The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less [Hardcover]

John Robbins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 25, 2010

How do you define the good life? For many, success is measured not by health and happiness but by financial wealth. But such a worldview overlooks the important things in life: personal contentment, family time, spirituality, and the health of the planet and those living on it. A preoccupation with money and possessions is not only unhealthy, it can also drain the true joy from life.

In recent years, millions have watched their American Dreams go up in smoke. The international financial collapse, inflation, massive layoffs, and burgeoning consumer debt have left people in dire financial straits—including John Robbins, a crusader for planet-friendly food and lifestyle choices, who lost his entire savings in an investment scam. But Robbins soon realized that there was an upside to our collective financial downturn: Curtailed consumerism could lead us to reassess our lives and values.

The New Good Life provides a philosophical and prescriptive path from conspicuous consumption to conscious consumption. Where the old view of success was measured by cash, stocks, and various luxuries, the new view will be guided by financial restraint and a new awareness of what truly matters. A passionate manifesto on finding meaning beyond money and status, this book delivers a sound blueprint for living well on less. Discover how to
 
• create your own definition of success based on your deepest beliefs and life experience
• alleviate depression, lower blood pressure, and stay fit with inexpensive alternatives for high-cost medications
• develop a diet that promotes better health—and saves you money
• plan for—and protect yourself from—future economic catastrophes
• cut down on your housing and transportation costs
• live frugally without deprivation
• follow in the footsteps of real people who have effectively forged new financial identities 
 
The New Good Life provides much-needed hope and comfort in a time of fear and uncertainty. Here is everything you need to develop high-joy, low-cost solutions to life’s challenges. Practical and timely, this book equips you with the skills needed not only to survive but to thrive in these challenging times. 
 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Robbins, best-selling author and heir to the Baskin Robbins family, walked away from a fortune only to lose most of his own money in Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme. As the author of the bestselling Diet for a New America, Robbins championed planet-friendly food and became a popular lecturer, talk-show guest, and feature of the hit documentary, Supersize Me. Now he taps his razor sharp insights and social consciousness to argue that, when it comes to not just our food but also our bank accounts, homes, and other aspects of our lives, bigger is not always best. Chapters like "Eating Better, Spending Less" and "Choosing Where to Live" combine research and case studies with Robbins' own personal experience, redefining our notions of a successful life and lending credibility to his own claims of enlightenment. While we may not choose to live like Thoreau on a remote island (as Robbins did), this examination will make us consider how our consumer choices impact our family and, perhaps, society as a whole.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“There is today a profound hunger for precisely the information, the advice, and the perspectives in The New Good Life. I can think of few people with the authority to speak about the benefits of a leaner, wiser, healthier way of living. The literature on frugal, simple, conscious living is extensive—now and throughout the American story—but John Robbins brings so many unique talents and perspectives that his book is sure to be a bestseller and a best-loved resource.”—Vicki Robin, co-author of Your Money or Your Life

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (May 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345519841
• ISBN-13: 978-0345519849
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Robbins is the author of The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less.

He is also author of the international bestseller DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA: How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness, and the Future of Life on Earth, THE FOOD REVOLUTION: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World, HEALTHY AT 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World's Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples, THE AWAKENED HEART: Meditations on Finding Harmony in a Changing World, and RECLAIMING OUR HEALTH: Exploding the Medical Myth and Embracing the Source of True Healing.

John's work has been the subject of cover stories and feature articles in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Life, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and many of the nation's other major newspapers and magazines. His life and work have also been featured in an hour long PBS special titled Diet For A New America.

The only son of the founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire, John Robbins was groomed to follow in his father's footsteps, but chose to walk away from Baskin-Robbins and the immense wealth it represented to "...pursue the deeper American Dream...the dream of a society at peace with its conscience because it respects and lives in harmony with all life forms. A dream of a society that is truly healthy, practicing a wise and compassionate stewardship of a balanced ecosystem."

Considered by many to be one of the most eloquent and powerful spokespersons in the world for a sane, ethical and sustainable future, John has been a featured and keynote speaker at major conferences sponsored by Physicians for Social Responsibility, Beyond War, Oxfam, the Sierra Club, the Humane Society of the United States, the United Nations Environmental Program, UNICEF, and many other organizations dedicated to creating a healthy, just, and sustainable way of life. He is the recipient of the Rachel Carson Award, the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award, the Peace Abbey's Courage of Conscience Award, and lifetime achievement awards from groups including Green America. The widespread media attention he has received has included numerous appearances on national shows including Oprah, Donahue and Geraldo. When John spoke at the United Nations, he received a standing ovation.

