<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GoodreadsResponse>
	<Request>
		<authentication>false</authentication>
		    <method><![CDATA[]]></method>
	</Request>
	
<book>
  <id>143159</id>
  <title><![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology (P.S.)]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[0060570059]]></isbn>
  <isbn13><![CDATA[9780060570057]]></isbn13>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <description><![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]></description>
  <work>
  <best_book_id type="integer">143159</best_book_id>
  <books_count type="integer">2</books_count>
  <desc_user_id type="integer" nil="true"></desc_user_id>
  <id type="integer">138094</id>
  <media_type nil="true"></media_type>
  <original_language_id type="integer" nil="true"></original_language_id>
  <original_publication_day type="integer" nil="true"></original_publication_day>
  <original_publication_month type="integer" nil="true"></original_publication_month>
  <original_publication_year type="integer">2004</original_publication_year>
  <original_title>Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology (P.S.)</original_title>
  <rating_dist>total:556|5:111|4:210|3:156|2:63|1:16|</rating_dist>
  <ratings_count type="integer">556</ratings_count>
  <ratings_sum type="integer">2005</ratings_sum>
  <reviews_count type="integer">856</reviews_count>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">171</text_reviews_count>
</work>

  <average_rating><![CDATA[3.61]]></average_rating>
  <ratings_count><![CDATA[508]]></ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count><![CDATA[149]]></text_reviews_count>
  
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology]]></link>
  <authors>
    <author>
    <id>82717</id>
        <name><![CDATA[Eric Brende]]></name>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-200x266.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/82717.Eric_Brende]]></link>
    <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
    <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
    <text_reviews_count>171</text_reviews_count>
  </author>
  </authors>
    <reviews start="1" end="20" total="855">
      <review>
  <id>13762481</id>
    <user>
    <id>834487</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Bonnyanne]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/834487-bonnyanne]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1204738349p3/834487.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1204738349p2/834487.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>508</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>10</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[People who loved Walden]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jan 27 17:47:03 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Feb 19 13:24:56 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I fell in love with the concept of the book and the efforts to live off the grid, so I purchased it. Some of the ideas the author suggested inside were interesting. For example, I carried away the idea that I should have a manual washing machine.<br/><br/>Actually, that was about all I took away f...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13762481">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13762481]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13762481]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>5380279</id>
    <user>
    <id>296741</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Jo]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brooklyn, NY]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/296741-jo]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1188510292p3/296741.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1188510292p2/296741.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>4</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Aug 30 15:06:54 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 17 07:56:09 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[While it had an interesting premise, it didn't come close to living up to my expectations. A naive city boy decides to go &quot;off the grid&quot; for a year, but rather than try it on his own (a la Helen and Scott Nearing), he throws in the kitsch of moving into a community of religious folks akin ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5380279">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5380279]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5380279]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1852949</id>
    <user>
    <id>82216</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Anna]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ann Arbor, MI]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/82216-anna]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1178827042p3/82216.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1178827042p2/82216.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>1</rating>
  <votes>4</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jun 11 11:24:00 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 21:14:24 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Terrible. <br/>I didn't finish it.  The author took a potentially interesting subject and ruined it with trite, cloying, overwriting.  His descriptions of his girlfriend/wife are totally ridiculous/insulting/annoying.  Dude sounds like a boring  jerk, the worst kind.  ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1852949]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1852949]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>936751</id>
    <user>
    <id>33747</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Dennis]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Bend, OR]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/33747-dennis]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1177818905p3/33747.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1177818905p2/33747.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Apr 29 09:35:22 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jun 30 21:30:30 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[5/18/07- Purchased during a book bender at Powell's a few weeks back. Oddly enough, my profession is in information technology (although I'm more interested in the information side than the technology side when it comes to improving business performance.)<br/><br/>Looking forward to the read.<br/>...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/936751">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/936751]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/936751]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>10035436</id>
    <user>
    <id>155727</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Thomas]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/155727-thomas]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1195247009p3/155727.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1195247009p2/155727.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>3</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Dec 06 09:12:14 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Dec 06 09:14:18 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A good concept - one of those silly experiment for a year, back to nature books - that was pretty frustrating in the end.  Very little about the actual work involved in living on an off-the-grid farm, and a terrible relationship with his wife where she was essentially disregarded throughout the book...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10035436">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10035436]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10035436]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>32014599</id>
    <user>
    <id>1209412</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Ongoing Debacle]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Camas, WA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1209412-ongoing-debacle]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1213903585p3/1209412.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1213903585p2/1209412.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Sep 04 12:32:37 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Sep 07 17:40:59 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[When did 3 paragraphs of &quot;what I did on my summer vacation&quot; turn into a genre of &quot;goofy stuff I did for a year&quot;?  Mix a year (or 18 months) of finding one self and a word processor gets a autobiographical / self help / travelogues all in one.  I'll admit, I usually mop it up and ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32014599">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32014599]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32014599]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>7024745</id>
    <user>
    <id>434609</id>
