Where am I Wearing?: A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People That Make Our Clothes
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About this ebook
When journalist and traveler Kelsey Timmerman wanted to know where his clothes came from and who made them, he began a journey that would take him from Honduras to Bangladesh to Cambodia to China and back again. Where Am I Wearing? intimately describes the connection between impoverished garment workers' standards of living and the all-American material lifestyle. By introducing readers to the human element of globalization—the factory workers, their names, their families, and their way of life—Where Am I Wearing bridges the gap between global producers and consumers.
- New content includes: a visit to a fair trade Ethiopian shoe factory that is changing lives one job at time; updates on how workers worldwide have been squeezed by rising food costs and declining orders in the wake of the global financial crisis; and the author's search for the garment worker in Honduras who inspired the first edition of the book
- Kelsey Timmerman speaks and universities around the country and maintains a blog at www.whereamiwearing.com. His writing has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor and Condé Nast Portfolio, and has aired on NPR.
Enlightening and thought-provoking at once, Where Am I Wearing? puts a human face on globalization.
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Reviews for Where am I Wearing?
55 ratings13 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Journalist Kelsey Timmerman decides to find the places where some of his most favorite clothes were made around the world. A more personal look at the poverty and problems of the people involved in the garment industry as well as a reminder of the ways I can make a difference. Timmerman allows the reader to laugh along with him at some of his mistakes and observations.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Do I buy the shoes made with underpaid Indonesian labor? How do the people live who made the T-shirt I got from the blood bank? Answers to these and other questions in a fascinating study of travel and sociology. This should be on high school/college English/sociology/political science book lists.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Timmerman’s conversational account of his journey makes the book accessible to a wide audience. It’s about the people, all over the world, trying to get by, and trying to make a better life for themselves. Timmerman spends the day with garment workers, takes us into the workers’ homes and neighborhoods, and lets us visit their families. We see the world around them and surprisingly find out that some of these workers are the lucky ones. Sometimes, making clothes is the good job. We are shown what happens when multinational corporations insist on a minimum age for workers at the behest of their customers. Some of the kids who would be working in those garment factories end up begging on the street instead, or picking through garbage dumps. Barring them from working in garment factories doesn’t mean they don’t work; it just means they don’t work making clothes — sometimes they end up with worse jobs.My one issue with this book is that the emphasis on the different living standards in North America and Europe compared to the countries where many of the world’s clothes are made becomes repetitive after a while. It comes across as the natural consequence of travelling and having your eyes opened, but I felt that sometimes the experiences spoke for themselves and didn’t need explicit comments about the disparity in living standards. Depending on your mindset and your travel experiences, this may not be an issue for you. Having said that, I still needed to put the labels on my clothes in human terms, which this book helped me do, and I did enjoy the journey.Going with Timmerman on his journey will get you thinking about your clothes in a whole new way (and if you want to do your own investigation, there’s a tongue-in-cheek guide to finding out where your clothes are made at the end of the book).
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5"Where Am I Wearing" presents an intriguing premise, the search for the origins of the clothes all of us wear and few of us consider. With today's increased interest in the origins and ingredients in what we put in our bodies, what we put ON our bodies has been sadly neglected by popular investigative journalism. Given that, I had high hopes for this book. Admittedly my own idea of the typical garment worker has been one of micromanaged Chinese workers who dare not say, or do, anything that is not approved by management lest they suddenly find themselves out of a job and possibly a place to live. And to some extent that appears true. Kelsey did a remarkable job presenting the varied conditions that garment workers exist under, be they Chinese, American, or Cambodian. The problem I had with this book was not content, rather it was style. The book is short but the writing, particularly in the first half is slow, making the book seem much longer than it really is. In addition, the author seems to bounce from worker to worker, sometimes with little segue. This serves to make the transitions seem jerky, almost as though the reader is stepping into the middle of a conversation. Stylistic difference aside, the book serves one purpose well... what may have seemed cut and dried following Kathy lee Gifford's tearful "sweatshop denial" is in truth, not so cut and dried. It emphasizes and confirms what many of us already feel about most of what we buy today, that the interconnected webs of environment, workers, management, government and carbon footprints have made "responsible" choice no longer clear but rather a rainbow of grays, often with no clear course. Is child labor necessarily bad if that child's only other alternative is begging and sleeping on the street?
