This is an important, engaging book. Subtitled "How a Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed,"
In Praise of Slow explores the "Slow" revolution as it applies to food, city life, cars, medicine, sex, work and children. Probably best known for the Slow Food movement, which began in Italy in response to fast food, Slow has branched out in many directions. Thirty cities in Italy have now designated themselves as Slow Cities, meaning they do everything they can to consider the quality of life in their urban centers rather than merely the economic impact of regulations. This results in fewer cars, less smog, more biking and walking, and more small shops.
Honoré points out that the cult of speed has been with us since the Industrial Revolution, and it's getting worse, with businesses routinely expecting 60 to 80 hours a week from workers, young children with the schedules of high-powered executives, rampant road rage, and doctors who don't have time to listen to their patients. "Boredom ... is a modern invention," the author states. "Remove all stimulation, and we fidget, panic and look for something, anything, to do to make use of the time." But Honoré is no true-believer--he questions every aspect of the Slow movement and keeps coming up with the conclusion that it just makes sense: life in the slow lane is more enjoyable, more pleasurable, more humane. This is a remarkable book that should be read by every resident of today's frenzied urban world. --Mark Frutkin
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
“The
No Logo of its age…. Strangely enthralling, an epiphany for those of us who have forgotten how to look forward to things or enjoy the moment when it arrives.”
—
The Herald (UK)
“Honoré is particularly good at detailing the addictive properties and vagaries of speed, and its ill effects on individuals and society, including himself.”
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The Globe and Mail“It’s about time someone took issue with the underlying mentality that sets our daily metronome.... Those who savour this hopeful book one chapter at a time will be the biggest winners. It’s seductively crafted in this way ... measuring out its subversive but ultimately healing message.”
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Edmonton Journal“Honoré offers compelling evidence that suggests controlling your own tempo of life is not only a healthier and happier alternative, but leads to a more rewarding and productive lifestyle.”
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Toronto Star"Life is getting faster, no doubt about it. We rush everything: we eat fast food, have quickie sex, drive like maniacs, and compete hard for fast-paced jobs. We wish to slow down and slack off, but we're afraid we'll fail... A London-based journalist, Honoré shows us the benefits of slowness, with chapters on food, transportation, meditation and exercise, medicine, sex, work, and parenting…. This book presents ideas and resources that will be new to most readers and is recommended for both public and academic libraries."
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Library Journal Review"A former 'speedaholic,' an award-winning Canadian journalist advocates living a slower, more measured existence, in virtually every area, a philosophy he defines as 'balance.' The author explores, in convincing and skillful prose, a quiet revolution known as 'the slow movement,' which is attempting to integrate the advances of the information age into a lifestyle that is marked by an 'inner slowness' that gives more depth to relationships with others and with oneself. For the overprogrammed and stressed, slow and steady may win the race."
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Publisher's Weekly"Honoré‘s engaging report should be embraced by those with quality-of-life and environmental concerns."
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Booklist"Try reading this book one chapter a day — it is worth allowing its subversive message to sink slowly in so it has a chance of changing your life."
—Bill McKibben, author of
Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age and
The End of Nature
"The speed of life borders on insanity for an increasing number of us, and the price we pay is the erosion of our happiness and health. If you sometimes feel engulfed by the mad pace of modern life — and who doesn't? — Carl Honoré's
In Praise of Slow could prove life-saving."
—Larry Dossey, MD, Author:
Healing Beyond the Body and
Reinventing Medicine
"In this terrific book, Carl Honoré gets to the heart of what's ailing western industrial societies — our obsession with productivity, speed and consumerism — but he doesn't stop with the gloom and doom. Instead, he shows the way out, with inspiring examples from the growing worldwide 'slow ' movement. Take the time to read this important, excellently written book
— our future depends on the ideas it contains!"
—John de Graaf, co-author,
Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, and editor,
Take Back Your Time
"It's about time someone insisted — in intelligent, persuasive language — that we all put on the brakes, or at least check the instruments on the dashboard. Through anecdote, statistic and argument, Honoré wants to convert us to an atheism that is opposed to this culture's mad theology of speed."
— Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate
"Entrepreneur and slow may seem like oxymorons. However, taking the time to read Carl Honoré's
In Praise of Slow may be the best decision an entrepreneur, or anyone working full time, can make."
— Gary Erickson, Entrepreneur & CEO of Clif Bar Inc., and Author of
Raising the Bar
