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Everything That Remains: A Memoir by the Minimalists by Ryan Nicodemus, Joshua Fields Millburn
cindytheskull's review against another edition
5.0
Joshua had me admiring him and his friend Ryan so much while enjoying this book, which I pretty much devoured.
But then I realized there is nothing to admire and very much to learn. Admiring is for those who are too afraid to do the same, who think that it takes courage to make specific decision, even if they may greatly improve their life.
I do not need to admire, nor I think that it takes courage to simplify ones life and go chasing one's passions.
I am in the middle of changing my whole life, and like Joshua, I've been questioning what I have and do for a while now. And I am astounded by the things I did not actively decide for myself but still affect me and my time and resources so much.
Being what you are is not a decision that takes courage, it has become a necessity for me.
Joshua can write. Even if I admit that some readers may find his style too artsy and highly descriptive, I really enjoyed his way to give you an exact description of how and what he was feeling at that given moment. I must admit I stopped reading Ryan comments after a while, since I did not think they were actually adding much. But I genuinely appreciate the relationship the two seem to have, they are complementary pieces in a journey that everyone should take.
This book is not only about those steps that brought Joshua to minimalism. This book tells us his own, very private Story. It starts with his childhood and goes on, showing us his attempt on doing everything right, and finding out that everything was wrong.
I could relate, can you?
I highly recommend this book.
But then I realized there is nothing to admire and very much to learn. Admiring is for those who are too afraid to do the same, who think that it takes courage to make specific decision, even if they may greatly improve their life.
I do not need to admire, nor I think that it takes courage to simplify ones life and go chasing one's passions.
I am in the middle of changing my whole life, and like Joshua, I've been questioning what I have and do for a while now. And I am astounded by the things I did not actively decide for myself but still affect me and my time and resources so much.
Being what you are is not a decision that takes courage, it has become a necessity for me.
Joshua can write. Even if I admit that some readers may find his style too artsy and highly descriptive, I really enjoyed his way to give you an exact description of how and what he was feeling at that given moment. I must admit I stopped reading Ryan comments after a while, since I did not think they were actually adding much. But I genuinely appreciate the relationship the two seem to have, they are complementary pieces in a journey that everyone should take.
This book is not only about those steps that brought Joshua to minimalism. This book tells us his own, very private Story. It starts with his childhood and goes on, showing us his attempt on doing everything right, and finding out that everything was wrong.
I could relate, can you?
I highly recommend this book.
mxmaxreads's review against another edition
3.0
As many other readers and reviewers have stated already, I, too, have had a love-hate relationship with this book. Before moving on to the overall positive effect it had on me, let me explain why the main philosophical message at its core was almost obscured for me.
Joshua's lack of awareness of his utter white male privilege and class privilege makes his words unappealing and less meaningful to me at times. Yes, he was able to see through a more happiness-driven lens when incorporating a newfound life, lacking emphasis on money and material items as well as more of a "deliberate" focus on people and experiences of value, but he never once acknowledges how most people would not feasibly be able to achieve this mindset without some kind of luxury or privileged life to begin with (how else would he climb the rungs of the corporate ladder so rapidly? He was very privileged, clearly). Those who live minimally, most commonly, are those who live without most things because they typically are homeless and struggling to fill their stomaches with food. This life of minimalism, for some, is not some epiphanic journey but a harsh reality of constant withouts and mere survival. To not recognize how he came from a vastly more fortunate angle than most, that he was in a better living position to give up everything, start over, and not have to worry about simply surviving makes some of his life-guru words ring a bit hollow for me. Being able to rid yourself of clutter seems like a liberating thing, but we mustn't forget those humans that are forced to do so to make room for all that they need to carry on their backs, without a roof over their heads to secure their minimal possessions. A quote from Joshua Fields Millsburn says that "access is greater than excess" while failing to note that he indeed abandoned his life of excess from a place of much excess AND access. Most people have nowhere near as much access to the multitude of opportunities that he has had to comfortably establish a life of minimalism.
Secondly, his writing consists of cliché metaphors and smug sentences. Another depiction that had me frowning was the way he spoke of the variety of women he encountered. It's funny that a man who places so much value in valuing other people would spend so much time examining how "pretty" other women were without showing any real interest in their attributes beyond physical appearance. One particular passage that stands out to me is the one about being in a bar in Montana with women, one of whom he seems to dismiss immediately by making judgments in his head about superficial qualities, "blotchy, with a hand-me-down face." Obviously, your "value" of women could use some work, Mr. Millburn.
