In the tradition of such trailblazing books as No Logo and The Tipping Point, In Praise of Slow heralds a growing international movement of people dedicated to slowing down the pace of our contemporary times and enjoying a richer, fuller life as a result.

These days, almost everyone complains about the hectic pace of their lives. We live in a world where speed rules and everyone is under pressure to go faster. But when speed is king, anyone or anything that gets in our way, that slows us down, becomes an enemy. Thanks to speed, we are living in the age of rage.

Carl Honore has discovered a movement that is quickly working its way into the mainstream. Groups of people are developing a recipe for living better in a fast-paced, modern environment by striving for a new balance between fast and slow. In an entertaining and hands-on investigation of this new movement, Honore takes us from a Tantric sex workshop in a trendy neighbourhood in London, England to Bra, Italy, the home of the Slow Food, Slow Cities and Slow Sex movements. He examines how we can continue to live productive lives by embracing the tenets of the slow movement.

A challenging take on the cult of speed, as well as a corrective look at how we can approach our lives with new understanding, In Praise of Slow uncovers a movement whose time has come.


From the Hardcover edition.

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“The No Logo of its age…. Strangely enthralling, an epiphany for those of us who have forgotten how to look forward to things or enjoy the moment when it arrives.”
—The Herald (UK)

“Honoré is particularly good at detailing the addictive properties and vagaries of speed, and its ill effects on individuals and society, including himself.”
—The Globe and Mail

“It’s about time someone took issue with the underlying mentality that sets our daily metronome.... Those who savour this hopeful book one chapter at a time will be the biggest winners. It’s seductively crafted in this way ... measuring out its subversive but ultimately healing message.”
—Edmonton Journal

“Honoré offers compelling evidence that suggests controlling your own tempo of life is not only a healthier and happier alternative, but leads to a more rewarding and productive lifestyle.”
—Toronto Star

"Life is getting faster, no doubt about it. We rush everything: we eat fast food, have quickie sex, drive like maniacs, and compete hard for fast-paced jobs. We wish to slow down and slack off, but we're afraid we'll fail... A London-based journalist, Honoré shows us the benefits of slowness, with chapters on food, transportation, meditation and exercise, medicine, sex, work, and parenting…. This book presents ideas and resources that will be new to most readers and is recommended for both public and academic libraries."
—Library Journal Review

"A former 'speedaholic,' an award-winning Canadian journalist advocates living a slower, more measured existence, in virtually every area, a philosophy he defines as 'balance.' The author explores, in convincing and skillful prose, a quiet revolution known as 'the slow movement,' which is attempting to integrate the advances of the information age into a lifestyle that is marked by an 'inner slowness' that gives more depth to relationships with others and with oneself. For the overprogrammed and stressed, slow and steady may win the race."
—Publisher's Weekly

"Honoré‘s engaging report should be embraced by those with quality-of-life and environmental concerns."
—Booklist

"Try reading this book one chapter a day — it is worth allowing its subversive message to sink slowly in so it has a chance of changing your life."
—Bill McKibben, author of Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age and The End of Nature

"The speed of life borders on insanity for an increasing number of us, and the price we pay is the erosion of our happiness and health. If you sometimes feel engulfed by the mad pace of modern life — and who doesn't? — Carl Honoré's In Praise of Slow could prove life-saving."
—Larry Dossey, MD, Author:  Healing Beyond the Body and Reinventing Medicine

"In this terrific book, Carl Honoré gets to the heart of what's ailing western industrial societies — our obsession with productivity, speed and consumerism — but he doesn't stop with the gloom and doom. Instead, he shows the way out, with inspiring examples from the growing worldwide 'slow ' movement. Take the time to read this important, excellently written  book — our future depends on the ideas it contains!"
—John de Graaf, co-author, Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, and editor, Take Back Your Time

"It's about time someone insisted — in intelligent, persuasive language — that we all put on the brakes, or at least check the instruments on the dashboard. Through anecdote, statistic and argument, Honoré wants to convert us to an atheism that is opposed to this culture's mad theology of speed."
— Billy Collins, former US Poet Laureate

"Entrepreneur and slow may seem like oxymorons. However, taking the time to read Carl Honoré's In Praise of Slow may be the best decision an entrepreneur, or anyone working full time, can make."
— Gary Erickson, Entrepreneur & CEO of Clif Bar Inc., and Author of Raising the Bar

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Visit the In Praise of Slow website

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Introduction -- The Age of Rage

One -- Do Everything Faster
Two -- Slow Is Beautiful
Three -- Food: Turning the Tables on Speed
Four -- Cities: Blending Old and New
Five -- Mind/Body: Mens Sana in Corpore Sano
Six -- Medicine: Doctors and Patience
Seven -- Sex: A Lover with a Slow Hand
Eight -- Work: The Benefits of Working Less Hard
Nine -- Leisure: The Importance of Being at Rest
Ten -- Children: Raising an Unhurried Child

Conclusion -- Finding the Tempo Giusto

Notes
Resource List
Acknowledgements
Index

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Carl Honore is a Canadian journalist living in London, England. He has written for The Globe and Mail, the National Post, The Guardian and The Economist. While researching this book in Italy, he was slapped with a speeding ticket.


From the Hardcover edition.

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