Escape Everything!: Escape from work. Escape from consumerism. Escape from despair.
Robert Wringham
I’m a big fan of “The New Escapologist”, the quirky journal edited by Robert Wringham, so I had to check out his book when it came out this year. I put in a request for my local library to acquire it, but so far they haven’t come through, so I went ahead and got the Kindle version (using, in part, the class-action e-book pricing settlement credit I got from Amazon–woohoo!).
The book is largely a distillation of stuff he’s written in TNE magazine–so nothing too new, but also, pretty enjoyable throughout. I think his style works a tiny bit better in article form than in book form–he embraces a sort of enthusiastic dilettantism that seems more suited to topical musings than the extended argument found in this book. But still, it holds together as a pretty coherent approach to thinking about life. I think there’s a lot of wisdom here, even for those of us not actively trying to leave our jobs. As someone who works from home, I often struggle with allowing myself the freedom not to be at my desk 9-5. It’s amazing how powerful some aspects of societal conditioning are. I’m getting better about it, but it’s a process, and Wringham is certainly a helpful gadfly to have in your corner.
Very worthwhile, as well, is the “missing bibliography” for this book that Wringham published online–you can find it here:
http://newescapologist.co.uk/2016/04/...