I'm currently in the middle of reading The Minimalist's first "memoir," titled Everything That Remains.
While I've never written on the irony of mass producing information about a concept called "minimalism," I have certainly considered writing a book on it. I have so many blog posts in my mind that I will continue to add to this site that I may as well write a book on it, right?
Wrong.
While I strongly believe that minimalism is a wonderful concept and a fantastic lifestyle (that I will continue to try to lead), I also believe that a book telling you how to become a minimalist makes the process too formulaic.
Anyone who knows me in real life is now laughing at the irony. I am all about the formulas.
So, when I picked up Everything That Remains, I half-hoped that it would be a magical formula for becoming a minimalist overnight. The other half of me hoped that my beloved role models in the world of minimalism hadn't strayed and written a "how-to" book, but had rather decided to write personal stories.
I was not disappointed (although, how could I be? Even if the book was absolute crap- which it wasn't- at least I would now know that I don't enjoy that style of writing), and within the first few pages, I was hooked. Everything That Remains is a fantastically written story of the Minimalists' journey into minimalism, and the candidacy with which they describe their own journey has struck a chord with me.
However, I'm all about the honesty, and here's honest: Everything That Remains was a little hard to read at first. Joshua Fields Millburn's depiction of his childhood brought me to tears. Juxtaposed with the currently very successful, very happy, and very vibrant minimalist that we all see in writing and videos, Millburn's childhood was tragic.
However, if I can get through it and still be hooked, so can you. I'm super sensitive to children's stories, so maybe I over-reacted a tad.
Not a fan of the cursing, though, Millburn. It makes me question how appropriate this is for younger minimalists or younger families to journey through together. At least it wasn't excessive.
All in all? Congratulations, Mr. Millburn and Mr. Nicodemus. Everything That Remains is a well written, attention- catching narrative that I will be re-reading and recommending to friends and family as one that combines tragedy, humor, and success perfectly for one of the most intriguing "average-Joe memoirs" of our time.
While I've never written on the irony of mass producing information about a concept called "minimalism," I have certainly considered writing a book on it. I have so many blog posts in my mind that I will continue to add to this site that I may as well write a book on it, right?
Wrong.
While I strongly believe that minimalism is a wonderful concept and a fantastic lifestyle (that I will continue to try to lead), I also believe that a book telling you how to become a minimalist makes the process too formulaic.
Anyone who knows me in real life is now laughing at the irony. I am all about the formulas.
So, when I picked up Everything That Remains, I half-hoped that it would be a magical formula for becoming a minimalist overnight. The other half of me hoped that my beloved role models in the world of minimalism hadn't strayed and written a "how-to" book, but had rather decided to write personal stories.
I was not disappointed (although, how could I be? Even if the book was absolute crap- which it wasn't- at least I would now know that I don't enjoy that style of writing), and within the first few pages, I was hooked. Everything That Remains is a fantastically written story of the Minimalists' journey into minimalism, and the candidacy with which they describe their own journey has struck a chord with me.
However, I'm all about the honesty, and here's honest: Everything That Remains was a little hard to read at first. Joshua Fields Millburn's depiction of his childhood brought me to tears. Juxtaposed with the currently very successful, very happy, and very vibrant minimalist that we all see in writing and videos, Millburn's childhood was tragic.
However, if I can get through it and still be hooked, so can you. I'm super sensitive to children's stories, so maybe I over-reacted a tad.
Not a fan of the cursing, though, Millburn. It makes me question how appropriate this is for younger minimalists or younger families to journey through together. At least it wasn't excessive.
All in all? Congratulations, Mr. Millburn and Mr. Nicodemus. Everything That Remains is a well written, attention- catching narrative that I will be re-reading and recommending to friends and family as one that combines tragedy, humor, and success perfectly for one of the most intriguing "average-Joe memoirs" of our time.