Book Review: Death by Suburb
“The outward physical world of SUVs and minivans, drearily earth-toned subdivisions, golden retrievers and chocolate labs, and endless Saturday morning soccer games is only one dimension. There’s another dimension or two. This much thicker world is a world in which I am alive to God and alive to others, a world in which what I don’t yet own defines me. It’s a higher existence, a plane where I am not the total sum of my house size, SUV, vacations, kids’ report cards – and that which I still need to acquire.”
David Goetz’s book Death by Suburb is not a diatribe against suburbia, or a call for people 
to give up their current lifestyles and live with the urban poor. Yes, he says, there are many ways that a safe life interferes with being a disciple of Jesus. But his goal is to teach us how to overcome the toxicity of the good life and be contemplative WHERE WE LIVE NOW. Even if we do have a golden retriever and soccer games.
Organization:
The book is organized into eight “toxins” of suburban living. Goetz shares about each one, gives a humble example of how he himself has been sucked into this shallowness, and then provides an antidote to each. You can read about each of the toxins on his website, but here is one that resonated with me.
Toxin: “I need to make a difference with my life.” Practice: Pursuing action, not results.
In this chapter, Goetz presents a spookily accurate example of the average churchgoer, whom he calls “the shirker,” who instead of engaging with the suffering of the world, seeks spiritual intake. She looks for the best church that meets her needs, the ministry that suits her best. She volunteers with the poor, but if there is no clear progress, she stops. Generally, me in a nutshell.
Goetz’s antidote is to enter into a relationship where you have no likely chance of making a difference. Suburbia argues for success. Jesus wants obedience. The action of service with no regard for outcome gives the power back to God.
Summary
This book is a quick read, but the fixes are honest, contemplative ones. They look to silence, to giving, to accepting suffering, to community. The book has probably suffered from marketing errors, since it isn’t ABOUT being killed by suburbs. If it expanded its ideas a little bit more, maybe added some recommended readings… even a little smaller font, it would still be an enjoyable read. But it would have more depth and inspire me to come back to it over and over.
From the toxin you’ve highlighted here, it sounds like the book would speak to those who are the typical success-oriented high-achiever that seeks results, outcomes, and impact. That doesn’t happen just in the suburbs. People all over are seeking success rather than obedience.
On second thought, maybe it’s a false dichotomy. It may well be possible to have both success and obedience.
Thanks for commenting, DJ! It’s certainly possible to have both success and obedience. But for this practice, Goetz encourages continuing in service that is particularly LACKING in success. And yes, none of the toxins are limited to people in the suburbs.