Graceful Simplicity - by Jerome M Segal (Paperback)

About the Book

""Graceful Simplicity "is a marvelously textured analysis of the elusive ideal of simple living. For those eager to find a way to get off the 'more is better' treadmill, Jerome Segal offers insight and hope. . .. A must read."--David Shi, author of "The Simple Life "
"Segal articulates a message that is both revolutionary and just plain sensible--consume less and take time to enjoy life more. He rescues us from a consumerism gone haywire without advocating isolationism. In a new and better way we are still our brother's keeper."--Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of "The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work "
"Segal wants a political movement to create a functioning public sector, complete with universal health insurance and a sturdy safety net. Numerous and powerful interest groups will fight such reforms with bitter determination. But what could provide a better source of drama and adventure than the struggle to make the simpler life a viable option for all?"--Barbara Ehrenreich, "Civilization "

Book Synopsis

Despite the United States' economic abundance, "the good life" has proved elusive. Millions long for more time for friends and family, for reading or walking or relaxing. Instead our lives are frantic, hectic, and harried. In Graceful Simplicity, Jerome M. Segal, philosopher, political activist, and former staff member of the House Budget Committee, expands and deepens the contemporary discourse on simple living. He articulates his conception of a politics of simplicity-one rooted in beauty, peace of mind, appreciativeness, and generosity of spirit.

From the Back Cover

"Graceful Simplicity is a marvelously textured analysis of the elusive ideal of simple living. For those eager to find a way to get off the 'more is better' treadmill, Jerome Segal offers insight and hope.... A must read."--David Shi, author of The Simple Life

"Segal articulates a message that is both revolutionary and just plain sensible--consume less and take time to enjoy life more. He rescues us from a consumerism gone haywire without advocating isolationism. In a new and better way we are still our brother's keeper."--Arlie Russell Hochschild, author of The Time Bind: When Work Becomes Home and Home Becomes Work

"Segal wants a political movement to create a functioning public sector, complete with universal health insurance and a sturdy safety net. Numerous and powerful interest groups will fight such reforms with bitter determination. But what could provide a better source of drama and adventure than the struggle to make the simpler life a viable option for all?"--Barbara Ehrenreich, Civilization

Review Quotes

"Segal's thought-provoking and energizing manifesto is partly a call to live a balanced life unyokedfrom the never-ending pursuit of money, partly a homily against material greed, and partly a utopian economic blueprint for reordering society."--"Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Jerome M. Segal is the author of Agency and Alienation: A Theory of Human Presence (1991) and Creating the Palestinian State: A Strategy for Peace (1989), and coauthor of Negotiating Jerusalem (2000). He is Senior Research Scholar at the University of Maryland Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy.