About the Book
Work. Bills. Emails. Texts. Social media. Friends. Family. The country. The world. It’s a lot. It’s exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s time for things to change.
For decades, we have been told that being overworked, overcommitted, overconnected, and overwhelmed is the price to pay for successful modern lives. That the grind is normal. That the constant striving and scrolling—and buying into curated lifestyles that are relentlessly marketed to us—is a direct path to happiness. We freely give away our data, our time, our money, and our identities in the process. And all we seem to get in return is a permanent place on the hamster wheel.
Julio Vincent Gambuto understood this as much as anyone. Constantly on the go, traveling for work and overloading his calendar and inbox, he had convinced himself that being busy meant being fulfilled. But when the world stopped in 2020, he was confronted with an uncomfortable truth: his life had been on autopilot for a very long time. He had spent years blindly clicking, committing, and engaging with all sorts of things he didn’t need or enjoy. In every area of his life, he had subscribed” to something—a corporate mailing list, a work happy hour, a surface-level friendship, a toxic habit. It all benefited everyone but him. He came to believe that the greatest forces of our economy wanted it that way, that we’re all “oversubscribed” not because of our inability to say no, but because the larger systems we’re part of need us to keep saying yes. That power imbalance was the “normal” everyone was trying so hard to get back to. But what if, Gambuto thought, it’s better for all of us if we simply don’t?
Now, in Please Unsubscribe, Thanks!, he offers a radical blueprint for how we all can take a well-deserved deep breath, renew ourselves, and commit to the life we really want—both individually and collectively. Gambuto guides readers through the process of “unsubscription,” offering a practical, humorous, and heartfelt road map for rethinking our digital habits, setting boundaries, reevaluating our social circles, and reexamining powerful core ideas that no longer serve us. Please Unsubscribe, Thanks! helps us focus on where we find joy and meaning, and gives us permission to let go of all that stands in the way. It is a brilliant, timely, and inspired blend of social science and self-improvement philosophy that will shift your perspective, open your eyes, and help you find the power to make real, lasting change.
