The Good Life...

By popular demand - The book review section.
Post Reply
User avatar
Chickenlady
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 586
Joined: Wed Mar 02, 2005 10:17 pm
Location: Colchester, Essex

The Good Life...

Post: # 9087Post Chickenlady »

Helen and Scott Nearing's Sixty Years of Self-Sufficient Living

I really wanted to read this as it was billed as a classic and essential reading for anybody interested in self reliance. However, so far I have only managed a few chapters. It doesn't actually give any advice on how to be self-sufficient but is more an account of their experience, and the morals and ethics that drove them. That isn't to say that it isn't a worthwhile read, just not what I expected.

They come across as uncompromising and highly principled, but a bit dull. They worked incredibly hard, but were only interested in making enough to live on, giving any surplus money or produce away. They seemed to exist on a small amount of fruit and vegetables, as any product derived from an animal was seen as exploitative, but they write that they were healthy and full of energy.

I will at some point get round to reading the rest of the book as I am sure their viewpoint is valuable. However, it doesn't have the readability of, say, a John Seymour book, that teaches you how to be more self-sufficient and is obviously more relevant to those of us in the UK.
Haste makes waste

Wombat
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 5918
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 8:23 pm
Location: Sydney Australia
Contact:

Post: # 9103Post Wombat »

I have "the good life" and from the little I have read of it, I agree with your comments Chooklady. I also have a fair number of JS books as well - Fat of the land; Self sufficiency etc and although they are UK based they are still a bloody good read with good ideas. I would have loved to meet the man himself, but there you go :cry: .

Nev
Garden shed technology rules! - Muddypause


Our website on living more sustainably in the suburbs! - http://www.underthechokotree.com/

Post Reply