    <name><![CDATA[John]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Saltsburg, PA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/434609-john]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1204126083p3/434609.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1204126083p2/434609.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>true</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Dec 28 00:00:00 -0800 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 30 05:14:13 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jan 16 07:52:35 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The starting point for this book was <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/82717.Eric_Brende" title="Eric Brende">Eric Brende</a>'s desire to actively question a lot of things that most of us in modern America take for granted as &quot;the way things are,&quot; particularly with regard to technology. Very much along the lines of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/41963.Neil_Postman" title="Neil Postman">Neil Postman</a> in <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79678.Technopoly_The_Surrender_of_Culture_to_Technology" title="Technopoly  The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman">Technopoly</a> and elsewhere, Brende r...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7024745">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7024745]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7024745]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>14011505</id>
    <user>
    <id>827535</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Steve]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Milwaukee, WI]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/827535-steve]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1257821838p3/827535.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1257821838p2/827535.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Dan]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Feb 21 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jan 29 21:19:55 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Feb 21 21:48:45 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Billed as a story of a couple who &quot;flipped the switch&quot; on technology and moved to an Amish community, giving up electricity, running water, and everything else that comes along with it.  This book is an interesting look into the Mennonite community and, without question, caused me to stop ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14011505">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14011505]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14011505]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>50701664</id>
    <user>
    <id>759747</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Andrea]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Saint Louis, MO]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/759747-andrea]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1209318168p3/759747.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1209318168p2/759747.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[wanna-be-luddites]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Robert Pless]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Mar 28 07:49:19 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Mar 28 07:52:17 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A bit indulgent, Better Off is nonetheless a compelling read for someone who dabbles in the notions of living with less and deliberate slowing down.  It chronicles the eighteen month sojourn of a young MIT student and his wife in an Amish community, where they learn to make do without electricity.  ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50701664">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50701664]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50701664]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>43774444</id>
    <user>
    <id>1774587</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Iamthird]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1774587-iamthird]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jan 13 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jan 20 21:31:18 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jan 20 21:31:18 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Friendship, conversation, exercise, fresh air, all melded together into a single act of mutual self-forgetting. A truism in the economy of life with less technology-an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In being slower, time is more capacious. The event is only in the moment. By speeding ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43774444">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43774444]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43774444]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>63625555</id>
    <user>
    <id>144379</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kara]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Nurnberg, Germany]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144379-kara]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-50x66.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 15 13:48:24 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 15 14:02:06 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[To follow up the book Ecocities w/ Better Off at first seemed like it would be too much 'reality' reading for the summer, but Better Off was a surprisingly light read focusing on the people's story - then interweaving the less technology ideals.<br/>The writing and story was good, but the ideas bet...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63625555">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63625555]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63625555]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>49447774</id>
    <user>
    <id>435773</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Becky]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/435773-becky]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1205618543p3/435773.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1205618543p2/435773.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">1539797</id>
  <isbn>0060570040</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570040</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">22</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184918039m/1539797.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184918039s/1539797.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1539797.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.71</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>48</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[What happens when a graduate of MIT, the bastion of technological advancement, and his bride move to a community so primitive in its technology that even Amish groups consider it antiquated? <p>Eric Brende conceives a real-life experiment: to see if, in fact, all our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier and better -- or whether life would be preferable without them. By turns, the query narrows down to a single question: What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this in mind, the Brendes ditch their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid&quot; and begin an eighteen-month trial run -- one that dramatically changes the way they live, and proves entertaining and surprising to readers. <p>Better OFF is a smart, often comedic, and always riveting book that also mingles scientific analysis with the human story, demonstrating how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure. Our notion that technophobes are backward gets turned on its head as the Brendes realize that the crucial technological decisions of their adopted Minimite community are made more soberly and deliberately than in the surrounding culture, and the result is greater -- not lesser -- mastery over the conditions of human existence.</p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Mar 16 10:00:43 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 16 10:08:04 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Just finishing off my self-sufficiency expeditions, ;)<br/><br/>And with this one...it's somewhere between 2 and 4 stars, depending on the chapter.  It's kind of &quot;point taken, point missed&quot;.  I agree that technology can and does get in the way of a good life.  But does it stand to reason...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49447774">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49447774]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49447774]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>65815362</id>
    <user>
    <id>1771594</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mr. Newell]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Chattanooga, TN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1771594-mr-newell]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1228333126p3/1771594.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1228333126p2/1771594.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Aug 01 18:38:43 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Aug 01 18:51:32 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is a book with a simple premise that I believe goes beyond its stated purpose, but in a good way. Eric Brende questions our reliance our modern technology.  Is it a benefit or a burden?  Thus, for his master's thesis at M.I.T. he gets married and moves to a quasi-Amish community in the Midwest....<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65815362">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65815362]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65815362]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>57022807</id>
