The Unsettlers: In Search of Good Life in Today’s America

Adventurers obsess over self-reliance and paring down, taking only what’s absolutely needed. Simplicity begets style, we like to say. Unless you’re living in a utopian commune, that is—then we roll our eyes at such wooly-headed minimalism. But what really happens when we strip away everything but the necessities? So asks Mark Sundeen in The Unsettlers, an observant investigation into the lives of three American families pursuing “radical simplicity,” where making dinner and even personal entertainment become adventurous. Can streamlined lives remain relevant? And hasn’t every other generation asked this question? There aren’t many answers here, only inquiries, which sounds heavy, but Sundeen and the people he profiles are bracingly smart, fun, and non-preachy. The Unsettlers asks us not to change our ways, but to pause and study the trail we’re on—good habits for any explorer.