Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology

Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brende

Adult Nonfiction 303.483B

This is the story of a hands-on experiment to determine “What is the least we need to achieve the most.” The author was studying technology’s influence on humans as a graduate student at MIT when he began to come to conclusions that made his mentors uncomfortable. Abandoning his formal studies, Brende and his new bride decided to move to a community that he dubbed “the Minimites” and see what life was like when modern technology was removed from life’s equation. They agreed to spend 18 months farming and trying to sustain themselves by depending on fellow humans instead of machines. In following with the rigid standards of their new community (more strict than the Amish), they forewent conveniences such as electricity and indoor plumbing and discovered that for every thing they lost, they gained something else. This fascinating book is as entertaining as the best works of fiction. It will make you reassess the role that technology plays in your life.