I don’t recall when this book from 2004 first came to my attention or how. It was in the last few months. Driving to my most recent soccer tournament seemed like the perfect moment to take it in on audiobook.
The book starts with outlining how the world has sped up and how it is affecting us. Remember, this was published in 2004, before we had smartphones or Facebook or Instagram or any other social media. It was hard to tell that this book is more than twenty years old! After two chapters, the author delves into eight areas of life where he explores slowing down and talks to people doing just that. These areas are:
- Food
- Cities
- Mind/Body
- Medicine
- Sex
- Work
- Leisure
- Children
But I found the Conclusion the most valuable. Here is summarizes he message that the movement to slow down is not about trying to go backwards. Rather it is about learning how to choose when to go fast and when to go slow.
I really found this book valuable despite its age. He does make a lot of predictions about how the slow movement will not be going away. These feel dated in our world where everyone’s head is always looking down at a glowing rectangle they’ve pulled from their pocket. But the message itself is timeless and still provides a lot readers can put into practice to start taking back control of their lives.
My rating: 4/5
