Choosing Simplicity is a groundbreaking work that goes beyond the books that tell you why to simplify and how to simplify your life. This is the book that tells all -- what has really happened in the lives of real people who have done it. How does simplicity translate in our modern day-to-day world? Can people who embrace this lifestyle sustain it over time? What are the downsides? Is it worth it? Do they miss the "old way?"

These are just a few of the questions explored by Linda Breen Pierce in Choosing Simplicity. And she should know. Pierce spent three years studying people who have simplified their lives -- over 200 people from 40 states and eight countries -- people living simply in the country, in large cities and everywhere in between. Interwoven throughout the stories are the author's insights and lessons to guide those who want to explore simplicity and to sustain those who have already embarked on this journey.

Table of Contents:

Foreword by Vicki Robin, co-author of Your Money Or Your Life

Ch. 1: Why Simplicity?
Ch. 2: My Story: True Confessions of a Yuppie Lawyer
Ch. 3: Turning Points: What Motivates Us to Start the Journey?
Ch. 4: A Parent's Choice: Savoring Life with Our Children
Ch. 5: Urban or Rural Simplicity: Choosing a Nurturing Milieu
Ch. 6: Work We Can Live With: A Balancing Act
Ch. 7: On the Road to Simplicity: Travelers in Transition
Ch. 8: Long Timers: People Who Have Always Lived Simply
Ch. 9: Starting Out Simply: Generation X Takes a U-Turn
Ch. 10: Having Enough: Living Simply with Financial Freedom
Ch. 11: Living Well on Very Little: Amazing Stories of Courageous People
Ch. 12: Community: Are We Our Brothers' Keepers?
Ch. 13: Environmental Champions: A Passionate Love for the Earth
Ch. 14: The Pierce Simplicity Study: Reflections and Inspiration