it’s obvious that he has done immense legwork to make this book work, he is more committed to the imagery he creates with words than any deep thought he might provoke with them. To quote Will Storr himself, “Most of the general concepts in this book are relatively uncontroversial and broadly accepted.” Bingo.
    15 people found this helpful
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  • wendy coles
    5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this book. The title put me off so I stayed away from it for a while however, when marooned with it on a ship for 10 days, I discovered that it was fantastic! For those of us who have spent many years in the field of psychology, Will Storr points out the pitfalls of our heroes' theories and how it led us to today. Its an easy, entertaining read. Go for it.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Charles McClain
    5.0 out of 5 stars The coming of what we deserve
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Narcissism - in its most potent former, sociopathology - is, perhaps, the great bane of our time. Now, more than ever community is urgently needed to address unparalleled problems threatening life on our planet; Unparalleled because they are largely the result of human activity. When this situation is confronted by rampant narcissism combined with devastatingly maldistributed wealth a culture of greed, and abysmal ignorance, it appears that we will truly get what we deserve. Will Store has described the nascence other situation about as well as any recent author, at least since M. Scott Peck. As the title of this book implies, what may be our most dangerous social (or anti-social) tendencies are amplified by technology. Seldom has the vital duality of freedom and responsibility been more critically demonstrated than in the work.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • N. R.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly well-written exploration of the current self-obsession that seems to permeate all levels of our social media culture.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Will Storr's writing is the work of a master, and he exceeded my expectations in his search to experience, research and chronicle a complicated, nuanced phenomenon of past and current western culture. I found this book riveting, entertainingly humorous, terrifying in its implications, but then, in the end, it brought me relief from the pressures of the Social Media age.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • J. Drew
    5.0 out of 5 stars Let's take a picture
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I once had the privilege of seeing the author reading and talk about his previous book 'the heretics' in a Birmingham pub about people who have different and unusual belief systems that favour those more of conspiracy theory than reality. His new book looks more at the self and the self in society. I found it a wonderful book. Looking at a range of selfs (e.g. the dying self, the perfectible self, the good / bad / digital self) telling stories that tell us about ourself and the society we live in. The section on self belief and the story of John Vasconcellos and Storr's trip to a movement where we behave as something else are both diverting and bonkers and we live is strange times (just as we always have). Storr has a wonderful way of writing that can cover both factual information and stories that help highlight and picture the many nuggets of information of which highlight who and what we are. Highly recommended. I loved it and learnt a lot.
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  • Saif Shaikh
    3.0 out of 5 stars Its a genuine copy .
    Reviewed in India on January 26, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    The book seems to be old but in Ok condition.
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  • Unai
    4.0 out of 5 stars La obsesión de nuestro tiempo
    Reviewed in Spain on May 22, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Este libro recoge una presentación sobre una de las grandes obsesiones de nuestro tiempo: nosotros como centro de todo.
    A través de capítulos, va cambiando el ángulo de observación para exponer cómo hemos llegado a colocarnos como el centro de todo, individualmente.
    Quienes quieran entender las obsesiones de sus hijos con la imágen o el teléfono, la "necesidad" de consumir, o al ánsia de notoriedad, tienen aquí las explicaciones que necesitan.
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  • Kindle-Kunde
    5.0 out of 5 stars An undeniable must-read
    Reviewed in Germany on December 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Thought about it afterwards for a long time after I've read it. The complete deconstruction of the self and why it acts and desires in the way it does is necessary to understand your own self and where it's going - something so convoluted and complex, almost unattainable. Frequently I was reminded of a song lyric "Stop running for nothing", because after reading the book it seems so obvious and yet distant what you have to feel to figure yourself out. Give this one a read.
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  • Chris S
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking
    Reviewed in Australia on June 9, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    A very interesting read
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