Sustainable Happiness: Live Simply, Live Well, Make a Difference

The editor and staff of Yes! magazine have condensed nearly two decades of articles into this nicely balanced anthology. Unlike other happiness and self-help books, there are no follow-up exercises or worksheets to complete or blank pages for journaling—just articles for reflection with notes provided for further reference. Beginning with an introduction that offers a brief yet effective history lesson on American-style happiness, the remainder of the text is divided into three parts focused on real well-being, happiness practiced, and how to find happiness within our communities. As with most anthologies, some articles are appealing, worthy of the occasional re-read; others may only be glossed over. And that’s okay. Even without reading all twenty-plus articles, readers will understand the main idea espoused: that happiness, in its many nonconsumerist forms, is within reach in rather simple ways. Valuing the gifts of others, taking a technology Sabbath one day a week, and sharing meals with loved ones are offered as examples. The intent of Sustainable Happiness is to leave readers with a sense of interconnectedness with others and the natural world, and to see the “generative cycle” of happiness and well-being. In this, the book succeeds.