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My Tech-Wise Life: Growing Up and Making Choices in a World of Devices
It's time to take our power back
We can barely imagine our lives without technology. Tech gives us tools to connect with our friends, listen to our music, document our lives, share our opinions, and keep up with what's going on in the world. Yet it also tempts us to procrastinate, avoid honest conversations, compare ourselves with others, and filter our reality. Sometimes, it feels like our devices have a lot more control over us than we have over them.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
In fact, we deserve so much more than what technology offers us. And when we're wise about how we use our devices, we can get more--more joy, more connection, more out of life.
Tech shouldn't get in the way of a life worth living. Let's get tech-wise.
We can barely imagine our lives without technology. Tech gives us tools to connect with our friends, listen to our music, document our lives, share our opinions, and keep up with what's going on in the world. Yet it also tempts us to procrastinate, avoid honest conversations, compare ourselves with others, and filter our reality. Sometimes, it feels like our devices have a lot more control over us than we have over them.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
In fact, we deserve so much more than what technology offers us. And when we're wise about how we use our devices, we can get more--more joy, more connection, more out of life.
Tech shouldn't get in the way of a life worth living. Let's get tech-wise.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2020
60 people are currently reading
880 people want to read
About the author
Amy Crouch
3 books6 followersAmy Crouch is a student at Cornell University studying linguistics, English, and anything else she can fit into her schedule. She loves to cook, climb mountains, and chat about books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
May 10, 2021
As a followup to the amazing Tech-Wise family, I was eager to read this. That little red book has helped me think about technology from a biblical perspective and integrated thinking with practice. It was not prescriptive as in "you must do this and can't do that" but gave a picture of how one family approached tech with their "ten commitments". As we entered the teen years with our oldest daughter recently, this has been at the heart of many discussions on technology in our home.
The sequel sheds more light on what things felt like on the ground while giving good guidance and thought-provoking insight. Except this time, we get the story from Crouch's daughter, who grew up in the tech-wise family. I appreciated her candour - "we're all pretty much sick of adults lecturing us about technology" and her wisdom "I realized social media often made me unhappy and empty" (summary paraphrases). She doesn't advocate for abstaining from tech or social media, but gives honest accounts of the blessings and difficulties she received from them.
Crouch's responses were fatherly and added some extra summative perspective. Overall, perhaps not as necessary as the first book, this instalment is a welcome continuation. I hope to read it with my daughter to help her navigate a confusing and tumultuous time in her development that tech can enhance and undermine all the same.
The sequel sheds more light on what things felt like on the ground while giving good guidance and thought-provoking insight. Except this time, we get the story from Crouch's daughter, who grew up in the tech-wise family. I appreciated her candour - "we're all pretty much sick of adults lecturing us about technology" and her wisdom "I realized social media often made me unhappy and empty" (summary paraphrases). She doesn't advocate for abstaining from tech or social media, but gives honest accounts of the blessings and difficulties she received from them.
Crouch's responses were fatherly and added some extra summative perspective. Overall, perhaps not as necessary as the first book, this instalment is a welcome continuation. I hope to read it with my daughter to help her navigate a confusing and tumultuous time in her development that tech can enhance and undermine all the same.
May 25, 2021
My boyfriend and I have talked about how we want to handle technology in our future. Because of our conversations, I realized how I've fallen into a lot of bad tech habits. I grew up in a tech-wise family, but I've let a lot of the habits of my younger years slide.
While this book is for a younger audience (and I would recommend it mostly for teens and young adults) it still was a great refresher on being tech-wise.
While this book is for a younger audience (and I would recommend it mostly for teens and young adults) it still was a great refresher on being tech-wise.
December 30, 2020
As a young mother, I spent a lot of years reading books on parenting. I am now a parent of teens and a preteen. When I talk to young moms now, I tell them that the Crouch books should be at the top of their lists. This was so good.
August 24, 2023
Another cute small writer book! It's funny to imagine that this author is so close to my age, or was my age at the time of writing this book actually.
