A Year Unplugged
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In A Year Unplugged, Sharael Kolberg chronicles her family’s brave attempt to wean themselves from technology in an effort to reclaim quality family time. The Kolbergs decided to turn off their television, unplug their iPods, iPhones, laptops and digital cameras, and disconnect from e-mail, cell phones and the Internet. Not an easy task.
Sharael’s true-life tale explores how dependent we are on technology and the impact it has on interpersonal relationships and society. Through thought-provoking, humorous and heart-wrenching narrative, Sharael hopes to compel readers to open dialogue about the conscious use of technology.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kolberg's (Building a Lasting Marriage) fourth book, an account of the year her family stopped using electronic media and communications, fails to engage the reader. After Kolberg's six-year-old daughter, Katelyn, devoted her time recuperating from a cold to binge-watching Hannah Montana, Kolberg and (somewhat reluctantly) her husband, Jeff, decided to initiate an electronics fast. Kolberg gives a day-by-day account, though some days hardly seem worth the ink expended on them. Moreover, her story doesn't show that the benefits of unplugging ever truly outweighed the costs. Kolberg's relationship with her daughter does improve, but her husband's deteriorates, since he spends more time at the office, where he is "allowed" to search the Internet and check email. Meanwhile, the family's ban on cell phones, except in the case of emergency, frustrates Jeff's relatives, who have trouble reaching them. Kolberg's conclusions tend toward the narrow and convenient, and her tone can be off-puttingly judgmental. Kolberg devotes some time to discussing the costs and benefits of technology, but despite the extensive use of quotes from sources that include parenting columnists, newspaper stories, and J.K. Rowling, she never truly reaches beyond her own experiences. (BookLife)