John serves on the Boards of many non-profit groups working toward a thriving, just, and sustainable way of life. He is the Founder and Board Chair Emeritus of EarthSave International (earthsave.org), an organization dedicated to healthy food choices, preservation of the environment, and a more compassionate world. John is also the Board Chair of YES! (yesworld.org), which educates, inspires and empowers young leaders to take positive action for all life on Earth.

John's life is dedicated to creating an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this planet. He lives with his wife Deo, their son Ocean and his wife Michele, and their grandsons River and Bodhi in the hills outside Santa Cruz, California. The Robbins' offices and home run on solar electricity.

For information about John, for access to his articles and posts, or to sign up to be notified of his future posts and events, visit http://www.johnrobbins.info

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, approproate for the times..., May 25, 2010

By 

S. Reich (California, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less (Hardcover)

I had read some of Robbins other work, namely Diet for a New America, and was impressed by his passion and enthusiasm for healthy living. This book takes it to another level, and applies that passion to reshaping our ideas of wealth and happiness. Frankly, it couldn't have come at a better time, what with our recession and financial troubles these days. He makes the case for living... I almost want to say simply, but thats not right, its much more than that. Its about trying to be content with the things many folks seem to take for granted, and not seeking happiness in the superficial materialism. Really, an excellent read, I highly recommend it whether you're a fan of his other books, and especially if you're new to his work. We all need to learn a new way of living (since clearly the old way wasn't working, for us or the planet!) and this book is a big step in the right direction. A+

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring!, May 27, 2010

By 

Pam Snip - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less (Hardcover)

I heard the author John Robbins on a radio show, and was impressed enough that I bought the book. Evidently he's written a lot of other bestsellers, but I hadn't heard of him before, and this is the only book of his that I've read. And I loved it! It's filled with practical, substantial and immediately applicable ideas that I hadn't heard elsewhere, and that have already saved me a lot of money, lifted my spirits, and made me laugh (no small feat given what I'm going through these days). One of the things that I loved about The New Good Life is that Robbins' mind and heart are so spacious. He is a deeply compassionate and caring man who has led an amazing life. He writes movingly about the whole human experience, from the practical to the profound. In guiding the reader toward a more sustainable and joy-filled life, he offers many brilliant, useful, down to earth suggestions, while touching and skillfully addressing our hearts, spirits and deepest longings. This book is a storehouse both of information and inspiration. I have had some difficult breaks financially and emotionally lately, and this book was a real breath of fresh air. Reading it has helped me to ground in what I CAN do, instead of feeling helpless or hopeless. At a time when I am being forced to reexamine almost everything in my life, John Robbins is a godsend. His voice is real, solid and trustworthy, and his heart is wise. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The New Good Life! :), May 27, 2010

By 

Olivia (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less (Hardcover)

I didn't work today, so I went to the bookstore and sat down and read this book cover to cover. I really loved it. I have read most of his other books, ('The Food Revolution, Diet for a New America, Healthy at 100, and May All Be Fed: a Diet for a New World) and this one offers a nice medley of things from his other books. There is a chapter on your money spending archetype, i.e. 'the saver' or 'the sensualist?' And many true stories and outcomes of people who have these spending personalities. Full of great advice! There are recipes for having a smaller waistline (Robbins says that some Americans have a larger waistline due to the Old Good Life-and obesity is a disease of affluence). There is a very educational chapter on the question of having children or not.
Robbins is such a compassionate person, and he has lived his life in such a humble, loving way. Helping so many people. In this book he explains that 'The Old Way' was the way of the consumer who equated material wealth as happiness and weighed his or her self-worth with how much he/she was able to consume. With these hard economic times, the definition of the 'good life' is changing, (thankfully) and he helps alleviate the pain of "not having enough" or as much as you may have had in the past, helps you take back your humanity, and makes you feel incredibly grateful for learning the new skills he has in this book to lead a more humble life. A life that is free of the old material clutter-which was so often connected to a deep confusion we had about our own worth.

I also highly recommend his other book, 'The Food Revolution'