I feel like there's not much talk about using technology wisely anymore. At least, I heard it a lot more when I was younger, being careful about all the social media, cyber bullying and all that but nowadays it's kind of faded out, at least the trend of being wary about tech. Nowadays, I find that people just accept its presence as a staple and aren't too wary about what it does to us. Where did all that worry go? Especially with tiktok style content, I imagine that it's worse now, I wish being wise with your tech was discussed more not just as a passing thing but being taken seriously. I imagine that it'll be our generation to discuss this more with our future kids as we're the ones who'll actually have first-hand experience growing up with it and knowing first hand the harms and advantages of tech. Gl to us.
The author brought up some cool points. Tech has made our lives more and more individualized. I imagine in the past that our lives were more community oriented and how music was meant to be shared out loud, our interests were openly done but the dad in the book brings up the point that technology has become more individualized. Like iPhones give you a personal space that you can curate for your own liking now, and even more, as an extension, our phones have become our secret holders, it's become a lot more devasatating for your phones to be lost now with how many secrets we leave on them. They've become more and more like extensions of ourselves than tools of convenience. As a result, we do spend less and less time with our familys openly discussing what we're up to, so less family time and more you time.
I thought the book seemed hypocritical at times as well which I found interesting. It seems like she's a lot more willing to look at the pros and cons of technology than the pros and cons of anonymity online. She did a great job outlining the underlying problems of technology without demonizing it by balancing the problems with its respective advantages but doesn't do the same for other subjects which I was surprised about. She says that the reason for anonymity being bad is that it protection a veil of protection that dehumanizes people which gives way to people being unempathetic with one another. It also leads often to radicalism from small echo chamber communities which can spiral out of control like with school shooter manifesto communities.
I won't argue that that happens but I'm surprised that she is not extending her argument for why we can't just abandon technology : that is she says that since we have to live with tech as it's not going away anytime soon, it's better to reel it in and control it as we can. Anonymity should be a part of that idea too, and it's not even hard to come up with reasons why it's important. It provides platforms for people that aren't big corporations to voice complaints while being protected, it allows for protected self expression without being ostracized, etc etc. The comfort of anonymity is an opportunity to express yourself in places of the world where you can't always do so freely.
She also says this: "My parents are both at work, taking it for granted that I'm doing nothing they'd be ashamed of, such as reading radical terrorist manifestos or bullying five-year olds. This is because they trust me. They've spent a lot of time teaching what is right and wrong." This sentence put me off a bit. Just because you don't actually carry out the act, the desire to do it is probably a symptom of something else in your life and rather than alienating people that do feel this way, it's probably better to investigate why they're the way they are. I'm of the belief that none of us are really such saints and that we could all be persuaded to do terrible things really easily, it's so silly to imagine yourself better than other people just because you don't do X and X.
She also seems to refuse all content related to radicalism, but again, it exists and I feel like knowing about it, and thoroughly understanding it and where it comes from is important to feel connected with the people that you're around. Like what if your own family member comes out as an extremist? Are you just going to stand in disbelief as to how this could have happened or try to understand it?
Otherwise, this is a smart and fun book, I feel reinvigorated to be wise with my tech, sleep well and yada yada. Do read! Keep writing ms author, it was a fun fun read that I binged.
I feel like there's not much talk about using technology wisely anymore. At least, I heard it a lot more when I was younger, being careful about all the social media, cyber bullying and all that but nowadays it's kind of faded out, at least the trend of being wary about tech. Nowadays, I find that people just accept its presence as a staple and aren't too wary about what it does to us. Where did all that worry go? Especially with tiktok style content, I imagine that it's worse now, I wish being wise with your tech was discussed more not just as a passing thing but being taken seriously. I imagine that it'll be our generation to discuss this more with our future kids as we're the ones who'll actually have first-hand experience growing up with it and knowing first hand the harms and advantages of tech. Gl to us.
