David Wann has woven together all the right stuff to make a compelling and appealing case for the abundance of enough and the poverty of more.” — Vicki Robin, coauthor Your Money or Your Life, cofounder of Conversation Cafés
If ever there was a right book at the right time, Simple Prosperity is it.” — Lester R. Brown, President, Earth Policy Institute and author of Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble
“This book is full of wisdom for real living; and it will help you ?nd a kind of wealth that's woven right within the fabric of everyday life.” — Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters, and The Not So Big House series
"This is a valuable and concise digest of much that we’ve figured out in recent years, about health, stress, joy, community.” — Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy
"Dave Wann's recipes from his own experience in Simple Prosperity are a breath of fresh air, and just what we need for a saner future. They include ideas, sound research and down-to-earth advice we can all use. This book is also much more: a friendly, personal guidebook for living a more enjoyable, healthy, loving life."--Hazel Henderson, author, Ethical Markets: Growing The Green Economy
David Wann makes a compelling case that the current fiscal squeeze is really a good thing in Simple Prosperity. A coauthor of the best sellingAffluenza, he covers a lot of solution-oriented ground, from conscientious consumption and cohousinig to building human-scale neighborhoods and dismantling the fossil fuel economy... Utne Reader
"We've reached a point in our planet's history when nothing less than fundamental change is needed. In his book Simple Prosperity, David Wann proposes that we move away from an obsession with material wealth (what he calls "economic box of out-dated assumptions") to an abundance of time, relationships, and experiences." -- Wendy Priesnitz, editor, Natural Life Magazine
I shut the back cover of Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle and slid it into my library bag. It was an interesting read: more affirming than eye opening, more a map than a book. Throughout Simple Prosperity, David Wann directs us along a road toward a more meaningful life - one that we build instead of buy. He points out the pitfalls, jots down directions to the scenic back roads and promises a worthwhile destination - a well-lived life. Green Bean Dreams
"Simple Prosperity reads like a well-loved novel, engaging and educational. David Wann offers creative solutions to the challenges of over- consumption and makes it a thoroughly enjoyable read." -- Jill Cloutier, Producer, Sustainable World Radio, KCSB
Wann poses a very provocative question: If the lifestyle we've been leading is making a mess of the environment, using up many of the world's resources and leaving us queasy as a culture, why not just move on to something else? The strongest feature of "Simple Prosperity" is its ability to direct us in understanding who we are and what we want, resulting in a greater sense of clarity and direction. Bette Erickson, Boulder Daily Camera
Living a life that is outwardly simple while inwardly rich could well be the great challenge of the 21st century. Wann provides an accessible road map. Rebecca Jones, Rocky Mountain News
This book can help you reassess your goals. Our overconsumptive lifestyle is out of sync with our real values, says David Wann, and we can find greater contentment by creating vibrant communities, right-sizing our homes, valuing our time, and nurturing our health. Debra Jones, Sierra Magazine
Reading Simple Prosperity made me realize that we are trying to BUY essential, basic qualities (like appreciation, respect, health, self esteem, freedom, security, and creativity) when in many cases we could satisfy these needs without spending any money at all. Wann argues persuasively that we have the social, psychological and technical tools to build a more sustainable society, and that there is no higher goal we could aspire to. For me, each paragraph in the book is like another brick of that new, more compassionate culture. Susan Keen, reader
This book should be required reading for every high school and college student and adult "book club" in America for the wealth of information it contains about real, profound, life-changing prosperity as opposed to the fleeting, instant gratification of the American consumption-driven lifestyle. It certainly won't change everyone's thinking -- advertisers are shrewd enough to see to that -- but it will plant the seeds of cognitive dissonance in a great many minds, and that's the kind of thing that can really cause a tipping-point kind of sea change. Highly recommended. Linda Hindmarsh, reader
With some economic hard times erupting in addition to the environmental challenges that are beginning to hit the fan, here is a book that looks at the bright side of cutting back. With Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle, David Wann, co-author of Affluenza, wants to turn the American Dream on its head--from a focus on the accumulation of wealth to the dream of investing in things that really matter: communities. "social capital," wellness, and a better way of life.
