How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World: a Handbook for Personal Liberty Paperback – January 1, 1973

A lot of what's out there is just a repeat of other books with a thing or two added in. This book is really refreshing in the amount of original content and the power of its ideas. My favorite was his discussion of how to find freedom from social restrictions- I copied and pasted a little of my notes to give you a sense of this book:"Whatever your social standards, the best place to find like minded people is the same place where you would most like to be. If you crave companionship that's more intellectual, you might try courses in the subjects that have always interested you. And since you could run into potential friends almost anywhere, it's important to display your standards openly and honestly wherever you are. Only then can others recognize you as a kindred soul.For if you wear a socially acceptable mask, those whom you seek will walk right by you. And those whom you attract with the mask will only add to the pressure that you be something other than yourself.If you make your actions and words consistent with who you are and what you admire, you'll know which people are compatible- just by their reactions to you. Those who disapprove will seek someone different to be with, and those who have standards similar to your will react favorably toward you. In effect, you let others tell you about themselves through their reactions to what you are.So it's important to reveal yourself as you really are. If you're ambitious and show it, people who appreciate ambition are more likely to notice you. If you are careful to respect the property and lives of others and clearly you want the same treatment in return, you're less likely to wind up with thieving or freeloading friends.When you act as you want to act, you stand a far greater chance of meeting the people who could be valuable to you. When you let others determine your conduct, you acquire nothing but restrictions.Many people hide their identity, tolerate restrictions, and remain in bad relationships because they're afraid of being lonely. But I wonder what they mean by lonely. Aren't they very lonely when they deal with people who don't understand and appreciate them?What you are is the most valuable asset you possess for finding others and the best way to find those people is to advertise your real self and by being honest about who you are.No matter where you go, you never know whether someone you're seeking might see you. What a shame it would be if that person passed you by because you didn't reveal the qualities that both you and she admire most.To reveal those qualities, you have to be willing to accept the disapproval of those you aren't seeking. It takes courage to overcome the embarrassment, self-consciousness, and even ridicule that might result from honest exposure of your nature- but that's the only way to form the relationships you seek. The kind that are far more rewarding than what you've tolerated in the past.The best method of advertising is simply to live the way you want to live. Furthermore, your greatest pleasures will be those you experience when you can be yourself completely. Only then will you be free to enjoy every good thing the experience has to offer you."Overall, an outstanding book. I feel like an entire weight has been lifted from my shoulders and new clarity brought to my life. That's what a good book should do for you. Highly recommended.

Great book

To be upfront, I'm not entirely complete with the book and have hopped around the chapters as it doesn't have to be read in order. Some will build off past chapters, but not to the point of being lost.The book is definitely interesting. It's probably great for those who are extremely frugal or are trying to be. It presents many ideas and methods to save money, live off the "grid", and be self sustaining. He's realistic, he presents alternatives and tells you that it won't be easy.The part I found most useful and I feel like most people would find useful was the portions about group think and peer pressure. He provides a lot of enlightening information about why we feel like we need that brand new car, that house we can barely afford, or that proverbial shiny object in the distance. If you are able to take these lessons to heart, you may find it useful to break yourself of the daily credit grind.Read this if you have quite a bit of time to not only absorb it, but also reflect on it as you go along. You will undoubtedly find these faults he presents in yourself.

This is one of my favorite books.I have read it periodically during almost two decades of my life, and have insight into how the ideas held up to my real world experiences.Pro:-Practical-This is a matter of fact guide book-there is no wishy washy spiritualism or tedious lectures on abstract concepts of freedom.-Thorough-Taxes, sex, income, family, parenting-this book covers the topic most challenging to personal freedom.-Personal-the author is very frank in his sharing his own successes and failures.-Realistic-this book defines freedom in ways that are attainable or at least conceivable for those of us lucky enough to live in countries that allow citizens to make choices in personal matters.Cons:-Gender bias: As a woman I see a mild degree of bias in this book, particularly in the sections devoted to parenting and relationships. I don't necessarily take issue with any specific statement by the author, but I think he oversimplifies these issues in a way that reflects his male bias. Men and women are socialized differently in American culture (the author and I are both American), and there is FAR FAR FAR more shame attached to women who have multiple sex partners, and more blame on mothers with regard to parenting (especially if you take a non traditional approach). The author tends to paint men and women with the same brush, which would be fine if it were reality, but it isn't.-Over simplification of parenting--philosophically I agree with just about every word written. Realistically? No way. In this day and age the only sure way to implement his approach of "one person totally being responsible for the decisions concerning the child" would be to make sure there is NOT another biological parent involved--either adopt as a single person, use donor sperm, or a surrogate. Then, and only then, can you be sure of total authority over the child. Biological parents make all sorts of promises, and then the baby is born, and perhaps one parent panics and takes off, or both parents fall madly in love and demand an equal say--the law is going to make the final decision unless both parents can absolutely work together no matter what for 18 years.Guess what? I did succeed at the latter, but I was VERY VERY lucky. That's the word--lucky. I have seen plenty of well intentioned parents totally blindsided by a co-parent suddenly demanding more/less involvement, and then all your plans are moot.On the whole I highly recommend this book to those rare people who, like myself, believe it is possible to find, at the very least, more freedom available than we are raised to believe possible.