“An in-depth and compelling account of diverse Americans living off the grid.†—Los Angeles TimesThe radical search for the simple life in today’s America. On a frigid April night; a classically trained opera singer; five months pregnant; and her husband; a former marine biologist; disembark an Amtrak train in La Plata; Missouri; assemble two bikes; and pedal off into the night; bound for a homestead they've purchased; sight unseen. Meanwhile; a horticulturist; heir to the Great Migration that brought masses of African Americans to Detroit; and her husband; a product of the white flight from it; have turned to urban farming to revitalize the blighted city they both love. And near Missoula; Montana; a couple who have been at the forefront of organic farming for decades navigate what it means to live and raise a family ethically. A work of immersive journalism steeped in a distinctively American social history and sparked by a personal quest; The Unsettlers traces the search for the simple life through the stories of these new pioneers and what inspired each of them to look for -- or create -- a better existence. Captivating and clear-eyed; it dares us to imagine what a sustainable; ethical; authentic future might actually look like.
#5809129 in Books Cold Spring Press 2003-12-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.60 x .60 x 8.50l; #File Name: 1593600089248 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. interesting and different....By RavenI picked up this book because of its title. I thought it was another book about the history of witchcraft; and wicca. However; once into it; I quickly found out it wasn't.....my mistake. But; that doesn't mean this book is awful; its not. It just wasn't what I thought it would be (read between the covers a bit next time before buying; right???).Anyway; I found it very different from other books about witchcraft in that it covers what people; through the ages; have felt witchcraft; and witches are. The author presents the most popular ideas/stereotypes of the witch; and his/her craft done mainly through the analysis of literature - mythology and folklore. However; it also examines the image of "witch" as presented through the works of movie makers.And so; the book turns out to be very different and interesting than others on the matter. It is presented in a very readable; and easy to understand format. Anyone can read this book and make sense of it.In the introduction of this book; the author states that; "This book is an outsider's view; based largely on textual sources; and filtered through my background as a mythologist and folklorist." She states that she is "not a witch; Wiccan or Pagan of any stripe." To those who know nothing; or very little about modern witchcraft and wicca; this info needs to be strongly remembered while reading this book; or else; you may fall into the trap of taking the authors every word as the literal truth about what modern witches and wiccans practice. Please be careful; here.There are no spells; no rituals; nor any other info of the sort in this book. It is purely about what people have envisioned witches to be through the lens of literature;film and some history.I recommend it to anyone if you want a different kind of read.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A history of what people think witches are...By a person who readsIn the introduction to this book the author writes "this book is not a history of witches or of witchcraft; there are plenty of those already. Instead; it is a history of what people think witches are. She also writes that she is "not a witch; Wiccan or Pagan" and that hers is "an outsider's view. Two themes that run throughout the book are "my religion vs. your witchcraft" and "men's magick (good) vs. women's magic (evil). the first professes the author's belief that people think of their own practices as religion while practices of "the other" are witchcraft. the second demonstrates the author's oppinion that the magic of men is seen as beneficial while women's magic is often demonized.The first chapter "In the Beginning there was Magic" discusses shamanism. chapter two "Witches in Antiquity" talks about witches in ancient greek and roman literature. chapter three the daemonic realms" discusses how deamons where split by chirstians into good angels and bad demons. with chapter four "Mabinogion; Merlin and Morgan" the title of the chapter is self-explanitory. "Burn Her"--chapter 5; is about the witchcraze (or the Burning Times) chapter six "Weird Sisters and Noble Wizards" discusses witchcraft in Shakspear's plays. "Who Needs Magic?"--chapter 7; is about the end of the witch hysteria and the rise of rationalism. chapter 8 "Witches Are So Last Century" covers gothic novels; Goethe's Faust; and Frank L. Baum's Oz books. "From Myth to Relgion"; chapter nine; covers Wicca. Chapter ten "From Salem to Sunnydale" is an overview of witches in movies and on tv (including early horror films; bewitched; sabrina the teen age witch; "the wiccer man" and buffy the vampire slayer). The conclusion talks about Harry Potter and fundalmentalist christians. All in all its an enjoyable but light read.