And all this works in tandem with cutting energy use, localizing our neighborhoods, and foregoing our dependence on fossil fuels. Less is More Balanced Blog
Thanks to your book, I have finally decided to mentor a young person. I am working on completing my reference list by the end of this week. They do an extensive background check and in the past this has stopped me from trying.Not this time. You have truly inspired me!!! Kristin, reader
I really enjoyed Simple Prosperity and made two definite changes which have brought great things to my life -- I started a garden which my fiancé and have both loved doing together and I know all my neighbors very well -- a big change from before. Jim Dougherty, reader
David Wann believes we must shed the beliefs that goods will make us happy. That we must shift our thinking from economic growth and consumption to become a knowledge-based economy. This shift in thinking to a spiritual, aesthetic and artistic culture is not merely for the individuals' well-being, but for the survival of the planet. Norma Lehmeier Hartie, Author of Harmonious Environment
The idea that overconsumption is a fundamental problem, not solution, in the maintenance of a healthy economy and planet is not a new idea, but I’ve never heard it articulated so clearly and succinctly before as in Simple Prosperity - and it is already helping me to think about things in a new light. -- Mark Wagner blog, http://edtechlife.com/?cat=81
This book has impacted my life and my way of thinking more than I can calculate. It has buoyed my burgeoning feeling that, while all is not right with the world, all is right with this new way of living. David Wann focuses not on the negative, but on the positive - what we get instead of what we give up, why we embrace hope instead of fear, how we build community. If you feel afraid for the future, unhappy to be "cutting back", anxious that you or others are not doing enough, this is the book for you. Green Bean Dreams Blog http://greenbeandreams.
Simple Prosperity outlines a different vision for American society. A society that focuses on wealth in community and health and love instead of monetary wealth. Simple Prosperity gives thought on HOW to take a step back from the massive amounts consuming and advertising and find your own brand of happiness. A Deeper Green Blog http://adeepergreen.com/?cat=1
I sat down and read Simple Prosperity for an hour and a half when I first got it and was thoroughly charmed and delighted. I love the way David Wann uses stories about his own and other peoples' experiences to illustrate the delights of simple prosperity. It is such a positive philosophy and so very earthwise. ( I didn't want to quit reading and go back to work). I think this book is the perfect antidote to the sense of malaise about the future that most of my friends and family have been expressing of late. The sensible, practical ideas for living a simpler, more responsible yet personally rewarding life are really appealing. Virginia Moran, reader
Thank you David Wann for stating things so eloquently! While our society is catapulting itself at a breath-taking speed down the consumption track to... where? some of us want to get off the train and create an alternate reality. Not because we're anti-American (ahem) or curmudgeons or hippies, but because we are literally suffocating under the weight of mainstream American culture. Bottomland Blog, http://bottomland.typepad.com/
Readers looking for an expansive look on various ways to pare away excess and create a healthier, more rewarding lifestyle may enjoy this volume from the author of the bestseller Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic. The in-depth nature of the material (real-life examples, analysis and reflection, statistics, etc) makes this a book best be tackled in sections. Catholic Digest http://www.catholicdigest.com/
I love this book! It not only is a catalyst to change ways of thinking about things, it gives good suggestions for actual "Now why didn't I think of that?" actions. I've had the opportunity to tell many people it's a good book. I hope he sells a million of them! Julia Keilman, reader
Thank you so much for writing this book. I've been slowly taking steps in a green direction, feeling like it's the right thing to do, but also feeling like a shallow consumer who's just following in the footsteps of the elite. Your book gives me facts and reasons to continue on this path and make it my own. I plan on starting my "Visionary Garden" this spring, complete with
home-made compost. I've never been much of a gardener (this will be my first spring to actually own property), so wish me luck! Thank you so much for showing me the way... let's all forge ahead together! Kyla Reiger, reader
Wann diagnosed Americans with a debilitating disease called “affluenza” a couple of years ago. He now arrives with the cure for this compulsive consumption imperiling our souls and the earth in Simple Prosperity. As reports, feature stories and soft news sidebars continue to surface about “experiments” in simpler living, Wann provides the kind of encouragement to make a simpler life possible, rewarding, and desirable.
LaTissia Mitchell Shaman Drum Bookshop, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Although I'm already a dedicated environmentalist and try my very best to live green, this book introduced me to the philosophical and psychological side of sustainable living. This isn't just a book with tips on how to save money by living green, its a book with tips on how to live a happier life by connecting with nature in your search for complete sustainablility. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to look at their lifestyle in a different way. Arline Litchfield
This is the first book I've read by David Wann and I enjoyed it tremendously. Relevant studies, thought-provoking statistics, personal stories and great writing make this a must read for those wanting to live a greener lifestyle. A. Brown, Edmond Oklahoma