March 2006 | Conscious Culture
March Book Reviews
By Christine Mangan and Deborah Straw
BACK FROM THE LAND: How Young Americans Went to Nature in the 1970s, and Why They Came Back, by Eleanor Agnew. (Ivan R. Dee, $16.95)
When millions of Americans embraced the back-to-the-land movement of the 1970s, many headed to remote areas of the country and tried to live off the land. Among them was Eleanor Agnew, who in her memoir relates that she, her husband and two children were attempting to escape from modern materialism when they moved into the Maine woods to make a go at the real simple life.
Often humorous in her telling, Agnew describes the many triumphs coupled with the many disappointments that her family encountered as they set out to create a self-sufficient life. The family hauls water from a well, grows its own vegetables, and raises and slaughters its own animals. More than once, food is scarce and they are stuck with few options, prompting Agnew to list the surprising number of meals that can be made from spinach alone: spinach soufflé, spinach soup and the ever-popular spinach tacos.
Perhaps it was the limited menu and funds, but finally Agnew has had enough, and she hightails it back to civilization, divorcing her husband who decides to remain firmly on the land and eventually finds a new wife.
Woven in among Agnew’s own tales, are interviews with others who joined the back-to the-land movement. By combining their stories with her own, Agnew has managed to recreate a compelling chapter of American history, one that should be experienced by everyone, even if only through a book.
(Christine Mangan)
GLOBAL WARMING: Personal Solutions for a Healthy Planet, by Chris Spence (Palgrave MacMillan, $24.95).
So how much more can global warming affect us? Climbing temperatures, crops growing at different rates, an increased number of fierce hurricanes, some crops not growing at all—isn’t this enough? A lot more can happen, warns author Chris Spence, and it will. This book defines global warming and the greenhouse effect, looks at what can and ought to be done at the government level and, most importantly, what we can all do to lessen its impact. Not terribly surprisingly, Spence writes, “According to the vast majority of credible climate specialists, the rapid changes we’re experiencing have little to do with nature, and everything to do with … us. " The language of the book is user-friendly but not adolescent. In style, it is a cut above a traditional how-to book and it demystifies many complex terms.
Several pages are dedicated to composting, recycling clothing and furniture, and even reusing bags at the grocery store. We can all switch to rechargeable batteries and cloth napkins. These are small steps, but as Mohandas K. Gandhi wrote, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Incorporating one or two of Spence’s suggestions can not only make a difference in your life and in the health of your neighborhood and community, it might even help save the planet.
Spencer is a former political advisor on the environment and foreign affairs, and an award-winning journalist.
(Deborah Straw)
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