From the Stone Age to the Space Age by Nancy Garcia is a thin paperback self-help how-to book about technology that can be read in two hours or less. Readers will find over fifty money-saving websites for purchasing resources for Garcia’s favorite practical technologies that help her manage a family of six.

Inundated with a wide array of equipment, programs and Internet technology, consumers can feel overwhelmed and a bit frightened - or at the least, they may feel intimidated by the enormity of it all. Each new technology, as I have seen from past experience myself, involves reading manuals or how-to guides and time-consuming hands-on trial-and-error adventures – only to find that the family loses interest in the end, which can be a huge financial drain.

Tips include how to achieve a longer battery life, what to look for in a laptop (including wireless technology, so you can be online without having to be plugged into cable or phone outlets), memory size and screen resolution. Much of the technology discussed in this edition is already out of date, such as floppy disks. However, From the Stone Age to the Space Age provides answers and evaluations of various technologies that consumers will still find very helpful in their decision-making process.

I loved the home protection technology section and the online grocery shopping option - the author now has me fantasizing about an automatic vacuum cleaner. Readers will also enjoy the appendix section that goes deeper into understanding warranties.

Nancy Garcia is a graduate of Stanford University and is very familiar with the business world. The book is in the second printing (2008) through Instant Publisher. Bright white, glossy pages are filled with easy-to-read text; each chapter is headed with a simple, cute, colorful icon.