The More of Less, by Joshua Becker

As soon as I started reading Joshua Becker's The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own, I had an urge to go to my closet and bag stuff up to get rid of!  That's his goal--but only part of his goal.  Becker has made a name for himself in the world of minimalism with his blog, http://www.becomingminimalist.com.  The basic message of his blog and The More of Less is to get rid of stuff (and stop accumulating more stuff), but the emphasis isn't simply on minimalism or an uncluttered life.  Becker wants you to get rid of stuff so you will be more free, with more time, money, space, energy, and mental space to pursue things that really matter and serve others.

Becker is practical and doesn't strike me as an extremist.  I don't get the impression that he wants to live off the grid in a treehouse, or reduce his belongings to a single backpack (although he tells a few stories of extreme minimalists).  He's a guy with a house and a family.  There was no point in The More of Less at which I thought, "I could never do that."

In fact, on several points, I did think, "Yeah, I already do that." But there are many more areas in which I could and should walk away from my American consumerist tendencies and embrace a more minimalist attitude and lifestyle.  It's not easy, but Becker certainly makes minimalism, or at least moving incrementally toward minimalism, seem doable, desirable, and worth every bit of effort.


Thanks to Blogging for Books for the complimentary review copy!