The Big Tiny

A graceful, inspiredmemoir about building a home from scratch and discovering a true sense ofself—in just eighty-four square feet—by Dee Williams, a pioneer in sustainableliving and the proud owner of a very tiny house

After a heart condition felled Dee Williams in the grocerystore ten years ago, she initially threw herself headfirst back into her oldlife, which included a pricey three-bedroom house, overtime hours to coverhomeowner bills, and a general lack of free time. In the midst of contemplatingher future, a new sense of clarity took hold. What was all this stuff for?Mortgage payments and the time-suck of homeownership felt like a waste, and noone has the money or desire to pack it in and live on an island without family,friends, or health insurance.

Discovering the sustainability movement and building her ownhouse was just the beginning of building a new life. Williams can now listeverything she owns on one sheet of paper, her monthly bills amount to about eight dollars, and it takes her ten minutes to clean the entire house. It’s allowed her toslow down, scale back, spend more time with family and friends—and given herthe freedom to head out for adventure, or watch the clouds and sunset whiledrinking a beer on her (yes, tiny) front porch. Without escaping to the wildsor going off the grid, Williams achieved a happy balance of the normal and the radicaland created a new model for simple, practical living.

Part how-to and partwhy-to, The Big Tiny is not just a memoir of that “aha” momentposttrauma but an utterly seductive meditation on what it means to build thegood life and the right life, every day.