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Challenging the Cult of Speed
HarperSanFrancisco
September 2005
336 pages ISBN: 0060750510 Trade Size (reprint)
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Non-Fiction
We live in the age of speed. We strain to be more
efficient, to cram more into each minute, each hour, each
day. Since the Industrial Revolution shifted the world into
high gear, the cult of speed has pushed us to a breaking
point. Consider these facts: Americans on average spend
seventy-two minutes of every day behind the wheel of a car,
a typical business executive now loses sixty-eight hours a
year to being put on hold, and American adults currently
devote on average a mere half hour per week to making love. Living on the edge of exhaustion, we are constantly
reminded by our bodies and minds that the pace of life is
spinning out of control. In Praise of Slowness traces the
history of our increasingly breathless relationship with
time and tackles the consequences of living in this
accelerated culture of our own creation. Why are we always
in such a rush? What is the cure for time sickness? Is it
possible, or even desirable, to slow down? Realizing the
price we pay for unrelenting speed, people all over the
world are reclaiming their time and slowing down the pace --
and living happier, healthier, and more productive lives
as a result. A Slow revolution is taking place. Here you will find no Luddite calls to overthrow technology
and seek a preindustrial utopia. This is a modern
revolution, championed by cell-phone using, e-mailing
lovers of sanity. The Slow philosophy can be summed up in a
single word -- balance. People are discovering energy and
efficiency where they may have been least expected -- in
slowing down. In this engaging and entertaining exploration, award-
winning journalist and rehabilitated speedaholic Carl
Honoré details our perennial love affair with efficiency
and speed in a perfect blend of anecdotal reportage,
history, and intellectual inquiry. In Praise of Slowness is
the first comprehensive look at the worldwide Slow
movements making their way into the mainstream -- in
offices, factories, neighborhoods, kitchens, hospitals,
concert halls, bedrooms, gyms, and schools. Defining a
movement that is here to stay, this spirited manifesto will
make you completely rethink your relationship with time.
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