Consumer Detox is a breath of fresh air (pun intended: Powley is also the founder of the Breathe network). Powley has managed to write a non-legalistic (indeed, liberating) manifesto about freedom from consumerism. Zondervan’s done a fine job marketing it, too. They’ve managed to promote a book on the ancient discipline of simplicity that appeals to modern generations.

Powley tackles the subject in three sections. First, he explains the lunacy of the advertising machine. Freedom from the compulsion to buy what the latest advertisement sells begins by learning their tactics. In the second section he explores what life looks like outside the machine. As godly rhythms take root in our lives, our compulsion to settle for trite marketing becomes replaced with a desire for what’s truly lasting. In the final section he shares a potent tactic to spurn consumerism: give stuff away. Live generously.

Mark Powley’s book reads like he’s talking to you with many one-sentence paragraphs and short poetic fragments. (If you’ve read any of Rob Bell’s books, you’ll know the style I’m describing.) It’s also stuffed full of humour. He has a self-deprecating manner that makes the reader feel less inept when encountering such a massive shift in worldview.

Whether you’ve experimented with the discipline of simplicity in the past, or are just a helpless consumer looking for signs of life outside the marketing machine, this book points us all in the right direction.

Disclaimer: A free review copy of this book was provided for me by Zondervan.

Powley, Mark. Consumer Detox: Less Stuff, More Life. Zondervan, 2010.