Mary decided to give one thing up each month. I felt as though she didn't delve enough into her challenges each month; not enough detail for me. I couldn't relate to over half the things she gave up, as they are not a part of my everyday life. Elevators? In New York they are surely a daily thing but in my life? Not so much. Alcohol? It was terribly difficult for Mary to give it up as it seemed to be a large part of her life, but it would be easy peasy for me as you'll only find me with a drink a few times a month at the most. Dining out? Not a big part of our life. Same can be said for coffee, cell phones, and taxis. While it was interesting to read about how someone's life can revolve around those things, it disconnected the reader who doesn't have to rely on any of those.
Television, chocolate, multitasking, and shopping were a bit easier to relate to. But how does one, especially a mother, give up multitasking?! And shopping...well, she is talking about the type of shopping that most of us probably don't do to begin with...the fancy shoes, expensive clothes, and so on.
What bothered me the most is that during the month of no cellphones, while she found other ways to communicate, she made it seem as though one could really never live without a cellphone. She went so far as to say "This month's deprivation caused my boyfriend to nearly reconsider our recent engagement, jeopardized friendships, and caused unbelievable confusion." Uhmmm...no cell phone causes that much discomfort? Maybe having a cell phone is the bigger problem if one depends on it that much.
While I could barely relate to this book, and it did little to help me in the way of my own personal challenges, it was still an entertaining read. It's a small book so doesn't take a lot of time to read and can be put down in between chapters without loosing your train of thought. I give it a 4 on a scale of 1-10.
I had not heard of this book but I'll be looking for it at my library. Like you, I probably won't be able to relate to much of what the author gives up but it is always interesting to read someone else's perspective on everyday life. That's why I read blogs! Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteThat reminds me of something I saw on the Today show about a family trying to make it on one income, just to see if they could (a challenge by the show, not out of necessity). They had to give up "so many things"...you know, things like manicures, pedicures, dining out every night, hired lawn care, hired housekeepers, new name-brand clothes each week, etc. What suffering they had to endure! ;o)
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