The author brought up some cool points. Tech has made our lives more and more individualized. I imagine in the past that our lives were more community oriented and how music was meant to be shared out loud, our interests were openly done but the dad in the book brings up the point that technology has become more individualized. Like iPhones give you a personal space that you can curate for your own liking now, and even more, as an extension, our phones have become our secret holders, it's become a lot more devasatating for your phones to be lost now with how many secrets we leave on them. They've become more and more like extensions of ourselves than tools of convenience. As a result, we do spend less and less time with our familys openly discussing what we're up to, so less family time and more you time.
I thought the book seemed hypocritical at times as well which I found interesting. It seems like she's a lot more willing to look at the pros and cons of technology than the pros and cons of anonymity online. She did a great job outlining the underlying problems of technology without demonizing it by balancing the problems with its respective advantages but doesn't do the same for other subjects which I was surprised about. She says that the reason for anonymity being bad is that it protection a veil of protection that dehumanizes people which gives way to people being unempathetic with one another. It also leads often to radicalism from small echo chamber communities which can spiral out of control like with school shooter manifesto communities.
I won't argue that that happens but I'm surprised that she is not extending her argument for why we can't just abandon technology : that is she says that since we have to live with tech as it's not going away anytime soon, it's better to reel it in and control it as we can. Anonymity should be a part of that idea too, and it's not even hard to come up with reasons why it's important. It provides platforms for people that aren't big corporations to voice complaints while being protected, it allows for protected self expression without being ostracized, etc etc. The comfort of anonymity is an opportunity to express yourself in places of the world where you can't always do so freely.
She also says this: "My parents are both at work, taking it for granted that I'm doing nothing they'd be ashamed of, such as reading radical terrorist manifestos or bullying five-year olds. This is because they trust me. They've spent a lot of time teaching what is right and wrong." This sentence put me off a bit. Just because you don't actually carry out the act, the desire to do it is probably a symptom of something else in your life and rather than alienating people that do feel this way, it's probably better to investigate why they're the way they are. I'm of the belief that none of us are really such saints and that we could all be persuaded to do terrible things really easily, it's so silly to imagine yourself better than other people just because you don't do X and X.
She also seems to refuse all content related to radicalism, but again, it exists and I feel like knowing about it, and thoroughly understanding it and where it comes from is important to feel connected with the people that you're around. Like what if your own family member comes out as an extremist? Are you just going to stand in disbelief as to how this could have happened or try to understand it?
Otherwise, this is a smart and fun book, I feel reinvigorated to be wise with my tech, sleep well and yada yada. Do read! Keep writing ms author, it was a fun fun read that I binged.
June 7, 2021
This is the book I expect to read with my kids before they will get a first cell phone. I appreciate that while apps can get dated quickly, the book is framed on principles that will not. There are a lot of good conversations this book can kindle and that’s exactly what we will do with it. (Also, while it’s targeted to a younger audience, I know I need constant reminders about the better, bigger picture I want to aim for because my own use of technology needs to be called out. This book does that very graciously.)
May 19, 2021
I'd give this a 3.5 and mostly because I'd rather read Tech Wise Family. Amy piggybacks on A LOT of her Dad's ideas but how she's made them her own and how it looks in the life of a college student. This would be a great read for a teen or twenty-something. I have a few of those, so hoping to get them to read her book this summer. :)
January 17, 2021
With the digital age here to stay, the author brings an honest presentation of how we must be “tech wise”. Filled with ways to be intentional with media and how to extract its benefits while not becoming consumed by tech.
November 4, 2022
I’m not in the age-targeted audience of this book and as such many of the correlations weren’t as relevant as they might have been when I was younger.
I grew up as a low-tech kid and frankly loved it. I definitely appreciate the benefits of technology, but there certainly are detriments. Becoming more mindful of my media consumption is something I’m working on.
There were several points I personally didn’t agree with or felt were taken too far, but also some excellent takeaways for all ages.
I grew up as a low-tech kid and frankly loved it. I definitely appreciate the benefits of technology, but there certainly are detriments. Becoming more mindful of my media consumption is something I’m working on.
There were several points I personally didn’t agree with or felt were taken too far, but also some excellent takeaways for all ages.
