Customer Reviews

Radical Simplicity

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I appreciate Price's passion for living simply and authentically. Throughout the book, however, I was distracted by two things:

1. Poor grammar throughout. I guess Price wouldn't feel like an authentic writer if he had hired an editor.

2. Simple living is always a great thing when you put the burden of raising your children on your spouse. While Price wrote of the small amounts of money he made and of his own expenditures living his life, I wondered how in the world his ex-wife/partner, who lived elsewhere, sometimes very far elsewhere, was raising their two children and going to school at the same time. I don't doubt Price's love for his family. His lifestyle and theirs just weren't compatible. He and his children's mother made it all happen. It would be interesting, though, to hear their points of view about this family arrangement.

Still, there were good thoughts and ideas to be gleaned from this book.

Dan Price sounds like the kind of guy I'd like to have beer or who might make a fun neighbor, especially if you're a twelve year-old, but his book offers very little in the way of adult inspiration or creative vision. It fails to insight possibility beyond the mundane and too often dregs up self-indulgence and petty distraction. There is a huge difference between bold simplicity and creative aimlessness. This book dwells in the latter. If you want a 15 minute distraction, this book is nice. If you're wanting inspiration toward a life that is radically authentic and enriches your soul and those around you, start your search somewhere else and save your money.

This amazing little volume is quite simply (pun intended) brilliant! Whether the small nests you build for yourself are still in your daydreams or your pack is on your back as you head for the meadow of your dreams, this inspiring handbook can serve as guide, mentor and friend. As with all of Dan's books, and if you haven't read them all you "simply" must, they are solid reminders in a crazy world of what really matters, of how little we need to have everything. I just finished Radical Simplicty and my journal is on my lap, my pencil in hand, and I am a child again, making forts out of blankets under tables, sketching entire miniature worlds in which to live out my magic.

I think Dan Price's life is quite interesting. I would never live in the side of a hill like he does as I enjoy indoor plumbing, but simplifying one's life is something I am trying to do. I am slowing things down each day. I always enjoyed Dan's adventures and Moonlight Chronicle booklets. His life is full of adventure, but it isn't expensive to replicate. I love his drawings, and it makes me happy to know that someone is living on less money; that it is indeed possible nowadays. Gives me hope.

I was required to read this book for school. Our entire class agrees : Dan Price is a flake who has no concept of simplicity. If everyone is the world lived as he did we'd be extinct by now. He abandoned his wife and kids because he couldn't hack it in civilized society. He claims to only need 80 sq ft of living space, yet he sprawls over 5 acres with a tipi, a sauna, and a studio to house his copy machine. The whole thing is wired for electricity and when he tires of a structure, instead of reusing the materials, he burns it. Very eco-friendly. He mis-quotes Zen philosophy, and has the audacity to compare himself to Thoreau. If you are seeking simplicity and balance in your life LOOK ELSEWHERE!

I can honestly say that Dan Price leads a radically simple life. I began reading his book, Radical Simplicity, hoping for suggestions on how to simplify my life. Instead, I was given a very enjoyable read about a man who lives similar to Henry David Thoreau in Walden.

When Price was young, he found a cupboard to crawl into with some blankets and a pillow for his Saturday morning nap. Since then, he has sought out small spaces to live. Price built and lived in many different contstructions in his lifetime including tipis, tents, cabins, and his ultimate dream house: a "hobbit hole". Great photos and sketches of these structures (inside and out) are included in this book.

Many people ask Price how he bathes. His solution was to build a sauna (a "sweat box" hut), cool off in the river, and then scrub himself down with biodegradable soap. Since he does not have a refrigerator, Price uses a food dehydrator for meat and plums. Yet he still has a van.

Yes, his lifestyle is too radical for me. Though I don't own a vehicle, I do need the hustle and bustle of a city. I'm more of an "indoor" kind of gal. Still, it's fun to read about someone's current life that's so extremely different from my own.

Given the choice of rereading Radical Simplicity or Walden, I'd pick Walden. But I'm glad I took a couple of hours to read Dan Price's book. If you are a Tolkien fan, you'll at least want to check out the sketches and photos of his hobbit-like home.

You can read more about Radical Simplicity on the book's website. Price also has a website for his other books and his 50+ issues of Moonlight Chronicles.

Until reading Radical Simplicity, I didn't understand my older brother's fondness for a living in a tent in the middle of Montana winters. In an inspiring series of stories and drawings, Price shares his intimate thoughts on life as he discovers what it means to be free. He seeks a life that doesn't impose or damage the planet. He observes the most minute details in nature, learning from the plants, river, and animals that share his meadow. He plans and replans, builds and rebuilds, always improving on ideas for new dwellings. He seeks out simplicity in its purest form, and yet he's human. He courageously opens out his life for us to view, in all its bliss and pain, inconsistencies, and learning through experimentation. I think Price has found what most of us spend a lifetime trying to understand; he lives in harmony with the earth on his own terms, in his own unique way. He has found peace in freedom.

I'm definitely a fan of living simply and sustainably, both of which are obviously a large part of Dan's life. This book is more of a guide to get you started - learning what worked for Dan and what didn't, with tons of examples and great illustrations. But, Dan is a doer and that is how you will get the most out of this book. By incorporating bits and pieces of his wisdom into your everyday life.

i own dan price's other books, Moonlight Chronicles and also How To Make a Journal of Your Life. I loved them so much that i ordered a lot of the moonlight chronicle "diaries" as well. I LOVE THEM ALL. I have never met Dan, but in September, before leaving on a vacation, i decided i had to have more of the diaries. Radical Simplicity was not out yet. so i called Simple Shoes in Oregon, mentioned in all of the diaries, and they got in touch with Dan, who actually phoned me. he was on the road but managed to send me some of my order in time for my vacation.

later, when i read Radical Simplicity, i was able to fill in all of the blanks i had from the diaries. I learned how Dan got to his hobbit hole, and i am so fascinated by it. Anyone interested in simple living will love this book. Yes, it is radical. yes, he does live simply. he lives in a way many of us see as ideal, but are unable to meet that ideal. Dan walks his talk and lives lightly on the earth. although i am unable to live as he does, i admire what he has done.

Not to take anything from the authors experiences which were pretty fantastic, but they weren't anything that I could relate to, or very little. I wish the description of the book had been a little clearer
about that and I probably would not have bought the book. If you want to read about a man whose life was an adventure, I would recommend this book.
If you are looking for tips on simplifying your own life, not so much.
There were some things, but not many.