The main philosophical message here was inspiring to me. It led me to Leo Babauta's blog ("Zen Habits"), which resonated with me on a deeper level. Reading this book has gotten me to spend less time on social media, more time writing and creating, less time dwelling on consuming, more time drinking water, more health-conscious actions, more focused on exercise as a means of decompressing and as less of a chore, more concentration on the present (not on distracting myself with multitasking). This memoir rekindled an outlook on life I've always felt, yet never acted on, and I appreciate it for reminding me to reevaluate the value in my life choices; however, I can't say that without pointing out my personal issues with the way its message was executed and conveyed. Both Joshua and Ryan have found their version of happiness, unencumbered by the unnecessary, but they need to realize how enormously lucky they both are to be able to embrace this kind of lifestyle by choice and not out of necessity.
Joshua's lack of awareness of his utter white male privilege and class privilege makes his words unappealing and less meaningful to me at times. Yes, he was able to see through a more happiness-driven lens when incorporating a newfound life, lacking emphasis on money and material items as well as more of a "deliberate" focus on people and experiences of value, but he never once acknowledges how most people would not feasibly be able to achieve this mindset without some kind of luxury or privileged life to begin with (how else would he climb the rungs of the corporate ladder so rapidly? He was very privileged, clearly). Those who live minimally, most commonly, are those who live without most things because they typically are homeless and struggling to fill their stomaches with food. This life of minimalism, for some, is not some epiphanic journey but a harsh reality of constant withouts and mere survival. To not recognize how he came from a vastly more fortunate angle than most, that he was in a better living position to give up everything, start over, and not have to worry about simply surviving makes some of his life-guru words ring a bit hollow for me. Being able to rid yourself of clutter seems like a liberating thing, but we mustn't forget those humans that are forced to do so to make room for all that they need to carry on their backs, without a roof over their heads to secure their minimal possessions. A quote from Joshua Fields Millsburn says that "access is greater than excess" while failing to note that he indeed abandoned his life of excess from a place of much excess AND access. Most people have nowhere near as much access to the multitude of opportunities that he has had to comfortably establish a life of minimalism.
Secondly, his writing consists of cliché metaphors and smug sentences. Another depiction that had me frowning was the way he spoke of the variety of women he encountered. It's funny that a man who places so much value in valuing other people would spend so much time examining how "pretty" other women were without showing any real interest in their attributes beyond physical appearance. One particular passage that stands out to me is the one about being in a bar in Montana with women, one of whom he seems to dismiss immediately by making judgments in his head about superficial qualities, "blotchy, with a hand-me-down face." Obviously, your "value" of women could use some work, Mr. Millburn.
The main philosophical message here was inspiring to me. It led me to Leo Babauta's blog ("Zen Habits"), which resonated with me on a deeper level. Reading this book has gotten me to spend less time on social media, more time writing and creating, less time dwelling on consuming, more time drinking water, more health-conscious actions, more focused on exercise as a means of decompressing and as less of a chore, more concentration on the present (not on distracting myself with multitasking). This memoir rekindled an outlook on life I've always felt, yet never acted on, and I appreciate it for reminding me to reevaluate the value in my life choices; however, I can't say that without pointing out my personal issues with the way its message was executed and conveyed. Both Joshua and Ryan have found their version of happiness, unencumbered by the unnecessary, but they need to realize how enormously lucky they both are to be able to embrace this kind of lifestyle by choice and not out of necessity.
katechaste's review against another edition
5.0
The book is slightly repetitive but I feel like that is needed for me to fully understand the concept and help me change my mindset about things. Truly inspiring, definitely going to read this again
alli_rocke's review against another edition
3.0
I love a lot of The Minimalists' writing, and this book was no exception. However, I was disappointed by some of Millburn's suggestions that were inconceivable for those that want to become minimalists but don't have a lot of money. We can't all hire someone to do the chores we don't like or quit our day jobs overnight in order to have a daily routine of doing nothing. I would definitely like to see more minimalist writing that works for people of all income levels!
Also, Ryan's footnotes are almost always not worth reading, and it's tedious to flip back and forth for so little value.
Also, Ryan's footnotes are almost always not worth reading, and it's tedious to flip back and forth for so little value.
justaprilann's review against another edition
4.0
TL;DR - abandon consumerism, remove all the extra things in your life to make room for yourself to grow, give more than you receive, having less brings more happiness, refocus on your true values in life...the people you love, your passions, positive challenges. Recommend!
So many helpful tools in this book, but my biggest takeaway is to scrap the idea of goals and to make the distinction between goals and CHOICES. So this made me think....my goal this year is to read more, at least one book a month. But, does that mean I stop reading on 12/31 because it's no longer my goal? And I have a goal to create less waste...what does that even mean? How will I know if I've achieved that goal? Instead, it's more fulfilling to live each day making choices that are fulfilling: I choose to read almost every day and I choose options that result in less waste. That was definitely a whoa moment for me.
