THE MAN WHO QUIT MONEY

Mark Sundeen's THE MAN WHO QUIT MONEY gets my vote for Best Nonfiction Book of 2012. I actually read this amazing paperback twice. That's how good it is. In fact, it nearly broke my heart to have to return the book to the library. But I did the right thing. Forty people were on the hold list. That should tell you something.

It has been twelve years since Daniel Suelo gave away his life savings, and decided to live without money. Suelo (Spanish for soil) does not live on welfare or receive food stamps. You won't find him on a busy street corner asking for spare change. He forages wild foods and knows which dumpsters are best for a healthy meal or two. He gets around on a humble bike, and walks more miles in a week than most folks walk in a year. And he is sheepish about sleeping at homeless shelters. In fact, Suelo's home is a small cave in Utah. And he's not insane.

If you are wondering why a sane man would choose to live without money, then I strongly suggest you read this compelling book. You might learn a little something about yourself, and it will be a good little something. Why do we live as we do? Is it really healthy to have to hold down a job we dislike, just so we can pay car insurance, rent an expensive roof over our heads, and buy things which are bad for the planet? What would happen if we suddenly threw away the credit cards, learned to grow our own food, and made the choice to never own a car?

Suelo already knows what will happen. And his life is better because of what he has learned. THE MAN WHO QUIT MONEY is one hell of a book. And Suelo is like a modern prophet returning from the desert to remind us that happiness is not found in expensive things, but by connecting with other people. And this doesn't cost us a cent.


Nonfiction
Riverhead Books, 2012

Reader Rating:
10/10

Review © 2012 by Dylan Mitchell