    <user>
    <id>586261</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mo]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Columbia, MO]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/586261-mo]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1231291001p3/586261.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1231291001p2/586261.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="sustainable-homesteading" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jun 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri May 22 19:56:33 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 02 19:45:06 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I blazed through the first fifty or so pages of the book, loving the premise, and initially, loving the author's take on the subject of self-sufficiency. I felt inspired to try a hand cranked washing machine and seek out other ways to minimize my dependency on electricity and unnecessary mechanizati...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57022807">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57022807]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57022807]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>13531950</id>
    <user>
    <id>193765</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Eva]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Portland, OR]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/193765-eva]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1188504450p3/193765.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1188504450p2/193765.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jan 25 11:49:29 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jan 25 11:49:29 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The subtitle of this book is &quot;two people, one year, zero watts.&quot;  This book isn't really about the process of escaping modern technology (though it definately covers it).  It talks more about the comraderie involved in living in a &quot;minimite&quot; community.  This lifestyle isn't a har...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13531950">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13531950]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13531950]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1164777</id>
    <user>
    <id>64544</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Catherine]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Santa Monica, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/64544-catherine]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1256855263p3/64544.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1256855263p2/64544.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri May 11 12:42:30 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri May 11 12:52:44 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Although I thought the premise for this book was intriguing, Eric Brende really went into very monotonous detail, to the point of making me want to scream, &quot;I get it!!&quot;  I found him a bit off-putting.  If this book had been edited to half of its current page count I might have found it mor...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1164777">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1164777]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1164777]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>79305803</id>
    <user>
    <id>77736</id>
    <name><![CDATA[John]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[k9v4r1, Canada]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/77736-john]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1194056247p3/77736.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1194056247p2/77736.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Nov 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Nov 29 12:04:03 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Nov 29 12:09:24 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I felt like this book was quite well written. I am not sure that I appreciated his somewhat dismissive of the problems in the gender roles in Mennonite groups. The role woman play in these cultures is certainly valuable, but it seems to me its more of a problem of choice. They are put into these pos...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79305803">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79305803]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79305803]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>62120245</id>
    <user>
    <id>223939</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Sprizee]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Seattle, WA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/223939-sprizee]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1185465551p3/223939.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1185465551p2/223939.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 04 09:30:32 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jul 13 10:45:18 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Western society excels at figuring out how things work, but we often fail to ask why. Just because we can automate something doesn't necessarily make it more efficient. But we don't often stop to ask if it's a good idea and worth all the extra effort the so called &quot;time saver&quot; may produce....<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62120245">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62120245]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62120245]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>2821324</id>
    <user>
    <id>147280</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Wilson]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Jamaica Plain, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/147280-wilson]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1255885338p3/147280.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1255885338p2/147280.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="energynerdbooks" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[dudes with beards]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 07 23:50:01 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jul 07 23:54:03 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Guy decides to move in with a religious sect that doesn't like technology in order to prove that the simple life can be lived with no electricity. Girl moves with him and they marry on a whim. The cross-cutting theme is how totally awesome they are. Oh yeah, and its an autobiography.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2821324]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2821324]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>62375633</id>
    <user>
    <id>2493847</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Michaiah]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Dallas, GA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2493847-michaiah]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1250858020p3/2493847.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1250858020p2/2493847.jpg]]></small_image_url>
  </user>
    <book>
  <id type="integer">143159</id>
  <isbn>0060570059</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780060570057</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">149</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478m/143159.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172150478s/143159.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/143159.Better_Off_Flipping_the_Switch_on_Technology</link>
  <average_rating>3.61</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>556</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate <strong>Eric Brende</strong> flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or &quot;hooked to the grid,&quot; and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.</p> <p><strong>Better Off</strong> is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.</p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2004</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="non-fiction" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jul 06 14:00:16 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jul 07 08:59:14 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is the biographical account of Erice Brende's experience living in an Amish-like community.  His approach to writing this story, and the question he asks is essentially, &quot;what can we do without?&quot;  Surprisingly, a whole lot.  While I was reading this book, part of me really wanted to a...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62375633">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62375633]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62375633]]></link>
</review>
    </reviews>
  <popular_shelves>
          <shelf name="to-read" />
          <shelf name="currently-reading" />
          <shelf name="non-fiction" />
          <shelf name="nonfiction" />
          <shelf name="memoir" />
          <shelf name="environment" />
          <shelf name="homesteading" />
          <shelf name="simplicity" />
      </popular_shelves>
  <book_links>
    <book_link>
  <id>8</id>
  <name><![CDATA[WorldCat]]></name>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=143159</link>
</book_link>
  </book_links>
</book>
</GoodreadsResponse>