The Longing for Less: Living with Minimalism by Kyle Chaka explores the various meanings the word “minimalism” takes and has taken over time. As he notes, “When a word or style is everywhere, it tends to lose its original meaning. There are more than thirteen million posts tagged with #minimalism on Instagram and around ten new images appear every minute…..Shots of the blue sky pockmarked with clouds are categorized as minimalist, as are line-drawing tattoos, wrinkled bedsheets, folded clothing, Chemex coffeemakers, spiral staircases, monochrome athleisure outfits, rustic cabins in the snow, and demure selfies.”

The book is part travelogue, part critical theory reader, part architecture and art history, and part deep dive into the piles of plastic crap Americans have buried themselves under in the name of what they think they need - and what they trade away to get it.

The book shines when examining minimalism as a millennial trend in the face of diminishing opportunity and expectations for young people, as a means of understanding lives under increasingly precarious living conditions in the 21st century, asking, are people attracted to minimalism because they see and feel the underlying invalidity of a culture that demands we organize our time, resources, and sense of self-worth around the accumulation of stuff? Or given the increasingly precarious conditions many people find themselves living in, have many people embraced minimalism as a means of justifying/glorifying their inability to have more stuff?

Minimalism has a history as a spiritual and philosophical practice, and so we get a deep dive into the stoics and early philosophy. Then, Chaka travels to visit the monuments and makers of minimalist architecture and art in the US to examine how artists and intellectuals applied their (culturally-specific and era-specific) understanding of minimalism to their exterior world.

Certainly what this book highlights is the way humans are meaning-makers, constantly building meaning into how we interpret what happens to us, i.e. “everything happens for a reason” “god has a plan.” - and how we glorify the simple life. Cognitive science in recent years has illuminated how we often convince ourselves what we have is what we wanted all along (even though that isn’t necessarily true). We see this in the ways that millennials glorify #vanlife as a means of travel and freedom and yoga on the beach with your hot romantic partner and cute dog, rather than a reality for gig-workers with uncertain incomes and no health care who can’t pay the astronomical rents in the places where 20 years ago most people could afford to live. Chaka's discussion of this particular phenomenon in the book contributes a lot to our understanding of how we reconcile our lives with our most recent past.

A different look at minimalism - looking at examples through the years up until now. More of own story and of others. Not a step by step of decluttering.

I've been interested in minimalism for a long time, and I thought this was interesting. It's essentially a journalist's view of the history and trends associated with it. He also includes literature, architecture, and much more. The is smart and observant and intelligent. Don't get this if you're looking for how-tos. If you're seeking perspective, history, and trends, and ways to think about the topic, this is a good resource.

I really appreciate the NetGalley advanced copy for review!!

A fascinating look at the concept of minimalism the desire to buy less live with less clutter that effect our daiky lives our mind.Marie Kondo who is one of the leaders darlings of the movement.She teaches us how to rid our lives hones of items to quote Marie “that don’t spark joy.”
Very interesting to me was the realization how far back minimalism goes,how many life paths it effects writers artists so many people who live by and with the concept to be less materialistic more mindful of what we purchase.Highly recommend this thorough well written deep dive into living with less.#netgaley#bloomsburyusa