Customer Reviews

Car Living Your Way : Stories and Practical Tips From Those Who Have Been Down the Road

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I have a history of living in cars several times (less than a month each time) well before this book was written. I see the book as a good way to consider the idea, if time is available to consider it. The whole thing is based on the actual experiences of car living people, organized by a writer to give it coherence. Organization counts here.

AJ Heim starts by considering the reasons people live in cars (or trucks, vans, etc.) and "mental preparation" for doing so. This is important for people who are considering car living as one choice among others. Part I continues with specifics of packing, parking, cleanliness and other important topics, winding up with a chapter on Feng Shui as related to car living. Part II contains the stories. The stories matter to me because (a) they show how the "parts" in Part I make "whole" stories of people and (b) they give the reader a chance to explore attitudes that work for living in cars.

In short, the combination of AJ Heim's writing skill with the actual experiences of car living people makes a useful and interesting book.

The overall material of this book is good and inforative. However, the anecdotes and first person accounts repeat over and over again in various bits and pieces in such a way that you're left with a constant feeling of deja vu as you make your way through the book. You're always thinking, "Have I already read this??" Im lead to wonder how this book was put together....was is pieced together from a series of articles?...is it regurgitated material from an earlier book?..that might make more sense. In any case you'll need a bookmark.

She reminds me of Amy Dascyzyn...the Frugal Zealot...Amy is a "Frugal Snob"...this chick is a "Gypsy Snob"...In her own words.."I was at the Country Club the other day, and shocked to discover a friend's daughter had lived in her car for a few months..." This book is for people who do this for kicks...you know, something to shock your friends with at the Country Club, or rather than jetting off to wherever...Not for the Rainbow Family, back-to-the-land types.