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book takes you places you had never considered and makes you look at your clothing in new ways. I thought that Kelsey was respectful with his subjects -- without being preachy, overly sentimental or having a strong agenda. While he raised ethical issues and questions around clothing production and the conditions people work in -- he did so in a way that is a conversation starter (rather than a my way or the highway you get with some authors). This book could be used in a high school or college classroom as a way to discuss globalization or economics in a way that might lead to more discussion than a traditional textbook. I think it would also be an interesting book group choice because there are interesting issues that could be talked about that many people might not have considered.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taste in books, both fiction and nonfiction, is so subjective, that there are few that I endorse with, "Everyone should read this." This is one of them. Not to say that the prose is seamless ("How many times does he have to tell us he was a SCUBA instructor in Key West?!" my husband complained after reading the first few chapters) or that it's the best nonfiction book I've read (though it is an engaging read). But because this book will change you.Maybe you're a card-carrying member of The Fair Labor Association or maybe you've never checked a label in your life. Either way, the faces and stories of the real people behind the closed doors of overseas garment factories will likely move you. Timmerman offers a new perspective on issues you may or may not have considered when you picked up those bargain jeans on sale or splurged on those designer jeans. (See my full review at Worducopia)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It's described as:"A travel journalist's look into the countries, factories, and people that make our clothes."Would it be a reference book? A journal? I was quite pleasantly surprised.Kelsey Timmerman is a freelance journalist and traveler. After developing an interest in globalization and the history of the garment industry he wanted to know where his clothing came from and who made it. He decided to find out and began a journey to different parts of the world. He was a consumer on a quest to bridge the gap between producer and consumer. Along the way he discovers and explains how communism, consumerism and globalization affect us all.He begins his journey in Honduras to discover who made his T-shirt. Answers do not come easy and he is not allowed access to the clothing factory. He can only gather bits of information from workers and he returns home with feelings of failure. Haunted by worker's faces and still seeking answers he leaves for Bangladesh to see who made his underwear. As he made progress he continued to Cambodia to find out who made his pants (Levi's), China for his flip flops and finally his shorts that were made in the U.S.A. Many places offered their workers very little money and harsh working conditions. Since the unemployment rate is often high they have little choice but to work there. He spends time in each place and also learns about the people and their cultures. He is invited into homes and eats meals with them. These people are no longer faceless workers. He even compares the success of Wal-Mart in China to the U.S. The company must learn the distinct differences in the culture and adapt to succeed. While the Chinese have great interest in our Western ways and the store plays our rock and roll and stocks such toys as Barbie dolls (only the Caucasian version, strangely no Asian Barbies are sold there.) they also provide live fish and eels in the food section and have little parking since few people drive there. Kelsey finishes his tour on the United States in a small town that makes sportswear. I was very surprised to learn that he chose the site of a former Champion factory in Perry, NY. It's near Buffalo in the Eastern part of the state and less than two hours from where I live! I have been to the town, I have been to the store. That's a strange coincidence when you live in as small an area as I do.This really was an interesting book. I didn't think I would care about this topic or understand it but the author did a great job explaining things. He made the issues personal. He also provided detailed steps how we all can find out "where we are wearing". The readers will have a hard time looking at their clothing the same way.Kelsey Timmerman is a freelance journalist who has articles on several publications and who maintains a travel blog called whereamiwearing.comI would like to thank John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and Shelf Awareness for this book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you wear clothes, this book is for you.This outstanding little book should not be missed—it is worth reading and discussing in every household and classroom in America. Do you know where your clothes were made, by what types of people and under what circumstances? Do you care? Should you care? This intriguing book looks into these issues and more, yet its tone is refreshingly accessible and unpreachy.All-American Kelsey Timmerman noticed that his typical ensemble of T-shirt, jeans, boxers, and flip-flops, all bore tags declaring their foreign manufacture in places such as Honduras, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and China. His curiosity (and his experience as a travel writer) became a mission to visit the places and meet the people who actually made his clothes. With a backpack, notebook, camera, the clothes on his back, and a mixture of guileless intelligence, he set out to explore the globalization of the garment industry, up close and personal.His approach is to minimize the intrusive effects of his inquiry into the factories' operations and the lives of the workers by keeping his visits as unofficial as possible. He is just an ordinary guy who happens to be interested in the origin of his underwear. Although he has heard about sweatshops, child labor and unfit working conditions, he wants to see for himself. He wants to know if it's possible to be an informed, engaged consumer. His journey helps us see that we can all be better informed. The people who make our clothes all have names, faces, needs and dreams."[In Bangladesh] Asad leads us past a high table with neat stacks of cloth. A few of the workers standing around the table hold what appear to be giant electric bread cutters with blades two-feet long. One woman marks the cloth using a pattern and then sets to slicing. She cuts the outline of a T-shirt. Plumes of cotton dust fill the air…the factory is clean, exits are marked, and fans maintain a nice breeze. The conditions seem fine. They are much better than I had expected, and I'm relieved."In Cambodia, eight young women garment workers share an 8' by 12' room that has a squat toilet and a water spigot. They earn between $45 and $70 per week and send home as much as possible to support family members in the countryside. Many of them miss the culture of family and village but they are well aware of the necessity of their work to their families' survival.Seeing these and many more disparities between the lives of foreign garment workers and the lives of average American consumers, Timmerman is guarded about sharing details of his life with those he interviews. However, he eventually decides that "not knowing is the problem" on both sides. When he tells the Chinese couple about his first—and second—mortgages, they find unlikely solidarity in their mutual states of indebtedness.This book is far from a "them" and "us" comparison and guilt trip. There are many complicated issues interwoven here, to be considered and discussed. The warp and woof of economic/social pluses and minuses is a constantly changing pattern, and the questions—what and where to buy, how to support or protest industry conditions, how to maintain American jobs, how to influence human rights—necessitate the participation of what the author terms "engaged consumers."Where Am I Wearing? gives an excellent starting point discussions in order to make informed decisions, as we determine a responsible course as the leading consumers of garments and other manufactured goods in the worldwide economic balance.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have just finished reading one of the most provocative books I have ever come across. This book left me intrigued and fascinated with where my clothes are made. Not only that, but it left me wanting to know the origin of everything I use on a daily basis. I doubt anyone could leave this book without feeling the need to do something. "Where Am I Wearing" chronicles author Kelsey Timmerman's journey through the companies, factories, and people who make his clothes. His journey takes him from Honduras to Bangladesh, from Cambodia to China, and back home again to a company and factory in the United States. "Sweatshop" is not an unfamiliar word to anyone in America. Yet Mr. Timmerman leaves his tour with a much different view of the word and the garment industry than the reader expects. Through his journey, Mr. Timmerman poses questions and proposes solutions that aren't typical of the garment-industry protester. In fact, he sets himself apart from these protesters by having actually visited the factories and met the people who make his clothes. As a homeschooling mom, Mr. Timmerman leaves me desiring to take a similar journey with my children. It's an experience every American could use in their lifetime. The reader should be aware that reading "Where Am I Wearing" might be uncomfortable. It might force you to look at your own life differently, and it will likely move you to action of some sort (even if just to look at your own tags before you get dressed in the morning). Mr. Timmerman took a chance when he jumped on a plane to Honduras. It was a chance worth taking as he has produced a well-written, thoughtful book that is WELL worth the read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The book is short, with few words and pictures. The premise was a good idea- to meet the people who make your clothes. At times, the book felt disjointed when author tried to tie in other events in his life such as getting married. The book gives pluses and minues about the clothing workers lives.