“There is something that all of us sense: that we could live
better, kinder lives. But Bill Powers has the courage to try
to change and then — ever so artfully, without the slightest
wag of a finger — to show us how.”
—Colin Beavan, author of
No Impact Man
“Bill Powers has done it again — taken us on an honest,
touching journey into living lightly and intelligently in a
distracted world. And he’s such a good writer that we don’t
even know we are being educated, challenged, and changed.”
—Vicki Robin, author of Your Money or Your Life and
Blessing the Hands that Feed Us
“The re-enchantment of urban life — so compromised by the
accelerated techno-industrial culture — takes work, and
William Powers saves us a lot of time on the learning curve.
Hats off, especially to his courage.”
—Douglas Tompkins, founder of The Foundation for Deep
Ecology and The North Face clothing company
“New Slow City tells an inspiring story. At the
outset, Powers’ goal — to live slowly and mindfully in frantic
Manhattan — seems quixotic in the extreme. But one should
never underestimate a determined idealist. This delightfully
provocative book will speak to anyone trying build a balanced
life in our crazy world. I first came to know Powers’ work
because we coincidentally share the same name. Now I read him
to question my own assumptions and reimagine how to live.”
—William Powers, New York Times-bestselling author
of Hamlet’s BlackBerry
“William Powers offers us, in his book New Slow City,
a challenging and delightful telling of his own story of
learning to live with less in the heart of New York City. In
his warm narrative style, Powers guides the reader through the
struggles he and his wife face in getting rid of stuff and
squeezing their lives into a 350-square-foot micro-apartment.
This work is a profound witness that a meaningful and joyful
life of conservation is possible, even amidst the powers of
speed in the quintessential American city.”
—C. Christopher Smith, senior editor of
The Englewood Review of Books and coauthor of
Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of
Jesus
“Is it possible to live an earth-friendly and spiritually
fulfilling life in the middle of the bustle of a big city?
William Powers and his wife are the perfect people to find
out. I found the tales of the remarkable people they meet, the
challenges they confront, and the beauty and joy they discover
to be nourishing to a part of my soul that rarely gets fed.
Never preachy, always entertaining, and often wise, this is a
splendid book for anyone wanting to bring more heart and joy
to urban living.”
—John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America,
cofounder and president of The Food Revolution
Network
“An inspirational quest to slow down, simplify, and find
serenity in a supercharged city. Powers discovers the joy in
less stuff, less work, and less speed!”
—Francine Jay, author of
The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to
Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life
“In an amusing account of his attempt to live the slow life in
the city of speed in a 12×12 apartment in Manhattan, Powers
reminds us that while New York may be an overstuffed and
unsustainable engine of growth and self-importance, it’s also
a collection of islands nestled in a rich bioregion. Accounts
of the natural environment clashing with the glass and steel
of the city make this an important reminder that our
precarious urban existence need not barrel forth into
oblivion. Powers places the difficult decisions we face on a
daily basis into an equation that should provide us all with
an optimistic glimpse of how to slow our lives down. Read
New Slow City and watch as its insights pepper your
daily decisions as you navigate the folly of the fast
life.”
—Richard McCarthy, Executive Director, Slow Food USA
“Bill Powers takes a New York minute and turns it into an hour
as he slows down to truly appreciate the all-too-hurried city
he calls home. He, his wife Melissa, and their infant
child, live well in a tiny West Village cubbyhole, escaping a
long commute from Queens, and in this engaging book he lets us
in on what he learns, holding our interest all the way.
Powers’ message, honed through his experiences living in
poor countries like Bolivia, shows that we can live simply,
sustainably and happily. And I know it’s real because I
stayed with him in his tiny place. But at least as
important as scaling down, Powers slows down and learns to
savor the little daily miracles of life. This message may be
just what you need to change your own life for the better.
Don’t miss it!”
—John de Graaf, co-author of
New York Times bestselling Affluenza and
What’s the Economy For, Anyway?, Executive Director
of Take Back Your Time