book: The afrominimalist’s guide to living with less

“ Single motherhood was hard. If I was going to be in struggle mode 24/7, the least I could do was surround myself with beautiful things.”

Christine Platt’s The Afrominimalist’s guide to living with less is an inspiring personal account of her journey towards eliminating overconsumption and achieving a fulfilling, sustainable lifestyle. She tackles the underlying beliefs we often have about ownership through the intersection of capitalism and race. Platt relates the accumulation of items to a range of topics discussed in therapy like the influence of generational trauma responses, external validation, and the struggles of creating boundaries with family as a means to live as your authentic self. She explores the development of attachment to items and why it can be so hard to let go of what we own. Platt educates us on the tenets of minimalism while debunking myths like that it is a lifestyle that only benefits wealthy white ppl or that minimalists don't buy things at all.

Platt’s voice is coming from a place of privilege which she acknowledges is not an exception to her ability to downgrade her consumption.  Although she offers a variety of ideas on how to donate and pay things forward, I am not above believing things are “too nice” to go to a thrift store. Nevertheless, she leads us down a path where we can gain the tools needed towards more intentional forms of consumption.