Everything That Remains: A Memoir By The Minimalists (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
While I appreciate minimalism and how it can enhance your life, this novel just rehashed the overdrawn tidbits I had heard in interviews and when I saw the friends speak in person. At times it was arrogant, snobby and overwrought, but the worst feature was the constant belittling and sexism towards the females they encountered. Millburn has a lot more soul searching to do in order to overcome his ego.Ended up a forced-read for me on a subject I very much subscribe to already. Disappointed. Everything That Remains: A Memoir by the Minimalists is a book that I believe will add value to American lives. It is about the radical steps that two young men make in order to find true meaning and purpose in their lives. It chronicles their journey away from a life of excess and stress as they move toward meaning and minimalism. One main reason why I believe it will add value to our lives is that it definitely calls us to ask ourselves if we are fulfilled. This is not a book that asks you if you’re happy doing what you’re doing, rather it asks if you’re passionate about your life and your work. Do you labor for your passion or do you toil for maintaining the status quo? What are you passionate about? If you could do one job, irregardless of money, what would it be?Another reason why I rated this book with 4 stars is for its absolutely flawless use of vocabulary. I mean this book may be about minimalist living yet the prose is anything but sparse. Everything that Remains sent me to the dictionary more times than any other book in the last ten years. I love that! Words like uxorious, inimical, solipsistic, peripatetic, and avoirdupois are just to name a few. Seriously, I’m ruined with new words and I’m very grateful for it.My final reason for reading and reviewing this book is for it’s socially redemptive value. I wonder what would happen if we all just put our distractions aside and just truly focused on what we love the most in life. Even if we tried it for just a week. What might happen if we fasted from TV, or cell phones, or video games for a week or so? What would happen if we looked at each other, instead of down at our devices? This book challenges us to be more experiential and relational in our lives as opposed to materialistic. Our current culture is ripe for a gentle reminder that this life is really about connecting with people and situations first hand. With all that said please go read this book! You won’t regret it.
What do You think about Everything That Remains: A Memoir By The Minimalists (2013)?
Loved the message but not necessarily the delivery.
—daisy
These guys and their writing have changed my life.
—Bri
