A Year Unplugged: A Family’s Life Without Technology

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)