Mark Boyle
With our current economy a mess, the growing realization that we as a society buy and waste a ton of stuff and the desire for a simpler lifestyle, Boyle’s book and site have garnered immense amounts of attention. By slowly paring down his life, Boyle becomes focused on what is necessary for survival and how money affects every aspect of our lives. Young, healthy and adventurous, Boyle announces he will live without buying a thing for the next year. His chronicles, while mostly upbeat, tell of an exhausting life. Barter and trade, often of work, gets some of his necessities. Other things, like much of his food, must be grown, cooked and processed by hand. Winter is particularly nasty. I had expected Boyle to tell of a monastic, hermit-like existence. But a few of the objects he deemed necessary to the success of his experiment included a laptop (run off solar) and a cell phone for receiving calls. He also used his bike to travel regularly to meet with friends. Boyle talks of the immense fascination people had with his experiment. A good story by a clearly clever and good-natured man, plus lots wonderful information on making do with little or nothing.