I got this book thinking it would help me design a small dwelling, but was disappointed. It doesn't contain house plans to compare or copy or detailed descriptions of handling essential systems (heating, plumbing, etc.). Instead it's more about psyching the reader up-- encouraging the reader that it is possible to live in a smaller home, how it could be good for them and the world, how there are issues they might need to deal with (e.g. getting rid of stuff).
That's fine I suppose, but the product seems a bit odd, since anyone who picks this book up to read it probably already believes its arguments on some level. And even those arguments are more anecdotal than systematic. This isn't research as much as it is a recounting of the authors' experiences with a certain kind of semi-suburban, semi-rural client, which again is fine, but it lacks scope and perspective.
I imagine that many readers are like myself, and are looking for more practical info about design and systems. For those things I would look to books like Lester Walker's A LITTLE HOUSE OF MY OWN: 47 GRAND DESIGNS FOR 47 TINY HOUSES and (for interiors) Cristina Paredes' SMALL SPACES: GOOD IDEAS. Both those books cover spaces of less than 500 square feet (unlike many books that are supposedly about "small" spaces and start at 1000 sq ft or larger). The Walker book has some great examples of small dwellings in American history. The Paredes book is a more urban, interior-designy book, but it mostly sticks to a level of artistry that is conceivable for many readers.