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Book Review of Voluntary Simplicity Second Revised Edition: Toward a Way of Life That Is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich

reviewed on
Helpful Score: 3


The first 3/4 of this book gets 5 stars... the last 1/4 gets 1 star. This book started out wonderfully by providing a great view into the personal/societal/spiritual reasons which drive individuals to choose simplicity in their every day lives. Really, really great stuff. I found myself alternating between agreeing out loud with points being made to putting down the book and pondering the view points that were being discussed. I didn't feel that any of these things were being forced on me as a reader, but presented everything as making a choice. And the impetus for these choices being very personal.

However, the last 1/4 of the books took a dark turn. A strong push for socialistic change was made with no alternative solutions other than the end of society as we know it. It was such a drastic shift, I practically got whip-lash.

I highly recommend the first part of the book, but feel free to put it down when you no longer feel you are gaining any perspective from it. Sadly, the end does not wrap it up in any meaningful way.