Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology Book

While it had an interesting premise, it didn't come close to living up to my expectations. A naive city boy decides to go "off the grid" for a year, but rather than try it on his own (a la Helen and Scott Nearing), he throws in the kitsch of moving into a community of religious folks akin to the Amish or Mennonites. He drags along some chick he knows (and marries for whatever reason) and spends 200 pages poorly documenting their experience. The style was bland and tedious, though the story could have -- should have -- been intriguing. I read the whole thing, but only because it was short and with simple enough prose that it took almost no time. I recommend The Good Life (Helen & Scott Nearing) or Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Kingsolver) it its place.