Suelo is the subject of the book “The Man Who Quit Money,” by Mark Sundeen. In 2000, Suelo had $30 dollars to his name. He left the money in a phone booth and never looked back. Since then, Suelo has lived on public lands, foraging in dumpsters and canyons for food. He welcomes the generosity of others.

He doesn’t pay taxes. Doesn’t accept any form of government welfare. And appears relatively happy,

Sundeen, who talked to TODAY’s Dara Brown about his book and Suelo on Wednesday, said he has known Suelo for about 20 years. When he heard of his friend’s lifestyle choice, “I assumed he had gone crazy or had some kind of mental breakdown.” But that is not the case, Sundeen discovered.