Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Buy this and prevent a heart attack April 9, 2007
JD Mulder (Leeds, West Yorkshire)
29 out of 30 found this review helpful
Considering Tom Hodgkinson is editor of the Idler and places being idle as a life aim he's not exactly workshy when it comes to research for this book. All around us we see stressed out workers competing for the best parking space, snatching at every opportunity and consuming with a vigour that would put most drug addicts to shame - Hodgkinson, with a broad sword that takes in medieval merrymaking and our 21st century tax burden (higher now than in fuedal times according to the author) puts forward an almost unarguable point that we all need to slow down, consume less, laugh more and stop striving for the next big thing. As most people deep down know this to be true it took "How to Be Free" for me to finally stop and, like being gently slapped in the face with the fish of happiness and quit rushing around like an idiot. It's rare for books to actually stop you in your tracks (The Corporation - Bakan, Stupid White Men - Moore, The Culture of Fear - Glassner, How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World - Wheen) but I was the road rage, drag the dog around the park, five meetings a day, make more money screaming bundle of stress that somehow defines modern man. How to Be Free points to an alternative way of life that drags the absurdity of this modern capitalist lifestyle out into the bright sunshine and stabs it repeatedly with his observations, facts and comparisons. Buy this book or alternatively, on Tom Hodgkinsons advice, buy a ukulele .. or was it a banjo. Buy two, one for yourself and one for someone you know who screams at cyclists.
An essential read! August 17, 2007
thegreenpilgrim (UK)
42 out of 44 found this review helpful
I found this book by chance, really - I needed a third book for a '3 for 2' offer in the bookshop, and it had a particularly attractive title. At first I thought that it would just be another of those useless books that claims to be able to 'change your life for the better,' or that he was another author attempting to make a quick buck from a lot of worthless twaddle. But once I'd started reading it, I realised how wrong I was.
Tom Hodgkinson essentially looks at modern society - decides it's all utter nonsense - and then presents you with a laid-back, enjoyable and free way to live life. He rants and raves about how rubbish the world is nowadays, his train of thought twisting and dancing as you turn the pages; but it's all true - and it really is enlightening.
While I don't argue that it's possible for everyone to follow his instructions for life (how would society achieve advancements in science, medicine, the arts etc if we all relaxed and tended our allotments?) I seriously recommend you read it, as it offers - at the very least - a new and freer way of looking at life.
utterly necessary reading January 28, 2007
R. Oppenheimer (London)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
This book will be cherished and treasured by all thoughtful and intelligent people who have the good sense or good fortune to purchase it. Tom Hodgkinson is a pleasantly shambolic narrator but do not be fooled by this - How to be Free is a tightly argued and brilliantly constructed work. The quotations utilised, as with the previous book, are always a joy. The book is a cry for freedom, and the need for it should not be underestimated. To my certain knowledge, thousands of people suffer horribly in jobs and lives which they detest. This book will go a long way to helping them to emancipate themselves from mental slavery (yes, that's a Bob Marley quotation).
A book to change your life for the better: EVERYONE should read!! January 5, 2007
K. Nolton (York, England)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
What can I say??!! EVERYONE should read this book. My sister bought it a couple of months ago and her enthusiasm encouraged me to buy a copy to see what all the fuss was about. Am I ever glad I did!! I cannot praise it enough. It is written in adequately sized chapters to enable you to delve in randomly for snippets of information. The range of point of view is vast, but so well written and inter-woven that I guarantee that everyone will be able to find something that speaks to them - you just pick out what you need/agree with and apply it to your life. These small changes can alter your life in a big way! Tom covers all sorts of topics but the underlying themes are similar these all point toward a simpler life of less work, and more freedom, with a focus on quality rather than quantity. To me one of the most important things Tom promotes - that everyone should be made aware of - is taking back your own freedom of choice in life. We are lulled into a false sense of security that we have freedom of choice, yet there are more rules today than there has even been. Not just in a legal sense, but also societal rules, not to mention the powers of money! These ideals are so realistic and simplistic that small efforts make big differences - this is the author of "HOW TO BE IDLE" after all. Check out www.idler.co.uk
BE MERRY!!!
Like soaking in a bath after a hard day's work January 15, 2007
A. Ingr (Europe)
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
I've never read a book that I just wanted to keep with me permanently because it made me feel so good. Now I have. It didn't feel like reading. It felt like a happy pill with the only downer being the end. Good writing.
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