Walden on Wheels

Awesome

Oy vey, with the student loan whining already! I'm sympathetic to the cause - throwing people barely out of their teens under mountains of debt to get a college degree - but the cause is certainly more complicated and nuanced than Ilgunas portrays it. He concedes at the end of his book that his education was worth the debt, but this resolution may come too late for those who tired of his arguement by the third chapter. He still sounds like what he is - a young man with a good education who wishes everyone could simply follow their dreams and learn the lessons of simplicity. Noble, to be sure, and much easier to accomplish without the baggage of worries like health insurance, a spouse, or children. Also, I would like to point out that Ilgunas was incredibly lonely living in his van and that not many can handle the monastic, nomadic life (see: spouse, children).

Enjoyable and interesting book

I didn't want to like this book. My first impression was that it was written by a self indulgent millennial that refused to acclimate to society. And let's face it, as a middle aged, middle class, cranky white republican that's a repugnant thought.
But the author, and his honest, open quest to find his purpose in life, grew on me. By living a life I'd never choose to live, he was able to live a life I'll never get to live. I couldn't put it down after the first few chapters, and soon found myself rooting for him.
People are complex, unique, beautiful souls that have more in common than not. Here's to celebrating our differences and learning that happiness has many different faces.