The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living with Less

by Christine Platt

Overview

Forget the aesthetics of mainstream minimalism and discover a life of authenticity and intention with this practical guide to living with less...your way.

When Christine Platt set out on her journey to live with less, she never intended to become The Afrominimalist. She just wanted to tame the chaos in her closet! But after struggling with the austerity and whiteness of mainstream minimalism, Christine realized why minimalism often seems unattainable for so many: the emphasis on all-white, barren aesthetics distracts from the practice of living with intention. And so, she decided to do things her way by curating a life of less influenced by the African diaspora.

In The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living With Less, Christine gets right to the heart of how childhood experiences and expectations manifest in adulthood, the delicate dance between needs and wants, and the complicated weight of familial and societal pressures. A far cry from Konmaried closets, capsule wardrobes, and conspicuous consumption, Christine’s brand of “living with less” is more than a decluttering regimen. Inspired by her personal journey, Christine presents a radical revisioning of minimalism, one that celebrates the importance of history and heritage, and gives you permission to make space for what really matters...your way.

Beautifully illustrated with original black-and-white prints and line drawings, The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living With Less is a testament to the idea that anyone can be a minimalist and a warm invitation to a life curated with intention, perfect for readers of Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus (The Minimalists), Marie Kondo, Joshua Becker, and Courtney Carver.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982168049
Publisher:	S&S/Simon Element
Publication date:	06/15/2021
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	501,764
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Christine Platt is a modern-day Renaissance woman. From serving as an advocate for policy reform to using the power of storytelling as a tool for social change, Christine’s work reflects her practice of living with intention. She holds a BA in Africana studies, MA in African American studies, and a JD in general law. Christine has written over two dozen literary works for people of all ages. When she’s not writing, Christine spends her time curating The Afrominimalist—a creative platform chronicling her journey to minimalism. Visit her online at TheAfrominimalist.com.

Table of Contents

Welcome to the journey 1

Meet your guide; the afrominimalist 11

Part 1 The principles

Minimalism: an introduction 33

Why you have more than you need 37

Why it's so hard to let go 77

A journey without a destination 91

Part 2 The process

Step 1 Acknowledge you have too much 103

Step 2 Forgive yourself 113

Step 3 Let go! 121

Step 4 Pay it forward 135

Part 3 The practice

The power of authenticity 147

A lesson in intention 169

Less is liberation 196

Keep going, keep growing 199

Acknowledgments 209

Notes 211

Editorial Reviews

06/07/2021

Children’s book author Platt (Ana & Andrew) recounts her transformation from bargain-shopping maximalist to mindful minimalist in this inspiring guide. While “You can whittle down your belongings to fit into a single carry-on suitcase,” she writes, “unless you do the work to understand why you had so much stuff in the first place... you’ll end up back at square one faster than you think.” In each chapter, she presents questions intended to make readers aware of patterns (“Do I believe that owning certain items causes people to see or respect me differently?”) then helps readers whittle down their possessions using a four-step process: acknowledging that one has too much, forgiving oneself for past choices, letting go of possessions (by asking what purpose items fulfill), and paying it forward to charitable organizations. Platt eschews traditional minimalism and frames what she keeps in terms of an “afrominimalism” that’s influenced by the African diaspora (her “curated” belongings, for example, consist of “Ankara pillows, playful textiles, and mud cloth”), but her guidance will apply to consumers of any background. Readers looking for ways to happily live with less should check this out. Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect. (June)

Publishers Weekly

This book is an extraordinary, life-changing invitation to live life on your terms. Christine Platt shows us that minimalism isn't a one-size fits all, colorless lifestyle but instead a way for us to live with intention, letting go of what doesn't matter and surrounding ourselves with what does. With warmth, wisdom, humor, and radical honesty, she takes us on a journey back to the essence of minimalism.” —Courtney Carver, author of Soulful Simplicity and Project 333

“Though titled a guide, what Platt has created is less of a script or scripture, and more of a Rorschach test for each reader—especially those of us who are Black—to see ourselves in it however we need to, in hopes to make living with less, living as more.” —Jason Reynolds

“Christine’s book is the one I wish I’d had at my side when I began my own journey to living with less. She is a warm, engaging guide, who frames minimalism in a new light—one that examines the why behind our consumption and is more about authenticity than aesthetics. Finally, there is a book about minimalism for people who don’t relate to an austere style!” —Laura Fenton, author of The Little Book of Living Small

“Christine has made accessible the very notion of living in a sustainable way from a cultural, historical and fashionable lens. Her approach to environmentalism is refreshing and necessary and is an important body of work at the intersection of racial and environmental justice." —Céline Semaan, founder of Slow Factory Foundation

“Less is a mindset of expansion, and in The Afrominimalist’s Guide to Living with Less Christine Platt gives us a new roadmap to curate the life you’ve always wanted." —Kate Northrup, author of Do Less and Money: A Love Story

"Christine Platt is a natural storyteller. She invites us to reimagine what we think we know about minimalism, our relationship to our belongings, and what we make space for in our lives. These four steps will change your life and gently usher you into your own physical and mental space of sweet simplicity." —Rachel Cargle, author of I Don’t Want Your Love & Light

"By detailing her own maximalist-to-minimalist transformation, Platt puts readers at ease — there’s no stuff-shaming — with humor and a heavy dose of 'been-there, bought-that, never-worn-it' empathy." —The Washington Post

From the Publisher