Book Review:
The New Good Life: Living Better in an Age of Less by John Robbins
John Robbins is probably best known as the author of Diet for a New America -- a book that exposed animal farming for the dreadful, wasteful practice it is. Published in 1987, that book has been sold a million times, inspiring countless people to become vegan along the way.
Since then, Robbins has continued to be an ambassador for personal and environmental health -- writing more great books (including Healthy at 100 and The Food Revolution), and making countless public appearances. Robbins founded the non-profit EarthSave, which is dedicated to providing factual information and education about nutrition, support, encouragement, and free programs for people interested in improving their health, and families making the transition to healthful diets.
As the son of the co-founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire, John Robbins once stood to inherit great wealth. But as a young adult, Robbins walked away from the family fortune to follow a path of his own: a life of voluntary simplicity, of service to others, and respect for nature -- no easy feat in the modern world.
Robbins has, quite simply, dedicated a lifetime to advancing the cause of justice through charitable work. It’s not unusual to hear Robbins referred to as a personal hero; but this is a leader who has never lost the down-to-earth gentleness that inspired such a path in the first place. Robbins was kind enough to write the foreword to Friends of Animals’ first cookbook, Dining with Friends: The Art of North American Vegan Cuisine.
Robbins spent and saved responsibly with his partner of now 43 years, Deo, and their son, Ocean, and became a model philanthropist as well as one of the most respected and celebrated voices in the modern environmental movement. Robbins unwittingly invested, however, with funds controlled by Bernie Madoff -- the now infamous administrator of the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Overnight, the savings of a lifetime vanished. This personal devastation inspired Robbins to write his latest book, The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less.
Beyond our wildest dreams
Either directly or indirectly, the recession has brought tension to all of us. No job -- or bank account, for that matter -- feels normal. To read John Robbins’s latest offering is like having a wise sage, brilliant therapist and patient best friend extend an ear and a hand -- pulling us out of the scary, confusing abyss and into a space where we can breathe. Robbins doesn’t offer platitudes; this is sound advice. Indeed, if the information in this book is really put to use, the results could be life-changing.
The New Good Life , no doubt, borrows heavily from others -- most notably from the landmark book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. Vicki Robin clearly approves of the influence, and calls The New Good Life’s suggestions “lifelines for the mind, heart, body and soul.” One chapter recapitulates key advice from Your Money or Your Life. I’ve read both books, and I appreciate the power of writing every expenditure down, and mapping out, in detail, how we spend our money. Many people spend on cruise control, and don’t know where and how their money evaporates. For many of us, returning to pressing our own pedals and manually shifting gears will help us regain control.
The New Good Life has plenty of new, unique ideas too. It’s one part memoir and one part personal empowerment manifesto. Robbins explores spending, saving, transportation (whether it’s car, bicycle or mass-transit), parenting, eating, and the value of giving and of finding our calling in the world. And while many self-help books on the market promise to provide keys to personal financial security, Robbins makes a case for sharing personal wealth, for supporting important causes and non-profit organizations. (During his own financial crisis, Robbins was, for a time, stopped from supporting community-based projects he holds near and dear.) Most notably, Robbins recommends the principle of non-exploitation in the process; part of the ‘new good life’ is a plant-based diet, and that’s good for everyone.
Robbins’s work isn’t about becoming a millionaire by 40 or retiring at 50 -- although, conceivably, those things could happen. But that’s not the point. Robbins sets out to uncover what the good life really is.
For Robbins, a good life has been about being a good partner, parent, friend, ecologist, and champion for animals, both human and non-human. The book that shares this journey goes to unexpected places, and in the end it’s not about living with less, but rather finding out what more really means; it’s a book about living more richly. The New Good Life is one beyond our wildest dreams — if our wildest dreams are limited to mere financial security.
While the themes he explores didn’t surprise me, the way Robbins is able to communicate his sensible ideas certainly did; and so did some of the tips. For instance, there are recipes for vegan food and non-toxic household cleaners; he guides the reader through confusing decisions such as whether to rent or buy; purchase a new car or one that’s used -- decisions that have long-term implications with regard to money and our impact on the planet. I also didn’t know what my “Money Archetype” was; and that itself was worth the price of the book. I’m now fluent in my own strengths and weaknesses. Understanding unconscious impulses when it comes to spending serves an empowering first step to controlling, instead of being controlled by, money.
Robbins is at once completely in touch with the lives of ordinary people and the potential we all possess to make our lives extraordinary -- through abandoning our cultural biases that define us as primarily consumers rather than human beings. While the personal circumstances under which this book came to be are truly awful and I certainly wouldn’t wish them upon anyone, what a blessing in disguise the experience has been for all of us who learn its lesson. Like Diet for a New America, The New Good Life stands to become a classic -- and, once again, an inspiration.
