“There is something that all of us sense: that we could live better, kinder lives. But Bill Powers has the courage to try to change and then — ever so artfully, without the slightest wag of a finger — to show us how.”
—Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man
“Bill Powers has done it again — taken us on an honest, touching journey into living lightly and intelligently in a distracted world. And he’s such a good writer that we don’t even know we are being educated, challenged, and changed.”
—Vicki Robin, author of Your Money or Your Life and Blessing the Hands that Feed Us
“The re-enchantment of urban life — so compromised by the accelerated techno-industrial culture — takes work, and William Powers saves us a lot of time on the learning curve. Hats off, especially to his courage.”
—Douglas Tompkins, founder of The Foundation for Deep Ecology and The North Face clothing company
“New Slow City tells an inspiring story. At the outset, Powers’ goal — to live slowly and mindfully in frantic Manhattan — seems quixotic in the extreme. But one should never underestimate a determined idealist. This delightfully provocative book will speak to anyone trying build a balanced life in our crazy world. I first came to know Powers’ work because we coincidentally share the same name. Now I read him to question my own assumptions and reimagine how to live.”
—William Powers, New York Times-bestselling author of Hamlet’s BlackBerry
“William Powers offers us, in his book New Slow City, a challenging and delightful telling of his own story of learning to live with less in the heart of New York City. In his warm narrative style, Powers guides the reader through the struggles he and his wife face in getting rid of stuff and squeezing their lives into a 350-square-foot micro-apartment. This work is a profound witness that a meaningful and joyful life of conservation is possible, even amidst the powers of speed in the quintessential American city.”
—C. Christopher Smith, senior editor of The Englewood Review of Books and coauthor of Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus
“Is it possible to live an earth-friendly and spiritually fulfilling life in the middle of the bustle of a big city? William Powers and his wife are the perfect people to find out. I found the tales of the remarkable people they meet, the challenges they confront, and the beauty and joy they discover to be nourishing to a part of my soul that rarely gets fed. Never preachy, always entertaining, and often wise, this is a splendid book for anyone wanting to bring more heart and joy to urban living.”
—John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America, cofounder and president of The Food Revolution Network
“An inspirational quest to slow down, simplify, and find serenity in a supercharged city. Powers discovers the joy in less stuff, less work, and less speed!”
—Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life
“In an amusing account of his attempt to live the slow life in the city of speed in a 12×12 apartment in Manhattan, Powers reminds us that while New York may be an overstuffed and unsustainable engine of growth and self-importance, it’s also a collection of islands nestled in a rich bioregion. Accounts of the natural environment clashing with the glass and steel of the city make this an important reminder that our precarious urban existence need not barrel forth into oblivion. Powers places the difficult decisions we face on a daily basis into an equation that should provide us all with an optimistic glimpse of how to slow our lives down. Read New Slow City and watch as its insights pepper your daily decisions as you navigate the folly of the fast life.”
—Richard McCarthy, Executive Director, Slow Food USA
“Bill Powers takes a New York minute and turns it into an hour as he slows down to truly appreciate the all-too-hurried city he calls home. He, his wife Melissa, and their infant child, live well in a tiny West Village cubbyhole, escaping a long commute from Queens, and in this engaging book he lets us in on what he learns, holding our interest all the way. Powers’ message, honed through his experiences living in poor countries like Bolivia, shows that we can live simply, sustainably and happily. And I know it’s real because I stayed with him in his tiny place. But at least as important as scaling down, Powers slows down and learns to savor the little daily miracles of life. This message may be just what you need to change your own life for the better. Don’t miss it!”
—John de Graaf, co-author of New York Times bestselling Affluenza and What’s the Economy For, Anyway?, Executive Director of Take Back Your Time