by Tom Hodgkinson
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Product Description
The author of How to Be Idle, Tom Hodgkinson, now shares his delightfully irreverent musings on what true independence means and what it takes to be free. The Freedom Manifesto draws on French existentialists, British punks, beat poets, hippies and yippies, medieval thinkers, and anarchists to provide a new, simple, joyful blueprint for modern living. From growing your own vegetables to canceling your credit cards to reading Jean-Paul Sartre, here are excellent suggestions for nourishing mind, body, and spirit—witty, provocative, sometimes outrageous, yet eminently sage advice for breaking with convention and living an uncluttered, unfettered, and therefore happier, life.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Good read but hard to practice, 2008-05-09
I agree with other reviewers that this book is a joy to read. It presents noble solutions to a series of very serious issues faced by modern day career ladder climber, money spending consumers, government oppressed citizens with witty yet elegant languages. The book basically tells you to let go of your desire, decrease your consumption, see through the empty promises of career, and not rely on the conventional yard stick to measure your "success". They are all common senses as pointed out by other reviewer, and probably known by most people deep in their heart even when they are doing exactly what Tom Hodgkinson preached us not to do.
This is basically the reason why I only gave the book four stars instead of five. It merely presents the problem, but does not offer much solution other than some short suggestions. I can understand that the author probably think that each individual is too different to have dogmatic solutions, but I truly believe some sort of organized suggestions with more substance can greatly enhance this good book.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
 A doorway to the obvious, 2008-04-09
The freedom manifesto is a great read for the all those searching and yearning for a meaning to life. It is also a great read for those who believe are lives are largely manipulated by government, and corporate advertisement to maximise profits at the expense of our contentment. It doesn't pull its punches ~ and is not afraid to say things as they are. It is a doorway to the obvious ~ for when you read it you realize what it says is obviously common sense ~ although like most it is difficult to put in practice. It is a witty, cleverly crafted book that makes you laugh whilst trying to encourage us to lead a more rewarding self empowered life.
Well done!
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Great follow-up to "Idle", 2008-01-13
After reading "How to be Idle" in the summer of 2007 and finding out that Hodgkinson had a new release in late 2007, I quickly reserved a copy at my bookstore. As much as I loved "How to be Idle", I enjoyed this one even more. Once again, Hodgkinson's insights prove very insightful and thought provoking. This is not a book that I will read only once.
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
He likes writing manifestos, 2007-12-23
This book was excellent at first, then it frustrated, then it wavered between those two emotions for the remaining pages. About halfway through he acknowledges how someone could view his ideas as contradictory. For example, he juxtaposes Chapter 17 "In Praise of Melancholy" with Chapter 18 "Stop Moaning; Be Merry." That's fine, but the changes come quickly, and they don't compliment one another as well as they could. Sometimes the chapters feel like they are unfinished or could have gone deeper rather wider in reference across different texts. (The added section at the end titled "Further Reading" gives you a clue about his desire to let you know he's read many books in preparing this book. And yet, he seems to include books he found bland, but spent time looking through. Why do you want someone to do a lot of reading to tell you what's worth a shoulder shrug?)
I thought he was at his best when he was praising the will of the individual to find and create his own happiness, to break free of controls like government or the debilitating pangs of guilt. But then he talks about how people should live in communes and many other pieces of advice that seem to directly restrain the individual. Moreover, it's strange that he rails against external control and advocates freedom, while putting commands at the end of each chapter, like "Start a Guild" or "Cut Up Your Credit Card." When he's telling me things I should do to be free, one of which is "Say yes," the word that kept coming to me was "no."
A lot of his chapters could have been contained inside other chapters. For example, "Chapter 8: Stop Competing" was weak, and the negative sentiments could have gone in "Chapter 4: Reject Career and All Its Promise" and the positive sentiments could have gone in "Stop Working, Start Living," the last chapter on play. Or, they could have all been combined in one extended chapter on the complexities of work. So it comes off as being somewhat sloppy and pandering, even though the book is strongest when it sheds all consideration for what people think. Ironically, if he'd refined his philosophy and made it shorter (or "simpler"), I think it would have been stronger. As it is, the 29 chapters have large doses of filler.
Still, this was a fun book to read and think about and there are good ideas here. You have to find what you like and not get worked up over the abrupt changes in philosophical direction. Take what you like, leave what you don't. But if you needed me to tell you that, I wonder how much help this book could please you.
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