January 14, 2021
boring & unoriginal, and those are 2 separate complaints. boring bc it was neither gripping nor well-written. unoriginal because DIGITAL MINIMALISM is this & so much more. so many good books re: social media & technology that this book didn't contribute value. sure it's co-written by gen-z, but her worldview is Christian-centric, privileged, & generally not insightful. I'm at a loss for why the reviews were positive. further, the narrator was even worse!
June 27, 2021
While reading this book with my phone turned on next to me, I found myself doing exactly what Crouch was expressing. I did stop reading to delete a spam email and ended up getting distracted by other apps. She has such a talent for writing; I felt like I was in her mind the whole time. The letters from her dad were so sweet and ultimately brought attention to the fact that this book is about people, not technology. The data visualizations were also great and nicely designed.
October 13, 2021
Bringing back the reviews! I give this a solid 3.5 stars rounding down, and that's mostly because as a self-reflective, 26 year-old, I was not the intended audience for this book (and that's okay). This was definitely written more for the age of my students, and I think they could certainly benefit from this! The epistolary structure was...interesting. I appreciate Andy's tidbits, but I think the fact that they were addressed to Amy rather than the reader made them seem more distant.
Amy not only gives tangible, practical advice about how to live more "tech-wise", but she also goes deeper and examines the deeply human and deeply flawed motivations that drive us to reach for our screens. Amy opens up the book by asserting that "tech-wise living [is] more about the things we [do] in place of technology" rather than just setting screen-time limits. She encourages the reader to make tiny changes: "developing small countercultural habits might be like yeast. Small, imperfect actions can bring air and light into my life."
Each chapter focuses on a different realm that tech affects our lives: sleep, distraction, bingeing, social media, and more. I like that each chapter ended with thoughtful questions and action steps that the reader can take to grow to be more intentional with their use of technology.
My biggest takeaway is the "out of sight out of mind" principle that Amy applies. It's true that "in our darkest moments, our phones will nag us with constant reminders that everyone else seems to be doing way better." What would it look like for me to pray rather than scrolling when I feel anxious? Or to call my Mom rather than checking my work email when I'm waiting somewhere?
Amy goes deeper than just a legalistic set of rules and regulations and she gets at the very heart of why we as sinful creatures go for what's easy rather than what's best. I wouldn't say this is the most thorough book on tech, but it's certainly been a good jumping off point for me to look into more resources!
(This will also definitely affect how I parent, but that's for a very future conversation 🙂)
Amy not only gives tangible, practical advice about how to live more "tech-wise", but she also goes deeper and examines the deeply human and deeply flawed motivations that drive us to reach for our screens. Amy opens up the book by asserting that "tech-wise living [is] more about the things we [do] in place of technology" rather than just setting screen-time limits. She encourages the reader to make tiny changes: "developing small countercultural habits might be like yeast. Small, imperfect actions can bring air and light into my life."
Each chapter focuses on a different realm that tech affects our lives: sleep, distraction, bingeing, social media, and more. I like that each chapter ended with thoughtful questions and action steps that the reader can take to grow to be more intentional with their use of technology.
My biggest takeaway is the "out of sight out of mind" principle that Amy applies. It's true that "in our darkest moments, our phones will nag us with constant reminders that everyone else seems to be doing way better." What would it look like for me to pray rather than scrolling when I feel anxious? Or to call my Mom rather than checking my work email when I'm waiting somewhere?
Amy goes deeper than just a legalistic set of rules and regulations and she gets at the very heart of why we as sinful creatures go for what's easy rather than what's best. I wouldn't say this is the most thorough book on tech, but it's certainly been a good jumping off point for me to look into more resources!
(This will also definitely affect how I parent, but that's for a very future conversation 🙂)
August 30, 2021
Such a great and gentle book aimed at teens (and their parents) with very pratical tips and stories about navigating this world of technology. How do you want to handle technology wisely in your home? That is the question they are exploring, mainly by sharing how they have done that in their own life. It gives great ideas and I highly recommend this as a family read aloud, an assigned read for your emerging teen, or as a fast easy read for a parent who wants quick ideas on defining the use of technology in their home. If you do choose to have your teen read this independently, be aware there are some stories and graphs about online sexual abuse. we edited this on the fly as we read aloud, but be aware before you hand this book blindly to your young teen.
August 19, 2022
Cool to read Amy’s perspective of growing up with intentional/limited tech and how it affected her. I was surprised by how many highlights I had from a book written by a 19yo! Appreciated her honesty and encouragement to readers as well as her thankfulness for growing up with the tech habits she did and how they have anchored her approaches to tech today. Would esp be an encouraging read for a teen to read. Also, nice to hear from a kid’s perspective they weren’t bitter about how they didn’t have a TV until they were in middle school, couldn’t have phones in their rooms, etc. Reading the book first has me curious to read Andy Crouch’s Techwise family book. I enjoyed his other book culture making.
June 28, 2024
This was written by a college student who grew up in a home of a well known author on technology and how her parents raised them, especially regarding technology. I would highly recommend this to both parents and teens. Parents could learn a lot about how to train their children to use technology and teens could learn a lot about the effects of technology and how to use it wisely. It is biblical, practical, and well-written. Her dad also includes a letter at the end of each chapter written to the author about the previous chapter. I found these to be interesting and helpful as well.
February 8, 2022
As a geriatric millennial, I'm used to being the cranky one about technology. I found this Zoomer's perspective rather convicting as she described how her tech-wise life has unfolded. By detailing the goods our lives aim towards (especially in relationships) and how technology can help our hinder our pursuit of those goals, Amy Crouch has written a solid book about how to live better. Now my only concern is how overbearing I might seem pushing this book into the hands of others.
July 6, 2023
I read this with my 13 year old daughter in preparation of her getting a phone. It was a great way to continue the conversation of tech in our family and how to help her create safe boundaries with tech.
December 26, 2020
Like The Tech Wise Family, this book is about wisdom more than technology. As a high school teacher I plan to read this book with many of my students as together we learned to live more wisely.
March 10, 2021
Very good and though provoking. Hit harder than I thought it would, and definitely makes you think on what you spend your time with the most.
Recommended ages 11 & up (or whatever age you are if you use electronics and can read).
Recommended ages 11 & up (or whatever age you are if you use electronics and can read).
April 9, 2021
I read _The Tech-Wise Family_ a few years back and found it to be extremely helpful and wise. Here’s a book by Crouch’s daughter written for teens. I will definitely be having my son read it soon.
January 7, 2022
Read this as a preread for my daughter, great information and research information provided. Highly recommend for parents and tweens and teenagers to use, especially if you have a cell phone and access to the Internet.
July 28, 2024
My Tech Wise Life is an excellent book on how to live a God honoring life when it comes to modern technology. Whether it's social Media, video games, phones, or the Internet at large, this book addresses parts of our lives that can build us up or destroy us. Many of the principles laid out in this book, if properly applied, will prove to change the way we use tech from a tool of distraction to a tool of productivity. I highly recommend the read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2025
I know I'm not the target demographic here. Lots of good info for young people starting to think about relationships with tech. It's the kind of book I wish I wrote when I was 19!
October 9, 2025
I liked the Tech Wise family book and this was interesting getting the view from the daughter. I didn’t like the dad’s commentary at the end of each chapter - I found it unnecessary. Will definitely have my kids read this when they get a smart phone.
July 1, 2023
Clearly a teen writing to other teens so I wasn’t the audience but I liked seeing the tech wise life from the perspective of a kid that lived through it vs the adults that make the rules.
February 28, 2021
I was not the target audience, but I will read anything Andy Crouch puts his name on.
If you’re an adult reader, read via The Tech-Wise Family instead. Even if you don’t have children, as I don’t, the principles he lays out there have been so applicable and we’ve enacted many of them.
Even so, I enjoyed reading a book from the perspective of a twenty year old. Her voice is so fresh, and I realized we very rarely read books from anyone in their teens or early twenties. For good reason, I’d much rather read the wisdom of someone with a little life under their belt, but Amy is so wise and self-aware her voice was very welcome. Most of her examples and challenges weren’t applicable to me, almost 20 years her senior, but if this is the direction the future generation is headed, we’re in good hands.
