Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists
I read it as a: paperback
Source: library
Length: 216 pp
Publisher: Asymmetrical Press
Year: 2013
This memoir/introduction to minimalism, Everything That Remains is a slim book that covers a whole lot of ground. Written primarily by Joshua Fields Millburn (the footnotes are all by Ryan Nicodemus), it is the author’s memoir, his early life with an addicted mother, his rapid rise in the corporate world, and how he had all the outward appearances of wealth and success but none of the actual realities of it. His discovery of minimalism changed his life and, in many ways, probably saved it.
I picked this up from my local library because I love listening to The Minimalists podcast, but I’m not always a huge fan of memoirs. I do have their other book, Minimal, but haven’t read it yet. This one is a good though typical memoir, discussing Joshua’s road to discovery and why he chose a minimalist lifestyle. It is a helpful tool for anyone wanting to learn more about this lifestyle, and can help to figure out one’s own version of minimalism. I liked that it stressed minimalism looks different for everyone. I think that is an important point and something not everyone stops to think about.
Ultimately, this was a useful memoir for me, as I am going full stop on embracing minimalism. I am doing all I can to learn about it, and this was one way to learn one way to go about it.
Her Grace's Library 