A Life Stripped Bare: My Year Trying to Live Ethically [Paperback]

Leo Hickman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2006

It is hardly news that a growing number of people want to step back from the brink of Western consumerism and find a way to live an all-round cleaner existence. So how do we go about it? Most people resist giving up their cars, their toxic household products, their cheap washing machines, or dodgy, unethical bank accounts in order to make the world a better place, but Leo Hickman, resident consumer expert of the Guardian, reckoned he should give it a try and report back on whether it is possible to live a life that is Western but aware. Leo's fumbling but hugely well-intentioned and increasingly successful efforts to do the right thing can't fail to involve, educate, inspire—and amuse—his readers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Not a preachy guide but the diary of a struggle - through the myriad uses of bicarbonate of soda; instructions for assembling a wormery and a visit from three ethical auditors... There are plenty of facts and a selection of helpful letters - like the inspiring one from a woman who crochets her own dishcloths..' - Carol McDaid, Observer"

About the Author

Leo Hickman is 31. He is a journalist, editor and consumer expert at the Guardian. He is the author of How to Buy and A Good Life: The Guide to Ethical Living. He is married to Jane, and has a two young children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 289 pages
• Publisher: Transworld Publishers (January 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903919614
• ISBN-13: 978-1903919613
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,055,213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hey, relax!, February 28, 2006

By 

Little hair man (Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life Stripped Bare: Tiptoeing Through the Ethical Minefield (Paperback)

Emily, cool it!

Ok, the book may not be up there in the (now) ozone-free stratosphere of Bio/Eco/Ethical bibles, but it is quite good nonetheless.

For those of us who do eat chemical-laden apples and think nothing of buying our carrots from the local supermarket and fly halfway around the world for our holidays, it is a fun read. And reasonably light going. And therein lies its strength; Mr Hickman does not take himself too seriously and he has a sense of humour. This makes him readable and human - I am far from being a tree-hugging eco-warrior (as I'm sure you've guessed) but I found that his explanations were quite reasoned. He admits to failures (he is unwilling to wash his wife's reusable tampons) but he is willing, and gives most things a try.

He admits that his wormery is not a success and that giving up television is not easy and not fun at all. He does do an eco holiday though, and enjoys it.

Good on you, Leo! I like your failures. And I like your humanity.

4.0 out of 5 stars Ethical Living, March 5, 2011

By 

Spider Monkey (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: A Life Stripped Bare: Tiptoeing Through the Ethical Minefield (Paperback)

This is a great introduction to ethical living. It is easy to read and very amusing. The information is simple and easy to understand (I think implementing it is the challenge!). If you've read other books on ethical living or magazines such as the ecologist, then this won't add anything new or shocking, but for those new to the subject I can't recommend it enough. Well worth a go.

Feel free to check out my blog which can be found on my profile page.

4 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing New, December 5, 2005

By 

Emily "EnviroGeek" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life Stripped Bare: Tiptoeing Through the Ethical Minefield (Paperback)

Calling this book "A Life Stripped Bare" is an insult to the hundreds of thousands of people who lost literally everything to natural disasters in 2005.

This is a pop media journalist's narration of his own bland foray into "living ethically." There is not a single suggestion in the book that any moderately environmentally-aware person has not heard a dozen times; buy organic, local food; try to get rid of your car; don't eat meat; avoid chemicals. It's somewhat funny at times, but it's really only revelatory if you think food is born in the back of a grocery store and you've never heard of recycling.

A far more useful read is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/060980281X/qid=1133830624/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-7014812-3547267?s=books&v=glance&n=283155">The Consumer's Guide to Effecive Environmental Choices</a>, which is a scientificly-derived explanation of the top environmental choices individuals can make to impact the environment.