Home › History › Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology

Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology

by Eric Brende

An eighteen-month experiment in living beyond the grid

Regular price $21.34 USD
Regular price $33.35 USD Sale price $21.34 USD
Save 36%

Paperback New English

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

AlbakiReads Editorial

An eighteen-month experiment in living beyond the grid

Eric Brende documents the eighteen months he and his wife spent in a remote community with minimal mechanization, giving up conveniences including a car, electric appliances, refrigeration, and running water. Framed by Brende’s question of how little technology is needed to live well, the book combines the practical realities of that household experiment with scientific analysis of technology’s place in daily life. It examines convenience, labor, health, leisure, and stress through the contrast between modern consumer tools and an intentionally low-tech way of living. This edition also includes supplementary author material and recommended reading.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in low-tech or off-grid living experiments
  • Those exploring technology’s effects on everyday routines and well-being
  • Fans of personal-experiment nonfiction with scientific context

Themes

Technology and daily lifeSimplicitySelf-sufficiencyConsumer cultureHealth and leisure

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

What is the least we need to achieve the most? With this question in mind, MIT graduate Eric Brende flipped the switch on technology. He and his wife, Mary, ditched their car, electric stove, refrigerator, running water, and everything else motorized or "hooked to the grid," and spent eighteen months living in a remote community so primitive in its technology that even the Amish consider it antiquated.

Better Off is the story of their real-life experiment to see whether our cell phones, wide-screen TVs, and SUVs have made life easier -- or whether life would be preferable without them. This smart, funny, and enlightening book mingles scientific analysis with the human story to demonstrate how a world free of technological excess can shrink stress -- and waistlines -- and expand happiness, health, and leisure.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews