Busyness defines the lives of most Americans. For some, the focus of busyness is family. For others, it is career or social activities. Sometimes busyness results from a big event, like the catastrophic illness of a family member, but much of it builds from many seemingly inconsequential demands that collectively become overwhelming. We search for the best airline prices on the Internet, are "partners" with teachers in our children's education, and employ a battery of devices that promise to save labor if only we can learn how to use them. "Busier Than Ever " follows the daily activities of fourteen American families. It explores why they are busy and what the consequences are for their lives. Busyness is not just a matter of personal time management, but of the activities we participate in and how each of us creates "the good life." While numerous books deal with efficiency and the difficulties of balancing work and family, "Busier Than Ever " offers a fresh approach. Busyness is not a "problem" to be solved--it is who we are as Americans and it's redefining American families.

Charles N. Darrah, James M. Freeman, and J.A. English-Lueck are professors of anthropology at San Jose State University.