Wanting by Luke Burgis is an accessible, thought-provoking book about Mimetic Desire, explaining why we want what we want and our pursuit to get those things. Mimetic theory identified by 20th century philosopher, Rene Girard, is based around the idea that humans imitate each other, thus mimetic desire means that we want things simply because others want them. Most of the content in the book echoes Girard’s theories on a variety of topics related to Mimetic theory. I found it fascinating to consider how much we are influenced by each other and moderate our behavior according to the perception of others.

I especially liked the parts that focused on our polarized identities and how scapegoats have been used throughout human history. So much is related to our group identity and our desire to differentiate from each other. Though, only a small part of the book, I think my biggest takeaway may be about disruptive empathy and how powerful it can be to change perception of another person. Disruptive empathy occurs when we empathize and show vulnerability with someone we perceive as outside of our group, say someone who shares opposing political beliefs.

Ultimately, Burgis emphasizes re-orienting ourselves and our goals to focus on thick desires vs. thin desires, e.g. what actually brings you deeper fulfillment in life vs. a superficial desire that only gives you a brief reward. Overall, Luke Burgis synthesizes information and anecdotes in fascinating and readable way, much like Malcolm Gladwell. I loved the narration by Luke Burgis and Sean Patrick Hopkins. Their voices were perfect for the content and kept me interested.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio for providing this e-book and audiobook ARC.

I have been trying to find this book for a while as a guide to life.
We so often discount the power of our minds and social networks.
I would be interested in such a book on the power of the placebo on our health.

A fascinating book about how to explain our " wants" or mimetic desires. Mr. Burgis places a name on what and why we want the things we want. It was a very interesting read. Basically giving a name to what drives us to do what we do and want what we want, or human nature.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for and e-ARC for a review. #NetGalley #STMartinsPress.

When I started this book, I noticed in the preface, the author made large claims, that this work could be life changing. As a solid Enneagram 6, I took note with skepticism, and read on. This book explains The Theory of Mimetic Desire developed by Rene Girard, how this theory influences society and life, and how one might learn from and use it to grasp its effect and potentially reorient one’s direction accordingly. Sort of like explaining what wind is, how it has shaped landmarks, ocean currents, and aviation, and then teaching the reader how to adjust their sails in the direction they want to go.

The writing is easy to understand and the author skilled in communicating complex concepts. The sequence of the book is logical, and each component is accompanied by many of the author’s personal antidotes as well as many references to popular figures such as Steve Job, Annie Dillard, Ferrari and Lamborghini, Tony Hsieh, and many more. Each story was interesting, and the detail was engrossing. This style reminded me a lot of Malcom Gladwell and Susan Caine.

This book is extremely relevant and timely, asking and answering, “Why do we want the things that we want?” After a breaking down of the theory in smaller bite size pieces, the author goes on to make suggestions, on how this can effect business leaders, politics, social media, religion, management, teachers, parents, and families. We all have models, people who tell us what is worth wanting or not, and we all have values, that properly recognized and ranked can reveal so much about us and what makes life fulfilling. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the why behind our desires. It turns out the claims the author made in the beginning were more true than not, the ideas and 15 Tactics the author lays out has the potential to be life changing and helpful if embraced.

Wanting is an interesting read, but be warned: it’s another addition to the growing pile of pages describing the grim truth of our current trajectory as a society. Wanting looks at the work of an obscure but influential Stanford academic named Rene Girard, who posited that all our desires are, in fact, based on what what we see other people desiring. We mimic others, rather than wanting things for our own reasons, and this is one of the easiest things to manipulate. Author Burgis claims that understanding this theory explains pretty much everything we see today: politics, relationships, scientific developments (and lack thereof). As I said, the book is interesting...and ultimately quite depressing. In a late chapter, he discusses robotic sex partners manufactured by a company called Abyss Creations. It’s grim. He discusses all of this as if it’s neutral, and the result of who and where and what we are is just so totally depressing. If you are curious about how we got here, and want to understand a bit of how human beings work, this is a good book to check out. But it’s not great news for anyone who believes that we human beings are the solution to the problems we’ve created. That is clearly not the case. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Wanting" dives right into something I had never thought about before-mimetic desire, AKA the fact that everything we want is based on what other people want. That in itself was really interesting to read about. Burgis uses personal stories and anecdotes of others (like Ferrari and Lamborghini) to convey and explain mimetic desire and how it works in terms that are fairly easy to understand. Sometimes I have a hard time powering through nonfiction, researched books, so I appreciated the brevity and succintness of this book. The first half discusses what exactly mimetic desire is, while the second half goes on about how to reorient your desires to be less about you mimicking others' desires and more about what you yourself desires. A good read for someone interested in how society works, and wants to carve out a life that is more fulfilling for themselves.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!