Voluntary Simplicity is an
assemblage of historical and present-day dissertations from fourteen different
contributors, expressing a wide variety of viewpoints gleaned from each
contributor’s specific knowledge, background, training and beliefs, about their
views on merging the abandon of modern consumerism with the qualities found in
the simplicities of a bygone era.

The mere concept of simplicity in
this world of over-inflated consumerism is challenging from the onset.    Yet
each contributor, relying upon their individualized perspectives, explores the
subject with strong opinions, and shares their support or critique of the
matter with enough information to allow the reader to form their own opinions
of the viability or appeal as it relates to the reader’s own lifestyle.

The recurrent, underlying theme
throughout the book is that we should all embrace the concepts of voluntary
simplicity.    The old adage of "keeping up with the Joneses," is
challenged with the ideals of espousing the quality of life instead of striving
for quantity in all things.      But, this challenge is, indeed, a personal one
that can be met and practiced on any or all levels, and to varying degrees,
without the need for leaders or an organized movement, and adapted to your own
individual circumstances.    

While many of the contributors
acknowledge that we, as a society, value the principles of hard work and
integrity, they are also quick to shine a light on our disregard for
thriftiness in favor of consumption as a symbol of our hard work.    Aspiring
continually to the "bigger is better" attitudes, and the concept that
the more expensive "things" are, the more value they possess, are
examples of our over-indulgence and lack of virtues embraced by those who came
before us.     Too often we find that, in the end, having more still does not
make us any happier; in fact, usually the opposite is found to be truer.

In addition to the contributors’
views and opinions, each chapter is broken down with detailed reference notes
at the end of the book for further research on the subjects, followed by a section
that contains an ultra-brief biography on each contributor.    While there are
many positive points to the book as a whole, it should also be noted that it
could be considered a "difficult read" as it displays more of a
textbook reference manual format than the sociology / political science
statement it was designed to be.

© 2005 Susan Reno-Gilliland.
All rights reserved. 

Susan Reno-Gilliland has been a
residential/commercial interior designer since 1995.    After several moves,
maintaining a design practice proved difficult, so she turned to freelance
writing and community workshops to continue her work.    She has been published
in many local, regional and national publications, and on-line publications, on
the topics of decorating and design, as well as numerous other subjects.    
She holds B.A.s in Art, English Journalism and Interior Design, with minors in
Psychology and Sociology, and currently works as a writer/photographer and
artist, in addition to her design practice.

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