Our next book for discussion is by William Powers.
Why would a successful American physician choose to live in a twelve-foot-by-twelve-foot cabin without running water or electricity? To find out, writer and activist William Powers visited Dr. Jackie Benton in rural North Carolina. No Name Creek gurgled through Benton’s permaculture farm, and she stroked honeybees’ wings as she shared her wildcrafter philosophy of living on a planet in crisis. Powers, just back from a decade of international aid work, then accepted Benton’s offer to stay at the cabin for a season while she traveled. There, he befriended her eclectic neighbors — organic farmers, biofuel brewers, eco-developers — and discovered a sustainable but imperiled way of life.
In these pages, Powers not only explores this small patch of community but draws on his international experiences with other pockets of resistance. This engrossing tale of Powers’s struggle for a meaningful life with a smaller footprint proposes a paradigm shift to an elusive “Soft World” with clues to personal happiness and global healing.
Powers has written several books about his experiences - some of which influenced the decision that is the premise of this book. If you are unable to get a copy of it, perhaps you might want to read one of his other books and share how those experiences relate. Could be an interesting discussion.
ReplyDeleteYou can either purchase the book at Barnes & Nobles or Borders, be advised it is $14.95 and it will take a week to get the book.
ReplyDeleteHowever the other suggestions are read a book by the same author such as:
Hamlet's Blackberry: a practical philosophy for building a good life in the digital age.
Whispering in the giant's ear: a frontline chronicle from Bolivia's war on globalization.
Blue Clay People: Seasons on Africa's fragile edge.
Or other ideas along the same lines because this is listed under Sustainable /Alternative Lifestyles:
The Treehouse Diaries: How to Live in the Woods by Nick Weston
Edible: a Celebration of Local Foods by Tracey Ryder
A little piece of Earth: How to grow your own food in small spaces by Maria Finn
A History of the Settlement by the whites, of north-western Virginia: and of the Indian reflections, anecdotes,
Here is your hobby: Indian dancing and costumes
I believe all these suggestions work along the same theme of Sustainable living/ Alternative living. If you have a issue getting the book then please choose from the list above.
AT the Timberland Regional Library there are many of William Powers books available.
Online is pic of the 12x12 floor plan, and William Powers has his own blog.
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest meeting on Wednesday instead of Tuesday?
A link to a floorplan, pictures and a review of the book can be found at:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2010/09/02/twelve-by-twelve-by-william-powers/
His blog can be found at:
http://williampowersbooks.com/blog/
Powers' website :
ReplyDeletehttp://williampowersbooks.com/index.htm
I am really enjoying this book. I am absolutely fascinated and want to learn more. Thanks for posting the website Lu, I am going to check that out after my next appointment.
ReplyDelete