| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real eye-opener,
By
This review is from: The Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomic Living (Hardcover)
Since I work on the Internet, where every other post is about "creating wealth" and "overcoming your money blocks," this book was really refreshing. It's well-written and easy to read. The author manages to avoid seeming self-righteous; he focuses on what he did and even admits that, at times, he was a little too concerned with following his own rules. I especially liked the parts where he talks about finding genuine joy in what he was doing: eating delicious food, hiking and having time to think.
The obvious challenge is, we can't all do this. Someone has to write and publish the books. Some of us are simply less talented than others. Our modern life is set up for car travel, even if you hitch hike or get rides with friends. Additionally, if we buy fewer products and services, we are displacing ordinary people from jobs. The only way to make this work on a large scale is to establish communities, as he discusses. On the other hand, we can simplify our lives. I stopped watching television a long time ago (although I did go to a sports bar to watch the WNBA finals this year). I don't drive a car, but to make this option feasible I live in a big city with a lot of other things that create a big carbon footprint. Ultimately the book makes a powerful statement that's quite memorable. The author's matter-of-fact British style helps a lot. It will be interesting to see what he does next and whether the book can make a difference beyond a book and a few feature stories.
42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Inevitable Comparison,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomic Living (Hardcover)
I had just finished reading, "Twelve by Twelve," by William Powers. It's his account of living in an off-grid structure that is twelve by twelve feet. I loved the book. The fact that Powers was able to make toilet composting and foraging dramatic and fascinating speaks a lot to his ability as a writer. The same can be said of Mark Boyle's book. After reading an on-line article about his experience and watching it pop up over and over again on my list of Amazon recommendations, I caved in and purchased the book. I was a bit hesitant. I mean, how many books about composting and tea made from nettles can one guy read?
I'm glad I bought the book. And, I'm glad I read the two books back-to-back. Two great takes on one fascinating life strategy. Where Powers left me feeling very spiritual and took great pains to avoid judgment, Boyle gave me a constant sense of urgency and felt compelled to keep reminding me of my carbon footprint and wasteful ways. The book could have been too preachy, but Boyle is able to make his points over and over without putting the reader on the defense. That's effective writing. I also enjoyed Boyle's side-bars from everything to making paper to websites that promote swapping items as apposed to making more of something. I recommend both books. And, I recommend reading them close together. It was a great reading experience. Chris Bowen Author of Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomic Living (Hardcover)
Like other books in this genre of "A year doing x", Moneyless Man is part diary, part treatise and part self-help book. This one is a fascinating read. Mark Boyle appears to be a remarkable individual. Passionate to the point of fanaticism, yet touchingly sincere and exceptionally conscientious. In fact, I felt for him with his outsize conscience but then realized he has a terrific sense of fun and camaraderie; and in the course of his year without money he created some stunning achievements. He's very persuasive about the central issues: What is a life joyfully lived? What is the basis of human relationships, and humans' relationship with nature? These questions sound abstract, but Boyle manages to make them very earthy with his real-life experiment and his deeply honest tale.
Because Boyle was a business major at his university he has a good grasp of economics and a gift for making difficult concepts simple. Along with the wealth of information I gleaned from this book, finally understanding the credit crunch of 2008 was another benefit. Good reading. Important stuff.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
|
|
|
|