If you’re an adult reader, read via The Tech-Wise Family instead. Even if you don’t have children, as I don’t, the principles he lays out there have been so applicable and we’ve enacted many of them.
Even so, I enjoyed reading a book from the perspective of a twenty year old. Her voice is so fresh, and I realized we very rarely read books from anyone in their teens or early twenties. For good reason, I’d much rather read the wisdom of someone with a little life under their belt, but Amy is so wise and self-aware her voice was very welcome. Most of her examples and challenges weren’t applicable to me, almost 20 years her senior, but if this is the direction the future generation is headed, we’re in good hands.
February 24, 2025
Wow, this was such a gooooood book. I enjoyed it so much and was challeneged greatly. I am going to put these principles into action. I am going to create a tech-wise challenge and use it to change my life. We live in a world with people whose life is dominated by tech and I want my life to be different.
"A life without focus is a grim one."
"Technology isn’t a bad thing it’s a tool that can be used well, yet like work, it easily creeps more into our lives than we’d like."
Soooooooo gooood this second time around. I appreciate Amy’s voice!
“Technology is good at distracting us, but not restoring us.”
Always a good one to go through. Great thoughts, resources and practices.
The cure for boredom is not distraction, it’s wonder.”
"A life without focus is a grim one."
"Technology isn’t a bad thing it’s a tool that can be used well, yet like work, it easily creeps more into our lives than we’d like."
Soooooooo gooood this second time around. I appreciate Amy’s voice!
“Technology is good at distracting us, but not restoring us.”
Always a good one to go through. Great thoughts, resources and practices.
The cure for boredom is not distraction, it’s wonder.”
May 13, 2024
3-4.5 stars.
This is the follow up to Andy Crouch's my Tech-Wise life and I think these two books together make a must read for our modern culture. Amy Crouch, Andy's daughter takes each chapter to describe what she thought of her father, Andy's tech rule of life. This gives you a great view into the impact of the rule had on their family. I also loved the letters that Andy wrote to his daughter after each chapter. On it's own this book is around three stars, but if you've read The Tech-Wise life it is easily 4.5 stars.
This is the follow up to Andy Crouch's my Tech-Wise life and I think these two books together make a must read for our modern culture. Amy Crouch, Andy's daughter takes each chapter to describe what she thought of her father, Andy's tech rule of life. This gives you a great view into the impact of the rule had on their family. I also loved the letters that Andy wrote to his daughter after each chapter. On it's own this book is around three stars, but if you've read The Tech-Wise life it is easily 4.5 stars.
November 17, 2020
Amy Crouch provides a unique reflection on what it was like growing up within a ‘Tech-Wise Family’. Amy’s thoughtful and frequently vulnerable reflections offer much wisdom and insight – underscored by her father, Andy’s profound responses to her reflections. (Andy Crouch wrote the 'Tech Wise Family'.) One of the great strengths of both books is the sheer humanity and integrity the shines through.
There is plenty on offer here for people of all ages: whether young people beginning to move into adolescence, teenagers perhaps wrestling with some of the challenges that technology offers, young adults taking their first steps fully independent in the world, parents, carers, or grandparents. We can all learn from Amy’s experience and Andy’s wisdom.
Andy begins the book by inviting us to “take hold of the life that is truly life”. To do that: to celebrate, to feast, to love then this is invariably best done in community, in relationship with other living human beings. It is only there that we can fully celebrate our triumphs, completely share in our sorrows, and find true encouragement from one another. It is in community and in family that we can be loved, accepted, and known. Digital technology offers a semblance of ‘comfort’ and ‘connection’ on a very grand scale; yet the reality it turns out to be a pale shadow of the real thing.
During these COVID-dominated times; we have to recognise the massive benefit that has come from digital technology - particularly social media. Yet we do not need to be enslaved by it - nor, when the lockdowns are over, should we try to live the bulk of our lives there.
I found this a very helpful companion to ‘The Tech-Wise Family’ – one that enables us to extend the conversation and consider further how to put people rather than devices at the centre of our lives.
