Living Simply: A Teen Guide to Minimalism

by Sally McGraw

Overview

Twenty-first-century minimalism is an increasingly mainstream response to global environmental crises such as climate change, the garbage glut, fast fashion, and other manifestations of the harmful impact of consumerism. Originally founded in the art world in the decades after World War II, minimalism has evolved into an Earth-friendly lifestyle focusing on the three Rs (reducing, recycling, and reusing) and on simplifying individual needs to reduce one's carbon imprint, manage anxiety and depression, and prioritize human interaction over the impulse to acquire for the sake of acquisition. Hands-on activities, how-to tips, and profiles of practicing minimalists offer real-world examples for incorporating minimalism into your life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541552548
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	29 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	13 - 14 Years

About the Author

Sally McGraw is a Minneapolis-based freelance writer, editor, and blogger. She is the creator the popular daily blog Already Pretty, a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, a Huffington Post contributor, and the author of several books about style and body image. Sally is also a ghostwriter and editor who specializes in non-fiction books and book proposals. Her favorite word is "crepuscular."

Table of Contents

Introduction: Minimalism Matters 4

Chapter 1 The Boots of Minimalism 8

Chapter 2 Making Minimalist Choices 26

Chapter 3 Getting Started 40

Chapter 4 Minimalist Basics For Stuff You Buy 50

Chapter 5 Minimalist Basics For Stuff You Use 74

Chapter 6 Living Simply as a Life Philosophy 92

Source Notes 102

Glossary 102

Selected Bibliography 104

Further Information 106

Index 110

Editorial Reviews

"McGraw's easy-to-read guide is full of friendly and matter-of-fact advice that makes living minimally—to simplify one's life and help save the world—a manageable task for anyone to achieve."—VOYA

From the Publisher

2018-10-23

This short, accessible guide offers a quick introduction to minimalism.

Covering the history of minimalist movements, the environmental and human impacts of excess consumption, advice for ways to start living more simply, and basic guidelines for purchases and discards, the author demonstrates a connection between the current vogue for minimalism in the developed world and 20th-century minimalism in music, writing, and art. While her actual advice could easily (and more minimally) be presented in a magazine article, the variety of her approaches allows for repetition in ways that might make the content sink in without becoming boring (at least for those who haven't encountered these ideas before). The attractive, colorful presentation—large legible type, frequent subheadings, photographs, and mini-essays that offer breaks in the narrative flow—will encourage readers to embrace the content. Mostly young people, of varying races and nationalities, are shown in the images. Unfortunately there is a disconnect between the descriptions of the negative personal toll of consumerism in the developed world and the paternalistic portrayals of eco-friendly ways of life in developing nations. Sadly, the text and backmatter offer no citations for the statistics. As is often the case, when suggestions for re-use involve crafts, the product is likely to produce more waste. But overall, this common-sense guide will be useful.

An invitation for teens and tweens to share in a popular movement. (source notes, glossary, selected bibliography, further information, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews