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The Honest Life: Living Naturally And True To You (2013)

by Jessica Alba(Favorite Author)

3.86 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1609619110 (ISBN13: 9781609619114)

languge

English

genre

Food & Cookbooks

publisher

Rodale Books

review 1: I enjoyed this book and found some great advice on little things I can change in my family's life. However, I think I would have liked this more had it been written by a normal everyday person instead of a movie star (not that I do not love Jessica Alba). It is just hard for a working middle class mom to do many of the things when living on a budget. This book did however make me feel better about many of the parenting and life choices that my husband and I had chose, while other people were constantly berating and questioning us. It was nice to have a little validation when at times I feel like I am in a constant state of defense against our decisions.
review 2: My rating of The Honest Life, may not be fair. It is tough to be objective about a celebrity... more because there is so much ABOUT the person that you must wade through, unlike most authors. It may not be relevant, but its there: The stream of celebrity promotion; the roles she has played; the "desirable woman" of men's magazines; her causes and politics. Among the topics in this book, she discusses food, cleaning, beauty, babies, home furnishing, and clothing. According to Alba, the book is about how one can "live a healthier, more sustainable" life. And, for the most part, not WHY you should. It is easy to give Alba credit for accomplishing much of this. For instance, in food, she does a fine job of pointing out the fruits and vegetables that (in general) have the highest levels of pesticides and those with the lowest levels. Her advice, to buy organic with the former is solid. Having said that, what she offers on genetically modified foods is so brief as to raise more questions than provide any guidance. And, when it comes to clothing, though Alba advises to use "organic and natural fibers" she offers no information on the sustainability of these fibers. For instance, cotton is one of the fibers requiring substantial amounts of water and its culture should be looked at in the context of the safety and health of farm workers and textile manufacturing as well as the stresses it puts on the environmental health of all in those communities.Alba says she wrote the book because she had been told too often "that 'healthy,' 'safe,' and 'eco' meant 'boring,' 'beige, and 'blah.'" But she never quite comes to terms with the book's self-promotion and her ownership of The Honest Company that (surprise!) produces "toxin-free" goods. The book is lavish with color pictures and graphics. It has very useful food and shopping guides. Her list of online resources is also valuable. So, on the balance, I don't regret reading this author's ("actress, activist, and entrepreneur")first effort. less

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