There is plenty on offer here for people of all ages: whether young people beginning to move into adolescence, teenagers perhaps wrestling with some of the challenges that technology offers, young adults taking their first steps fully independent in the world, parents, carers, or grandparents. We can all learn from Amy’s experience and Andy’s wisdom.
Andy begins the book by inviting us to “take hold of the life that is truly life”. To do that: to celebrate, to feast, to love then this is invariably best done in community, in relationship with other living human beings. It is only there that we can fully celebrate our triumphs, completely share in our sorrows, and find true encouragement from one another. It is in community and in family that we can be loved, accepted, and known. Digital technology offers a semblance of ‘comfort’ and ‘connection’ on a very grand scale; yet the reality it turns out to be a pale shadow of the real thing.
During these COVID-dominated times; we have to recognise the massive benefit that has come from digital technology - particularly social media. Yet we do not need to be enslaved by it - nor, when the lockdowns are over, should we try to live the bulk of our lives there.
I found this a very helpful companion to ‘The Tech-Wise Family’ – one that enables us to extend the conversation and consider further how to put people rather than devices at the centre of our lives.
November 18, 2020
Amy Crouch's voice is bright and refreshing, conveying a genuine and caring persona who humbly shares personal experiences, interspersed with intriguing charts from social research. As a millennial I'm poised to cringe at lectures about tech-use, but this book didn't read that way at all. I initially approached My Tech-Wise Life as an aunt and as a youth group leader, but found it thought-provoking for myself as well. Navigating the millennial adolescence of AIM, Xanga, Myspace, and Facebook, it was crucial to cultivate healthy tech habits - and it definitely was not a solo endeavor (nor is it over)! I think the general consensus in my generation is that unrestrained use of personal tech is actually confining, not freeing. Amy and Andy created a powerful tool for friends, families, and communities to introspect and discuss how to interact with personal tech so that it serves us, not the other way around. The book weaves in suggestions, but most of all reads as an invitation into greater thoughtfulness, discipline, and creativity. I came away motivated to persevere with healthy habits and insights to identify what changes to make to steward my mind, relationships, time, and gifts better. For communal reading, I think a monthly book club would work beautifully so participants have sufficient time to try out the “Practices for Your Tech-Wise Life” in every chapter and ideate their own strategies.
Lastly - I reckoned the book would be inspiring for my future as a parent, but reading the dad’s letters was startlingly healing. It was an unexpected dimension that drove home that this book shares precious lessons learned through a family’s love and a young woman’s journey through life so far. Highly recommended.
Lastly - I reckoned the book would be inspiring for my future as a parent, but reading the dad’s letters was startlingly healing. It was an unexpected dimension that drove home that this book shares precious lessons learned through a family’s love and a young woman’s journey through life so far. Highly recommended.
March 25, 2025
The two things to keep in mind when you read this book is that 1) the author was nineteen when she wrote this, and 2) it references her father's 2017 book,
The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place
. Given those two things, this book was a fascinating behind-the-scenes peek of what it was like to grow up in the Crouch family with their tech philosophy. A slight downside was how I found all the illustrations and graphs clunky and unnecessary, but the format of Amy's chapter followed by Andy's letter of response was really sweet.
I'm not sure if anyone will pick this book up without having the context of Andy's book, but by all accounts, the Crouch's method worked for their kids, and I love that there is first-hand account of what must have seemed so strict and stringent a decade ago. Amy's chapters build on each other, and her final one on hope is the strongest entry of the entire book. There are profound drops of insight and observation sprinkled across the pages, and I can only hope that my kids turn out so wise and grounded as they enter into adulthood!
I'm not sure if anyone will pick this book up without having the context of Andy's book, but by all accounts, the Crouch's method worked for their kids, and I love that there is first-hand account of what must have seemed so strict and stringent a decade ago. Amy's chapters build on each other, and her final one on hope is the strongest entry of the entire book. There are profound drops of insight and observation sprinkled across the pages, and I can only hope that my kids turn out so wise and grounded as they enter into adulthood!
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