A helpful read for those of us who struggle with clutter and inadequate time. I would definitely recommend to friends and family!

If you are a consumer who needs to stop buying material possessions and also needs to throw things or give things away, you might possibly enjoy this book. Myself, I don’t have an abundance of material wealth, I do not enjoy shopping and I do not form attachments to items. I was expecting a more spiritual book. The author clearly has a good sized income that has allowed her to consume excessively and now she wants to share her attempts to live a less material life. I didn't think there was enough religious thought woven into the text. I am already much more austere in my life so a book telling me to stop buying stuff is useless. Anyone who is not a big consumer, has limited or no income and is seeking more spiritual guidance in getting one's shelter in order, may want to skip this book. The text itself was pedestrian, rather bland prose. Disappointed!

G.K. Chesterton once wrote: 'There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.' These are extremely wise words for pack rats, and Mary Elizabeth Sperry's book will not only help you to declutter. It will also help you to desire less.

Some early Church Fathers, such as Saint Anthony, escaped from the Roman Empire, to live ascetic lives and become closer to God. They owned nothing and ate very little. This was partly because they wanted to separate themselves from attachment to material possessions so that they could become closer to God. As Sperry writes, they were the true forerunners of today's minimalists.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines sin as 'failure in genuine love for God and neighbour caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods'. (CCC, 1849) (Buddhism states that misery is caused by attachment). Possessions can separate us from God and from other people. Sperry explains how and why this is so, and combines the spiritual advantages and reasons for decluttering and gives practical tips in this well-written book. She writes about spiritual discipline, gratitude and generosity as well as how sins, such as envy, can lead to accumulating more 'stuff'. There are exercises at the end of each chapter to help.

I also found Sperry's struggles with her own clutter similar to mine, and rather endearing. For example, she sometimes has to look through several cabinets and drawers to find a utensil. She also almost lost a job opportunity because the offer got mixed up with the spam! It was good to read this, and know that I am not alone!

This is highly recommended for Catholics, or indeed, any Christians who feel that they need a more spiritual approach to getting rid of clutter.

I really liked that this book takes a thoroughly Catholic approach to the idea of decluttering. So many books on this subject seem to give you the impression that putting things away, putting together a system, or accepting their vision will turn your life perfect, Happily this book accepts our flawed nature and puts decluttering within the context of creating a good Christian life.

In doing so it added a dimension that I always found missing in organization books.

I also liked that Sperry was so up front about her own struggles with buying and clutter control. I also liked that she was realistic about the way we'll fail in the process and that she took time to show us how decluttering, while helpful, is not a perfect analogy for our spiritual growth.

In spite of all this goodness, I thought it fell flat in one area. She takes a chapter to broaden her arguments and relates them to Pope Francis' controversial environmental encyclical and to many politically correct and possibly dubious social justice concerns. I would have liked to see this section either shortened or to be more thoughtful instead of reflecting the party line.

Even so the book was great and I have already started my decluttering process.

I love how the author intertwined decluttering our home life and surrounding with decluttering our spiritual connection. She carried this thread throughout and I really connected with both of these subjects. Although I feel I have a pretty good handle on keeping my home organized and holding myself accountable for periodic decluttering, I definitely can benefit from focusing on connecting with God more often and keeping the distractions of daily life from invading that relationship.
I thought that the author’s tone was very down to earth (what I most enjoy) and that she was including herself in the all-to-familiar struggle with structuring her environment and spiritual life, so I feel like she was very relatable.
Just at the point where I thought, “Okay, you live alone with a dog. What about us who have kids destroying our progress every second of the day?” She addressed this issue with practical ways to involve the little progress-destroyers in the clean-up!