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Kelsey Timmerman is a travel writer who blogs at Where Am I Wearing? One day he took notice of the labels inside his clothes and a quest began. I liked the fact that Timmerman's first trip to Honduras to meet some garment factory workers turns out to be not such a success. He found it difficult to frame questions to workers, consequently feelt embarassed and returned home without having really achieved anything. I found this honesty refreshing and in stark contrast to the bolshy attitude of many crusaders.However, the question remained in Timmerman's mind, and he decided to try again. He travels to Bangladesh where he gains access to a garment factory under the "guise" of an American website owner on the quest for cheaper merchandising. To our hilarity, the aforementioned Jingle These boxers are examined minutely by the garment factory manufacturers in order to determine their providence. He shares a day with Arifa, a determined and able worker in one of the Bangladeshi factories.Timmerman continues his on his journey to Cambodia where he befriends a group of young female garment factory workers who make jeans andtakes them bowling and for pizaza, much to their bemusement. He then proceeds to China where he meets a young couple who live far apart from their son and family in order to work at the factory where the author's flip flops were made.In all instances, Timmerman describes the surrounding economic situation of the country and the context/importance of the garment industry within that country. He reviews the western attitude to sweatshops and child labour. Overall, the reader is left with the conclusion that the author didn't visit anywhere that would disgust us, but rather visited places where life is tough and the only option open to many people is to work long, hard hours. It's not the child labour itself that is awful, but the fact that it is a necessity for many children in the developing world to work.Despite Timmerman's journey, there is a distinct sensation of dis-involvement (is that a word?) or distance in the book. The author doesn't really make any moral judgements, but rather presents the facts for us to read and review. The pace of the first half of the book is somewhat lacklustre but it does gain some momentum and attraction in the second half as the author himself appears to warm to his quest.The book is written very much in the style of a blogger, as opposed to a serious journalist, and is a suitable read for someone wishing to learn more about the world of cheap, mass-produced clothing. Timmerman doesn't overwhelm us with statistics and obscure legalities and economics, but presents it as he saw it. The decision is up to you.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anytime I can find a book that causes me to re-examine my own viewpoints, I think it is fascinating. Such is the case with this book. The author travels to various places around the world to try and meet the people that actually made his clothes. I have always tried very hard to not buy clothes made in sweat shops, but this book gives the whole industry a different perspective. In some cases these "sweat shops" are among the best form of employment in these countries.At one point the author makes a comparison of these countries to our own at the turn of the last century. The working conditions for garment workers, as well as the bulk of the American people were very similar. These nations are developing, and with the exception of China, the people's working conditions are slowly developing too.I found this book to be a quick read and marvelously informative.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Despite the fact that it was only 250 pages of not particularly dense or wordy text, I found Where am I Wearing?, by Kelsey Timmerman, to be pretty slow going. It's a first-hand account of his travels around the world, trying to visit the factories that made the clothes he wears.The opening chapters describing why he decided to write this book, and the brief mention of his trip to Honduras (where his t-shirt was made), and stuff about anti-Globalization people were all kind of boring. Once he got past that it started to pick up a bit. His trip to Bangladesh, where they made his boxers, was slightly more interesting. He learned a good bit about the country and its people, but the book was still failing to grip me at this point.Once he came to Cambodia, where his jeans were made, it became more interesting. There was a lot more about him trying to connect to the workers who made his jeans. Yes, he spent some time with a Bangladeshi worker called Arifa, but he didn't seem to devote as much space trying to connect to her. He takes the Cambodians bowling and goes with them to visit their home village. He does something similar for the Chinese workers who made his flip flops. After that, he makes a brief stop at the American factory that made his favorite shorts 15 years ago.It's mostly a good book, once it pick up about halfway through. Though I do find his harping on how much richer American are than the people who make their clothes to be annoying. Still, it is an interesting book.