Jessica Elefante is a writer who has spent the last few decades examining what it means to be human in our modern world. Her essays have appeared in The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and more. As the founder of acclaimed Folk Rebellion and a critic of today's culture, Elefante's award-winning talks, films, and work have been featured by Vogue, the Los Angeles Times, The Observer, Paper magazine, Wired, and elsewhere. In her previous life as a brand strategist, she was recognized as one of Brand Innovators' 40 Under 40 and has been a guest lecturer at Columbia Business School and New York University. She's influenced by the social, cultural, and technological circumstances of her life but mostly by her desire to lead a colorful one. Raised in Upstate New York, she now lives in Brooklyn with her family. She is no longer bullshitting.
“Jessica Elefante practices what she preaches by rising above complaints to confront modern, twisted problems right in the face. How do you know when you are yourself and not just a punching bag for algorithms and come-ons? Will you still be loved if you don’t do what you’re being told to do? Here is a weirdly practical approach to some ancient questions that have become trickier lately.”—Jaron Lanier, bestselling author of Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now “Eye-opening, illuminating, rebellious. This is for anyone who seeks to understand persuasive technology and pervasive marketing. Elefante helps us modify our behaviors to live the lives we deserve. Her fresh perspective pierces through the noise so that we can make decisions that are true to ourselves.”—Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Indistractable “Jessica Elefante knows how the sausage is made. With insider’s acumen and a hearty acknowledgment of her own complicity in the dynamics she’s hard at work unpacking, she details exactly how the sky is falling, walking us through experiences that resonate with familiarity until we, too, are urgently pointing skyward.”—Margo Steines, author of Brutalities “They say it takes a thief to catch a thief. Jess was a time thief, money thief, and meaning-of-life thief. She learned how to steal from people without their noticing. Then she realized she was stealing from herself. It shook her to the core. Then she changed her life. This book is ready to shake and change you, too. Buckle up.”—Lenore Skenazy, president of Let Grow, author of Free-Range Kids “You are what you consume. Consume this book. Then, question everything else.”—Cait Flanders, bestselling author of The Year of Less and Adventures in Opting Out