Inside Jacket

A few years back I went to a home show for one and one reason only: Peter Walsh.  He was the guy they were marketing to get people in the door and boy, did he get me in the door.  At that time I had already read his book It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff and knew that he was one smart cookie.  I loved his philosophy about the relationship that we have with our stuff.  His short seminar that he gave that day was worth every penny.  He was hilarious! I simply loved everything about him.

Earlier this year, I got the bug to get rid of stuff! And one when gets that urging, it should under no circumstances be ignored.  Take advantage of it while you can. So I pulled out It’s All Too Much and read it again.  And I loved it again.  Peter Walsh just makes so much sense.

This isn’t a book about how to organize your sock drawer (although it might be mentioned) but rather it’s a book about our relationship with our stuff.  And that by changing our relationship with our stuff then the process of decluttering and organizing our possessions comes much easier.  We can take control of our stuff rather then the stuff controlling us.

When we have emotions tied to objects then it makes getting rid of those objects hard.  But is it about the object itself or is it about the memory associated with that object?  Which is more important?  And if something is so important to us why are we treating it with such disrespect shoved and broken in the back of a closet or in a moldy basement? He says that one of the most common errors when attempting to organize and declutter is to start with “the stuff.”  Clearing the clutter isn’t about “the stuff.”

Peter Walsh asks us what type of life do we want to live?

Imagine the life you want to live. I cannot think of a sentence that has had more impact on the lives of the people I have worked with. I’ll repeat it again: Imagine the life you want to live. Life is never perfect, but we all have unique visions of the lives we wish were ours.  When clutter fills your home, not only does it block your space, but it also blocks your vision.  . . . It’s a deceptively simple question and one that we seldom ask: “What is the life you want? “

And what I love about this book is that it is not overwhelming.  Imagine trying to tackle decluttering our entire house at the same time.  It makes me want to go back to bed.  It makes me want to go watch an episode of Hoarders so I’ll feel good about my housekeeping abilities. But Peter Walsh has everything set up step by step so that we start out with small victories and then take on larger tasks.

Once you decide what kind of vision you want for you and your family, then it’s time to start tackling the surface clutter.  He gives specific ways on how to do this and then moves through the house room by room: master bedroom, kids’ rooms, family and living rooms, home office, kitchen, dining room, bathroom, garage, basement and other storerooms.  He then addresses how to stay on top of the clutter, daily, monthly and yearly maintenance and what happens if you relapse.

But what I love so much about this book is that I just didn’t read it, tell myself well, that sounds like good stuff and then just go on with life.  I actually did change the way I viewed my house and the stuff in it.  I actually started  to apply the advice that he gave.  And seriously, what a difference! I hardly give a second thought to throwing away or giving away stuff that simply doesn’t matter. I feel freer having less stuff to deal with.

But I’ll also be completely honest.  I’m  by no means perfect. I have a really hard time with the daily clutter.  Keeping up with my dishes, the laundry, and picking up the toys.  Do I get stressed when somebody knocks on my door?  Sadly, I do.  My house is often not clean enough to feel comfortable inviting somebody in.  Always something to work on right?

I haven’t read any of Peter Walsh’s other books but I’m thinking that as I like his style, I definitely should. If you need an easy to read, step by step book to help you you tackle the clutter and live a richer life with less stuff, than It’s All Too Much is the book that will help you get there.

What about you?  How do you deal with the clutter?  Any other Peter Walsh fans out there?

Links of interest:  Peter Walsh website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Non-Fiction, Organizational Self-Help
Publisher: Free Press.  December 12, 2006
Hardcover, 240 pages. ISBN 0743292642
It’s All Too Much is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

What a delightful book!  My only qualm about  I’ve Seen Santa! by David Bedford and illustrated by Tim Warnes is that one of the spreads was torn out in the library book that I borrowed  thus missing out on another great illustration.  This is one I would totally add to our home library.

Cute little Little Bear was really looking forward to seeing Santa.  So much so, that he asks Big Bear and Mommy Bear many questions.  How big is he?  How will  he get in?  Does he visit bears all over the word?  Will he have time to visit my house?  Big Bear and Mommy Bear send Little Bear to sleep, but he doesn’t want to.  And of course, when he hears a noise downstairs, he has to investigate.  Someone is drinking and eating the cookies left for Santa!  Is it Santa?  No, it’s Big Bear!

And if that’s not enough, Mamma Bear has been caught getting into the stockings hung over the fireplace.  All three decide that if they want to see Santa, then they better stay up all night with the flashlight and huddle near the Christmas tree.  A surprise ending will leave a smile on all young readers faces.

The illustrations by Tim Warnes are really heartwarming and cozy.  If you’ve got kids or know someone who does, add this one to your Christmas book collection.  Adorable.  I loved it.

Links of interest:  David Bedford website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction picture book. Approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Tiger Tales. September 2006.
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 1589250583
I’ve Seen Santa! is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

What can I say about They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein that will convince everybody to read it?

Written by three Lost Boys who are also cousins – I could not put this memoir down.  When Judy Bernstein met all three, now in their twenties, after their relocation from the refugee camps in Kenya to San Diego, they asked for simple things including pads of paper to write their story.  What she read was not only heartbreaking but inspiring.  Their words are simple but their experiences are anything but.

Book description from official website:

Benjamin, Alepho, and Benson were raised among the Dinka tribe of Sudan. Their world was an insulated, close-knit community of grass-roofed cottages, cattle herders, and tribal councils. The lions and pythons that prowled beyond the village fences were the greatest threat they knew.

All that changed the night the government-armed Murahiliin began attacking their villages. Amid the chaos, screams, conflagration, and gunfire, five-year-old Benson and seven-year-old Benjamin fled into the dark night. Two years later, Alepho, age seven, was forced to do the same. Across the Southern Sudan, over the next five years, thousands of other boys did likewise, joining this stream of child refugees that became known as the Lost Boys. Their journey would take them over one thousand miles across a war-ravaged country, through landmine-sown paths, crocodile-infested waters, and grotesque extremes of hunger, thirst, and disease. The refugee camps they eventually filtered through offered little respite from the brutality they were fleeing.

In They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky, Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin, by turn, recount their experiences along this unthinkable journey. They vividly recall the family, friends, and tribal world they left far behind them and their desperate efforts to keep track of one another. This is a captivating memoir of Sudan and a powerful portrait of war as seen through the eyes of children. And it is, in the end, an inspiring and unforgettable tribute to the tenacity of even the youngest human spirits.

I could not put this book down.  I really liked the alternating perspectives of the three cousins while continuing the linear timeline.  The experiences that they went through often make me question why such horrible things happen to little children.  And yet, they grow to be wonderful men who are full of life.

Call me a glutton for punishment, but as soon as I finished this one, I immediately began reading War Child by Emmanual Jal, the memoir of another Lost Boy conscripted to fight in the army.  The Lost Boys have so many stories to share, and I for one will listen.  This is a book that you will not regret reading and one that you soon won’t forget.

Links of interest: They Poured Fire From the Sky website (with lots of great resources), Judy Bernstein website.  Maw Books reviews of What is the What by Dave Eggers, picture book Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams both about The Lost Boys of Sudan.
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: PublicAffairs. June 12, 2006.
Paperback, 336 pages. ISBN 1586483889
They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Copyright 2009 by Maw Books Blog. This feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator or by email, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact us, so we can take immediate action.

Maw Books has an affiliate relationship with several bookstores, including Indiebound, Powell’s, and Amazon . When you buy a product (not just books – any product), via one of my links, Maw Books earns income from the sale and as always, it’s much appreciated as all affiliate income is used to support the blog. There is no cost to you.