So many helpful tools in this book, but my biggest takeaway is to scrap the idea of goals and to make the distinction between goals and CHOICES. So this made me think....my goal this year is to read more, at least one book a month. But, does that mean I stop reading on 12/31 because it's no longer my goal? And I have a goal to create less waste...what does that even mean? How will I know if I've achieved that goal? Instead, it's more fulfilling to live each day making choices that are fulfilling: I choose to read almost every day and I choose options that result in less waste. That was definitely a whoa moment for me.
purstiltski's review against another edition
3.0
A very good read for those looking to make positive changes to their mindset, especially in the capitalist consumer world in which we live. I definitely gained some distance of thought, though it will be much work until I make the habitual mindset of a minimalist. Keep only things, people, and places that add true value to your life. We can all do with less. Cherish experiences rather than belongings. A very valuable, eye-opening narrative of Ryan and Josh's personal change.
Personally, the writing itself was hard to get through in places. I came into this interested primarily in the writing: I thought "minimalist" had been referring to minimalist writing, and was very frustrated until about page 45. I admire the gusto with which Josh approaches writing, but there are a lot of clunky rookie cliches that made me feel sad and cringe. I also distinctly remember a double apostrophe: "couldn't've" or the like. Asymmetrical is intended to publish unconventionally, but some conventions are such for the sake of readability. In the end, good on them for taking the plunge to learn. I hope in the future to see more growth as individuals and writers!
Personally, the writing itself was hard to get through in places. I came into this interested primarily in the writing: I thought "minimalist" had been referring to minimalist writing, and was very frustrated until about page 45. I admire the gusto with which Josh approaches writing, but there are a lot of clunky rookie cliches that made me feel sad and cringe. I also distinctly remember a double apostrophe: "couldn't've" or the like. Asymmetrical is intended to publish unconventionally, but some conventions are such for the sake of readability. In the end, good on them for taking the plunge to learn. I hope in the future to see more growth as individuals and writers!
dsinton's review against another edition
2.0
I'm fascinated and compelled by minimalist ideas, but this book fell a little flat for me. Hard to connect.
kartrick's review against another edition
4.0
Clarification on my rating: actual rating of the book as such would be 3 stars, but gave 4 for the message it holds and how important I feel it is for myself and probably a lot of others.
What I didn't like about the book was that I felt on many occasions that Joshua, the self-proclaimed "ex-shabby but current great writer" was getting too haughty and proud for nothing. Honestly, I cannot remember the number of times I cringed internally reading some of his sentences and phrases. At some points, I felt that he literally just right-clicked on a word and chose the most flashy-looking synonym he could find on MS Word.
1) He does not seem to realise that complicating and buffing up sentences with macho words actually takes away a lot of meaning from the sentence and turns the reading from pleasure to cringe gauntlet.
2) Just because a word has multiple synonyms, it doesn't mean they can all be used interchangeably in all scenarios.
3) I also disliked how he exaggerated a lot, for the sake of the effect it would have on the readers.
These are the only things that irked me. Apart from these though, it is a really valuable book, if you haven't started thinking like this already. I feel that we, especially millenials, are all kind of in the same boat and would all benefit from stopping everything, pausing the CD, and evaluating and introspecting our lives and our mental state. Are we actually happy or not?
I was introduced to minimalism by Matt D'Avella and I have found the concept, or even movement, something that I connect to. I am also currently in a state of total confusion and disarray, a sort of young mid-life crisis. I feel it has largely to do with the extreme pace of the world around me, and like a school of fish trapped in a whirlpool, I am also being taken along with it. Instead, I hope to be able to make a tangent, catch a breather and really ask myself if this is the stream I want to live in.
I urge everybody to at least give this book a try.
What I didn't like about the book was that I felt on many occasions that Joshua, the self-proclaimed "ex-shabby but current great writer" was getting too haughty and proud for nothing. Honestly, I cannot remember the number of times I cringed internally reading some of his sentences and phrases. At some points, I felt that he literally just right-clicked on a word and chose the most flashy-looking synonym he could find on MS Word.
1) He does not seem to realise that complicating and buffing up sentences with macho words actually takes away a lot of meaning from the sentence and turns the reading from pleasure to cringe gauntlet.
2) Just because a word has multiple synonyms, it doesn't mean they can all be used interchangeably in all scenarios.
3) I also disliked how he exaggerated a lot, for the sake of the effect it would have on the readers.
These are the only things that irked me. Apart from these though, it is a really valuable book, if you haven't started thinking like this already. I feel that we, especially millenials, are all kind of in the same boat and would all benefit from stopping everything, pausing the CD, and evaluating and introspecting our lives and our mental state. Are we actually happy or not?
I was introduced to minimalism by Matt D'Avella and I have found the concept, or even movement, something that I connect to. I am also currently in a state of total confusion and disarray, a sort of young mid-life crisis. I feel it has largely to do with the extreme pace of the world around me, and like a school of fish trapped in a whirlpool, I am also being taken along with it. Instead, I hope to be able to make a tangent, catch a breather and really ask myself if this is the stream I want to live in.
I urge everybody to at least give this book a try.