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39th out of 207 books
—
121 voters
Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle
by
David Wann
Inhis bestsellerAffluenza, David Wann and his co-authors diagnosed the debilitating disease of over-consumption. In Simple Prosperity he shows readers how we can overcome this diseasebyinvesting ina variety ofreal wealth sources. To recapturea more abundant and sustainablelifestyle,try:
- Creating a richer life story through personal growth incentives
- Forming higher-yield...more
- Creating a richer life story through personal growth incentives
- Forming higher-yield...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
December 26th 2007
by St. Martin's Griffin
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We were very excited to read this book. The move to Indiana and the desire to simplify made us eager for advice. Unfortunately this book provides only bad jokes. It told us what we already knew - real food, real people (as opposed to those on tv), real activities - this is what to spend time on. Unfortunately the many anecdotes about people who found that this was a great way to live were totally unhelpful. Deep down, there was no deep down. This book never made us really think. Fipp made us sto...more
I read it pretty enthusiastically for the first half, finally getting tired of the preachiness and personal anecdotes. Just skimmed the rest of the book, hoping for (but not really finding) useful information to apply to a normal lifestyle. I was hoping it would be a life-changing read, which is how I read Jane Goodall's Harvest for Hope and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I do like the idea of the book and hope that super-consumers can make some life changes after reading it (i...more
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Okay, I don't think I can make it through this one. I love the idea of the book, but the tone!! Arrgh! Insufferably superior! I get it, David Wann, you're way better than the rest of us mindless consumers. You're practically a god of anti-capitalism. We should all kiss your dumpster-dived boots. But this is not a user-friendly approach to living a simpler, more sustainable lifestyle - more like an environmentally conscious version of S&M. Getting beat over the head with recycling bins isn't...more
A decent book, but it makes the all too common mistake of preaching to the small crowd of people already living this way.
In my opinion a book like this should reach out to people who may not know how they can really make a difference, might not know how to go about making changes, or why they should. It should focus on discussing the very real benefits of simplyfying, helping people understand what a huge impact small changes can make, what those small changes look like, and especially describi...more
In my opinion a book like this should reach out to people who may not know how they can really make a difference, might not know how to go about making changes, or why they should. It should focus on discussing the very real benefits of simplyfying, helping people understand what a huge impact small changes can make, what those small changes look like, and especially describi...more
First half was surprisingly engaging. I admit I didn't read the last three chapters as they seemed boring to me and I had gotten what I felt like was the main point of the book.
It's nice to read of others that are turning away from our consumer culture and being satisfied with less. I am much happier in my small house on 3 acres than I was in my big house in a subdivision. Once you get off the crazy train and stop spending money on STUFF life gets a lot simpler and options open up for more meani...more
It's nice to read of others that are turning away from our consumer culture and being satisfied with less. I am much happier in my small house on 3 acres than I was in my big house in a subdivision. Once you get off the crazy train and stop spending money on STUFF life gets a lot simpler and options open up for more meani...more
I am not even halfway thru and I'm having a hard time. I feel like the author has repeated himself so many times already and there are tons of anecdotes that seem peripheral at best. I'm not sure I am going to be able to make it all the way thru the book
This had some great quotes and helpful info. I liked the general idea, but not so keen on the author's constant references to himself and the way he does things to live more greenly. I understand him wanting it to be sort of personal, but this was not a memoir. Him making it so personally was sort of like him giving a lot of advice rather than just some good examples to live more greemly. Otherwise overall good message.
I thought this was going to be an interesting read since 'sustainability' was a topic that I am excited about. However, it turned out to be the rantings of a crotchety old hippie. (That became evident in Ch. 15 when he griped about movie theater loudness and needing government regulation on advertisements.) I didn't really get into this book. In fact, I thought about abandoning the reading after the first several chapters. The only redeeming value was that there were some suggestions on how to l...more
How to live more simply and save the planet. David Wann is preaching to the choir for this reader. As such, I just skimmed the first two chapters which were devoted to convincing the reader that changes really have to be made for our ultimate survival as a species. Already there. I was more interested in what actions to take. Nothing there I wasn't already familiar with (and in some cases doing or have done) but Wann's stories and examples are inspiring. Published just before the recession hit,...more
Decent amount of information on ways to cut back on spending and our negitive effect on the environment. Very wordy; it takes a while for him to flush out thoughts. Not a lot of new information, but you can tell that he is very passionate about his topic. Good information, not really worth owning personally.
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Ended up purchasing this one from the earth day display in the bookstore at work; it's interesting, but not a whole lot of ideas new to me. Not so much of an action plan (Your Money or Your Life is a good one for that), as more of ways of thinking about your life other than the mainstream American way.
gave up after the first 100 pages and then skimmed to the end. don't plan on finishing.
nothing really new or enlightening, unless you're new to this concept of living a simple, sustainable life.
glad it was a library book, and not a purchase :)
nothing really new or enlightening, unless you're new to this concept of living a simple, sustainable life.
glad it was a library book, and not a purchase :)
lots of good ideas but very preachy...thought i was back in church listening to a minister go on and on about how i should live my life...which is not to say, again, that i don't agree with him...it's just i avoid clubbing on my head
Money is not wealth. This is an excellent starter book for someone who has been thinking about a more sustainable lifestyle but didn't know where to start. I highly recommend it as it will change your definition of success.
