Nonfiction

Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment

Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment

  • Downloads：6602
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-17 07:52:12
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Maxine Bedat
  • ISBN：0593085973
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

In Unraveled， entrepreneur， researcher， and advocate Maxine B�dat follows the life of an American icon--a pair of jeans--to reveal what really happens to give us our clothes。 We visit a Texas cotton farm figuring out how to thrive without relying on fertilizers that poison the earth。 Inside dyeing and weaving factories in China， where chemicals that are banned in the West slosh on factory floors and drain into waterways used to irrigate local family farms。 Sewing floors in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are crammed with women working for illegally low wages to produce garments as efficiently as machines。 Back in America， our jeans get stowed， picked， and shipped out by Amazon warehouse workers pressed to be as quick as the robots primed to replace them。 Finally， those jeans we had to have get sent to landfills--or， if they've been donated， shipped back around the world to Africa， where they're sold for pennies in secondhand markets or buried and burned in mountains of garbage。

Unraveled is not just the story of a pair of pants， but also the story of our global economy and our role in it。 Unraveled challenges us to use our relationship with our jeans--and all that we wear--to reclaim our central role as citizens to refashion a society in which all people can thrive and preserve the planet for generations to come。

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Reviews

Clara ，

This book was probably like a 4。5 stars for me。 It’s impeccably researched and Bedat’s emphasis on the human element of the garment industry is what really makes this book a standout。 The final chapter was a little disjointed though。

Patrick Pilz ，

An interesting story of the textile and garment industry。 It goes at time astray with its rant on Amazon's business practices and neglects the business of factory stores and outlets all together。 It is well written and enjoyable to read and still deserves 4 stars in my book。 An interesting story of the textile and garment industry。 It goes at time astray with its rant on Amazon's business practices and neglects the business of factory stores and outlets all together。 It is well written and enjoyable to read and still deserves 4 stars in my book。 。。。more

Michelle ，

This book is excellent。 A must read for anyone interested in fashion。

Yuliya ，

The most sustainable fashion is not buying anything at all。

Mary Huang ，

very informative look at the making of our clothes。 definitely a must read for anyone who buys any clothing-which means everyone。 i feel books like this should be a required reading in school。

Jennifer ，

Written with clarity， humility， journalistic rigor， and a deep respect for humanity， UNRAVELED exposes some of the most surprising and horrifying truths of the garment industry—and the complex web of economics， politics， and cultural institutions that have made it the force it is today。 By introducing us to the people behind each stage of our clothing's journey—from cotton grown in Texas to the factory workers in Asia to the Amazon packers in the US and the secondhand sellers in Ghana—the book o Written with clarity， humility， journalistic rigor， and a deep respect for humanity， UNRAVELED exposes some of the most surprising and horrifying truths of the garment industry—and the complex web of economics， politics， and cultural institutions that have made it the force it is today。 By introducing us to the people behind each stage of our clothing's journey—from cotton grown in Texas to the factory workers in Asia to the Amazon packers in the US and the secondhand sellers in Ghana—the book offers a new perspective on what it means to buy a pair of jeans， or anything really。 It reveals the undeniable fact that we are all connected， and asks us to consider how our individual behaviors ripple out around the world and through time。 If we start by examining the things we wear with this degree of mindfulness and accountability， we might find that all parts of our world， including the systems and institutions that shape society， reflect more of what we want for each other—love， community， and acknowledgment of our gifts as individuals， which are as unique and stylish as how we dress。 。。。more

Jeff ，

Eye Opening， Yet Critically Flawed。 Bedat does *phenomenal* work in this text when reporting what she has found in her investigations of trying to track even a "typical" cotton *garment* from the cotton seed to its eventual use and destruction。 Using each chapter as a way to trace one particular step in the chain was truly a stroke of editing genius， as it concentrates just what is happening at that particular stage。 And some of it - including the direct link， in Bangladesh at minimum， between g Eye Opening， Yet Critically Flawed。 Bedat does *phenomenal* work in this text when reporting what she has found in her investigations of trying to track even a "typical" cotton *garment* from the cotton seed to its eventual use and destruction。 Using each chapter as a way to trace one particular step in the chain was truly a stroke of editing genius， as it concentrates just what is happening at that particular stage。 And some of it - including the direct link， in Bangladesh at minimum， between garment factories and sex work （where in one particular harrowing tale， a source tells Bedat that when she gets in the van to be taken to a factory as a day worker， she sometimes finds herself at a massage parlor instead） - is utterly horrific。 It is these sections of the book that are *so* strong that the book *had* to be rated fairly highly。HOWEVER， when Bedat speaks almost at *all* of policy or her own opinions。。。 well， this is when the critical flaws become apparent。 To be fair， she *is* at least somewhat more balanced than many leftists， and outright points out things that ardent Bernie Sanders / AOC types won't want to hear。 But in her attacks of "neoliberalist capitalism" - a running strawman throughout the narrative - 。。。 eh， I'll be a touch gentle and go with "YMMV"。 If you happen to be on that side， you're going to love her commentary here。 If， like me， you find yourself more an adherent of Milton， Mises， Hayek， Bastiat， etc （the so-called "Austrian School of Economics"）。。。 you're not going to like her commentary so much。 The star reduction， to be clear， isn't from the fact that I don't like much of the commentary - but that I can so easily refute it， despite not being a trained economist （just a - clearly ;） - well read human :D）。And yet， the actual reporting here is simply too strong， too eye opening。 This is a book that *needs* to be read for its current issues reporting， if for no other reason - and even if her commentary leads one to contemplate defenestration of the book。 If you've read Hafsa Lodi's Modesty or Virginia Postrel's Fabric of Civilization （among presumably numerous other recent texts on fashion / clothing/ fabric）， do yourself a favor and read this one too。 Even if you haven't， do yourself a favor and read all three books。 ;）Very much recommended。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0