Rating: 
Summary: Average at best
Review: There are a lot of great books that deal with creativity. This is not one of them. Average, at best, it might fit the bill is someone was looking for a superfluous treatment of creativity.
Rating: 
Summary: One of My Favorites
Review: This book deals with getting the most out of life. He does not proclaim to have all the answers but cuts a very broad swath. He deals with working too much, not developing your own interests, and the difficulty of your work being "who you are". I was 23 when I read this book, looking at retireing at 35. I was also reading many books on retireing early and living frugaly. I worked 100-110 hours a week and had no plans after retirement. I do now. I am happier than I ever was before. I no longer identify who i am with what I do. This is one of my favorite books. I have sent copies to all of my relatives and a few other people as well. If you buy it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The quotes alone are worth the purchase!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not worth the price
Review: This book is interesting and had some very good points, but not worth the price I paid. It is more philosophically orientied than practically - bad. This book is far cry from How to Survive Without a Salary by Charles Long or Living Well on Practically Nothing.
Read these books first.
Rating:
Summary: Lacking on the "How To" part....
Review: This book opened my eyes even wider to the negative impact being apart of the rat race has on one's mental and physical health. Zelinksi's advice on engaging in recreational activites and minimizing debt is worth following. However, what this book lacks is in depth knowledge about "how to" really survive or live on very little money when one has given up the rat race for self discovery in the meantime.
Many Americans believe that this "Life of Riley" way of living is impossible to achieve because a lot of money is required for everything here, especially healthcare! I used to think the same way until I read the following book...
"Living Well on Practically Nothing" by Edward Romney is a true instruction manual for people who either don't make enough money from their jobs, are retired or unemployed. An excellent book! The title really says it all.
Rating:
Summary: Big on inspiration, little on practical advice.
Review: This book would be much more effective if it gave practical advice like 'Your Money Or Your Life'. There is little advice on how you get from one financial situation to the other and assumes perfect health (no reliance on health insurance)and diverse talents (able to get money only as needed). If you are in less perfect health, definitely give this book to a younger, healthier person.
Rating: 
Summary: Encouraging
Review: This is not just about retiring or making the most of being unemployed (in fact, unemployment is hardly mentioned until halfway into the book). It is about determining what you want to do with your life and what makes you happy (which is often not related to working). It helps you prioritize your life without being obvious about it -- looking at what you like (e.g., follow your heart) and what you are gifted with.Although the author was younger at the time, he has many excellent points and clearly has practiced what he preaches. Too often, people write books or take a one or two year "exercise" and write a book about it -- only to turn away from that. The book was an easy, entertaining and life-redirecting read.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for anyone who is unemployed, retired or just tired!
Review: This self-proclaimed Dr. of Leisure has successfully
captured the true message of self-actualized leisure,wellness
and quality of life. As a certified, registerd recreation/leisure
professional, I was a little concerned at seeing E. Zelinski
claim this title without proper educational preparation. After reading his book, I still wince at his claim to this title,
but also fully support his message and delightful delivery!
I recommend this book to all my clients who are temporarily
or permanently unemployed, retiring/retired or just plain
tired of the lack joy in their leisure and in their lives
Rating:
Summary: A Manual for life!! Read it, Study it and Live it!
Review: Well writen and honest, this book has really changed my life. I am 36 years old and have spent 10 years working my way up the corporate ladder only to find that what I thought I was working for was often the last priority to me, my family and myself. This book has helped me immensely to transition from "company man" to self employment. I believe this book is not about being a bum, but being truely HAPPY in what you do and learning to enjoy life to the fullest! I have made this book a manual for my life, constantly re-reading it and thinking about it. I have purchased this book for 5 friends and family members so far and everyone has loved it. If you are ready to start enjoying life...get this book and live it! Excellent book Mr. Zelinski!
Rating:
Summary: Simplistic, Moralistic, & Loaded with Assumptions
Review: You're not going to find a book that truly discusses education, retraining, work, the workplace, leisure time, retirement, financial reward, and empowerment, among others - at least not in the self-help genre. It is far more likely to find a book that makes utterly simplistic assumptions about these matters and basically puts it on the back of each individual to overcome the dysfunctionality found in many of our primary institutions. And this is such a book.
No - people do not work long and hard at their jobs because they are workaholics, need imposed structure, are non-creative, are afraid to lead balanced lives, and insist on living an extravagant lifestyle, as the author claims. Perhaps the most ridiculous contention of the author is that due to the willingness of boomers to be workaholics, employers can downsize their workforces - no mention of coercion, no lack of employee empowerment to set limits. For the author, the inability of someone to accept being laid off for its potential for individual growth is a sign of lack of character. He gives glowing accounts of several non-workers living on six thousand dollars a year - of course, where that money comes from is not detailed. Perhaps the author, a Canadian, is unaware that an American family could not so much as purchase health insurance for that sum. Should one forget about food, housing, transportation, clothes, etc? He fails to come clean on his target audience. At times he seems to be talking mostly to vagabonds, not families. Maybe we should all pedal around New Zealand on our bicycles for six months and live on the dividends and interest from our portfolios of stocks and bonds that he does not mention or on the proceeds of lousy books. Or, in another case, become a singer on a street corner.
Find out who you are - what is your essence. Do what you really want to do. That all sounds good. If you can't do that, the author lists 300 things to do, most of which are so utterly trite as to be silly. Virtually none of them would result in any kind of payment. Too bad we all can't have jobs that give great independence and self-satisfaction. Most of us need our jobs that are not some kind of ultimate experience. That does not mean that we are workaholics, are incapable of leading balanced lives, and insist on being extravagant. And yes, for us multi-dimensional people, the loss of a job is life destabilizing, if not threatening. And that has nothing to do with character flaws. But then the author would contend that those in that boat should have been preparing for their new idealistic career presumably using all of that free time, extra wages, and insight.
The principal advice of the author to be fully engaged in what you do, whether that is inside the workplace or outside of it, is not bogus, if given in the context of realities. It is not necessary to chide people for their insecurities - there is a basis for them. The workplace does not have to a bastion of power, even of tyranny, where arbitrary acts against employees are the prerogative of management. The European system of works councils and a realistic safety net is empowering to employees. It prevents the most egregious forms of scrap heaping that American employers insist upon.
I doubt if this author is capable of writing the kind of book that needs to be written. It is obvious that he feels immensely happy with having escaped from the system in some sense. He does not recognize his unique position, or sheer luck and the impossibility, in the current political and legal climate, of most people being able to follow in his footsteps. The author even invokes Tolle's "Power of Now" to suggest that most of us worry too much about our stultifying lives and should become present-oriented in our new harmonious situations. I do know that all of the gloating, preaching, distortions, and nonsensical and simplistic suggestions are more than annoying.
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