I think that this is the natural follow up to other eco-community related books that I've been reading recently such as "Eat Pray Love", "Omnivore's Dilemma", "Deep Economy" and "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"-- and I'd say that while I'm glad that I read this, it wasn't as ground-breaking as I'd hoped it would be.
What I liked: David Wann does the one thing that many other books that talk about sustainability, light carbon footprints and local food movements fail to do: provide specific, realistic,...more
What I liked: David Wann does the one thing that many other books that talk about sustainability, light carbon footprints and local food movements fail to do: provide specific, realistic,...more
May 22, 2008
Willy
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who are still asleep and need to WAKE UP
Shelves:
environment
A criticism I have for this book is that for those of us who “make Earth Day everyday” there is very little new information or inspiration. We already understand local food, drive less, eat simple foods, understand the importance of community, we don’t shop the big box stores, etc On second thought, I realize that his underlying replacing fear with love and hope, might represent a new idea for many people.
To be fair, Wann may reach an audience not previously indoctrinated in the religion of env...more
To be fair, Wann may reach an audience not previously indoctrinated in the religion of env...more
A solid four stars for this well argued diatribe against our wasteful, consumerist culture. Wann doesn't mince his words but writes with humour and panache. I particularly liked the tight organisation of the book, which makes it easier to appreciate the systemic nature of our lock-in. Many of the barriers to change are interconnected. Learning to slow down and take time to appreciate life's simple pleasures is a good place to start in moving towards a more rewarding and sustainable lifestyle.
I'm working on this book little-by-little, as it is a whole lot to digest. Wann has some unquestionably salient points and suggestions for a simpler, yet higher-quality life(style). He also, however, takes it to the extreme in his personal life, which I find difficult to connect with: While I agree that buying a car for longevity and fuel economy makes sense on a number of levels, I do not find my life considerably changed for the better when someone gives me his old $5 plastic blinds to re-use...more
About eschewing the money-is-everything/never-slow-down lifestyle in favor of treating ourselves and the planet more humanely. I especially enjoyed the chapter about “the real wealth of neighborhoods,” which reminded me that having a sense of community and easy access to supermarkets and libraries is worth more per square foot than a bigger house or bigger yard.
I have read many books on the environment, conscious living, and sustainable lifestyles. Some of them can be a little depressing. I enjoyed this book because it had a ton of research and information, but was also quite encouraging. The author is a bit annoying, but if you can overlook that it is a great book that I think everyone should read!
David Wann is the author of "Affluenza" which I didn't read, but I guess I assumed his books were a bit scholarly and researched. However, this one is not at all like that. It's basically his personal, rambling account of how to live a more simple life -- everything you already know and not too many revelations.
Not sure what to say about this book. I liked it, in that I agree with the goal he is telling us to aim for, but it was not a lot of new information for me. He portrays the kind of life I want to live. A life filled with less consumption, less paid work but more time, freedom and community.
live simply. buy less (actually, buy better). do without the tv. green is good. yup, got it. am doing it.
it was ok, maybe even good, just felt like it sometimes waffled between bragging and kooky. of course, you'd pretty much have to, wouldn't you? aren't prophets kinda like that?
it was ok, maybe even good, just felt like it sometimes waffled between bragging and kooky. of course, you'd pretty much have to, wouldn't you? aren't prophets kinda like that?
Got this book for Christmas, and while the subject interests me I just can't get past the author's insufferably pompous tone. The ideas are parroted from better books, and much of it reads like a rant. I am about halfway through and I just can't take any more!
Although I agree with a lot of what he writes about... he really needs to get over himself. His section describing the "creative types" or whatever he calls them is so self-congratulatory it made me throw up in my mouth a little.
The only really helpful part of this book was the introduction. The rest of the book devolved (as mentioned by other reviewers) into a totally personal memoir of sorts rather than giving steps that could help in general for people and communities. I'm not sure where Wann lives, but I can't imagine his "hints" for making a neighborhood connected working here in the city limits of Albuquerque!
A good guide for people seeking a simpler life, however I found his political and religious opinions to be a little out of place and at times insulting; without them I'd have rated the book higher.
Crap actually. Nice notions, not terribly well written and below averages references. Something I would expect from a blog or gardening magazine. Dont bother.
I was hoping that this book would build where Wann's AFFLUENZA left off. It didn't. It offered some interesting facts, but few outlines for action.
I enjoyed parts of this book but at times found myself daydreaming as I did when I read textbooks in college. There are some good concepts but nothing really new to me. I read it as a kick off to a year of less stuff for me and it did its job in that arena in reinforcing that less stuff doesn't mean less happiness.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Aim of Simple Prosperity, by the author | 1 | 11 | Jun 21, 2008 11:17am |
David Wann is President of the Sustainable Futures Society; a board member of the Cohousing Association of the U.S.; a fellow of the Simplicity Forum; and recipient of various lifetime achievement awards for his work on sustainability. He’s been a passionate gardener for 25 years and now coordinates a neighborhood garden in the cohousing community in which he’s lived for 11 years – Harmony Village...more
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May 22, 2008 08:03pm