Book Review: Flipping the Switch on Technology

This is a fascinating look at "living off the grid." It's also one of the only books I know with two subtitles. The additional one is "Two People. One Year. Zero Watts."

As an MIT grad student, Eric Brande questions whether technology has really made our lives easier or more difficult. MIT is an interesting place to form the question but not a place to find the answer, obviously. He and his new wife decide to spend a year with a group he refers to as The Minimites. You can guess that they are some relation to Mennonites or Amish, but that is really incidental to the whole story. In fact, he suggests they've got some of each and some that are neither in the community. They set out to see "what is the least we need?"

The writing is good, alternately entertaining and thoughtful yet never preachy. There are certainly more questions than answers and the answers he presents are those that they have found work for them, and may not work for everyone. He and his wife learn how to plant a garden, harvest crops, and preserve them. More than that, they learn about community and the different way decisions can be made. As their relationship matures, they decide what they want and where they are most comfortable.

It's really a wonderful book, whether you live off the grid, are considering going off, or just enjoy reading about other more adventurous folks!