New Pioneers: The Back-To-The-Land Movement and the Search for a Sustainable Future

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Summary: Bloomsbury Review, Jul-Aug '97, By Kim Long
Review: This book is the work of a sociologist, and the academic conventions of this profession are readily visible, including tables, analysis, data and scholarly attention to detail. The overall effect, however, is not the boring treatise one might expect. Instead, the author delivers a lively work that is more a trade title on homesteading than a research report. This is a fascinating study of the individuals and groups who are drawn to the roots of urban civilization, complete with romantic misconceptions, hard-edged political values, escapes from the rat race, and the appeal of nature. As much as is possible with this social segment, descriptions and measurements are included, as well as individual anecdotes -- sometimes humorous, sometimes grim -- that put life and meaning into the search for agrarian fulfillment.