Summary of the Community Reads Project

24/6 was written well before the global pandemic rocked our lives in early 2020.

In a time when we all find ourselves longing for comfort, nostalgia, and good times spent with family and friends, the desire to connect with those who mean the most to us is greater than ever before. Unplugging is not only a way to slow down and show gratitude for what you do have but to honor yourself with some self-care and off-line time. It serves to support your own physical and emotional climates. The purpose of this project is for you to consider unplugging one day a week, and to determine what unplugging could look like for you.

Celebrities and influencers like Sir Richard Branson, Melinda Gates, and Ariana Huffington all unplug weekly. Through reading 24/6, you will learn the strategies and history, meaning and sociology, as well as scientific reasoning behind unplugging from Internet pioneer and author, Tiffany Shlain.

Digital technology has completely changed how we view and structure time. As concerns about the effects of excessive tech use on our individual well-being, relationships, and our democracy come to a head, it’s never felt more urgent to reclaim it.

We are promoting screen/life balance. There is more than one way to achieve screen/life balance. Tiffany Shlain has a solution for living in our 24/7 culture - turning off all screens for 24 hours each week for a practice her family has come to call “Technology Shabbat”.

A compelling personal story and a far-reaching examination of the complex world we have created and ideas of what we need to change, 24/6 is a call to rebalance ourselves and one another through this weekly practice. Shlain’s 24/6 is very readable - part memoir, part summary of relevant science and sociology, and part summary of related historical information. The book has been rated #1 in Best New High-Tech Books to Read in 2020 by Book Authority, and earned the status of one of the Great Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down, by Real Simple. With insight, wisdom, and humor, Shlain shares her story, offers lessons learned, and provides a blueprint for DIY that fits into your lifestyle.

Important to note the National Day of Unplugging will take place one month following Tiffany’s Zoom talk to the greater Rhode Island community scheduled for February 4, 2021. The National Day of Unplugging will serve as an opportunity for everyone to follow Shlain’s lead for a day.