Rating: 
Summary: Mandatory Reading for Homesteaders
Review: 'The Good Life' consists of two previously published books: 'Living the Good Life' and 'Continuing the Good Life'. Both books have completely different flavors. 'Living the Good Life' (1954) was written in the Nearings' still youthful and rebellious years, while 'Continuing the Good Life' (1979) shows the Nearings in a mellowed, tolerant old age.Living the Good Life has some very useful information on gardening, food storage, and stone construction. The book is a mix of practical advice and the Nearings' philosophy of living, which includes self-reliance, vegetarianism, and socialism or communism. The authors do a good job of outlining their "design for living". A plethora of quotes tends to disrupt the writing. The Nearings move from New York City to the Vermont hills, but say little of how they learned "the good life". Much of the book was written as though the authors knew better than the Vermont natives from the start. Surely, there were some humbling moments and follies that they experienced, but none are related. A little self-deprecation would have made the Nearings more likeable. The authors had attempted to establish a commune or socialistic village in Vermont. However, the independent country folk refused to buy into their collective experiments. With only a handful of members, the Nearings made little economic or social progress. With intense scorn regarding the independence of rural America, the Nearings admit failure of their experiment and move off to Maine. 'Continuing the Good Life' abandons the philosophical ranting found in the first book and focuses on practical advice for modern homesteaders. The Nearings even relax some of their own vegetarian beliefs, as evidenced by eating dairy products and occasional eggs. By abandoning much of their preaching, they become more likeable. Although some of their endeavors are amusing, such as building a 1.5 acre pond with pick, shovel, wheelbarrow, and some concrete, we respect them for adhering to their beliefs and having so much energy at such an advanced age.
Rating: 
Summary: A No-Nonsense Guide to a REAL Alternative Lifestyle!
Review: ... I believe I was first made aware of this excellent book in the pages of THE WHOLE EARTH CATALOG over twenty five years ago. I did not read it until now, in 2003. ... I wish I had read it back then, for it may have influenced my life to take a different direction than it had. Nevertheless, I have no regrets, and I am happy that I finally made the effort to read this wonderful volume of wisdom from Helen and Scott Nearing. I know a couple who have met with Helen and Scott a number of times in their lives, and when I recently told them the other day that I was reading their book, The Good Life, they were overjoyed! This is the kind of book that leaves a lasting impression on anyone who reads it. ... Here are just a few of the pieces of wisdom you will find in this book... from pages 33 and 34: "3. All of our operations will be kept on a cash and carry basis. No bank loans. No slavery to interest on mortgages, notes and I.O.U's. Under any economy, people who rent out money live on easy street. Whether as individuals or banking establishments, they lend money, take security and live on a rich harvest of interest and the proceeds of forced sales. The money lenders are able to enjoy comfort and luxury, without doing any productive labor. It is the borrowing producers who pay the interest or lose their property. Farmers and home owners by the thousands lost everything they had during the Great Depression because they could not meet interest payments. We decided to buy for cash or not at all." ... But, don't be fooled into thinking by reading the sage advice that runs through this book like pure streams of mountain water that this is a book of philosophy! FAR FROM! This book is chock full of PRACTICAL ADVICE and pages and pages of HOW-TO'S that will increase your confidence to actually try implementing some of these keen techniques yourself! ... An example of the same can be found here, on page 282: "The Chinese drain their ponds and ditches, making special provision for the survival of their fish. They clear ditches and ponds of all accumulated refuse. When the ponds are emptied of silt, the gates are put back in the dams and the ponds are refilled. The accumulated silt and usable trash from the bottom are spread on the land or on compost piles. The product, as with us, will be a pile of first-class rotted sod which can be used in greenhouse, in mulching fruit bushes and trees, in compost making or transplanting. What we are doing on a few square yards of a North American farm, the Chinese are doing on a nationwide scale. They are planning their agriculture, dovetailing it with the changing seasons and the weather and building their farming base." ... I could go on and on further, quoting page after page of practical gardening tips, wall-building instructions, compost-pile producing advice, maple sugar-making lore, and more philosophical, sociological, and political wisdom as well. Unlike this book, it would be fruitless! You simply must read this book for yourself if you want to get any clear idea at all of what it would be like to be truly independent and living in the country - as well as what it would take to do so. The Nearings have proven to us all that it CAN be done. "The proof is in the pudding," as they say - and the pudding is The Good Life they have lived. It's all here in this book. GO FOR IT! ... YOWZA! - The Aeolian Kid
Rating: 
Summary: not quite up to expectations
Review: ...although extremely interesting and informative, to the degree of familiarizing any prospective "homesteader" with making it on your own, I became disenchanted with the sophomoric attempts to whine about espousing a communal life on the neighbors or any others interested in simply living a "good life" as THEY see it and not become a disciple of the Nearings... ...it seems that Scott was rejected by the establishment of his day, and time and again you have this feeling of him snubbing his nose at anyone who doesn't laud him as the "promised one"... ...informative for the day in which it was written, I am still interested in establishing my own "good life" similar to the Nearings, and I appreciate what they did...but mine will allow others to live the way they choose, without me throwing a hefty amount of contemptuous disdain their way...
Rating:
Summary: Hard work, independence, and freedom
Review:
The Nearings beat the back-to-nature movement of the 60s by about 30 years and in this book describe how to live in a way that merges your working and living world into one experience.
For anyone (like me) that sits in an office, bathing in ultraviolet light and breathing recycled air, the way of life described in this book is almost fiction, and reading it is kind of like a fantasy. I doubt I'll ever be able to bail out of the corporate ride and start over like these folks did. But anyone, regardless of your job or place in society, can see the benefits inherent in the lifestyle and philosophy described here. Even if you don't end up as a homesteader, there are worthwhile lessons here applicable to anyone, regardless of lifestyle.
One of the greatest things about this book is it describes how anyone who has a plot of land can build a durable, liveable dwelling, and live off what they can grow. If only we could send copies of this book out with shipments of US FOOD AID to starving nations.
Their philosophy on preventive medicine is quite advanced and contemporary medical views are coming around to those of the Nearings. Basically, they say that if people live off of fresh water, have good air, fresh-from-the-ground foods, live in a safe, rural environment, get exercise, and are not stressed out, avoid tobacco and alcohol and other drugs, that most ailments that plague people will not occur. I'd have to agree on this.
The book's writing style is facile and very informative. There are numerous instructional photographs to support the text. The Nearing's views basically say that hard work and independence equal personal freedom - but at the same time, it's often harder to be your own master than a servant to the system you end up working for. All-in-all it's a great book.<
Rating:
Summary: Everyman's Bible for Living Simpler, High-Quality Lifestyles
Review: I first became aware of the Nearings (Helen and Scott) as a university student in the late 1960s, when they were considered the elder statesmen of the Sixties counterculture's back-to-the-land movement. As such, they prefigure by decades all the current flood of authors counseling a return to basic human values, lives of simplicity and a turning away from lifestyles of mindless consumption. The thread of truth running through their decades of rural adventures and struggles to live their lives with quality, public service, and dignity is an American classic, and one the present generation could learn much from. Simply put, this is a classic volume that describes the Nearings' lifetime experiment at establishing and maintaining a more meaningful alternative lifestyle, one eschewing the waste, rampant materialism, and corporate subjugation so common in today's mainstream society. After reading this book, one will chuckle quietly at the pathos inherant in the sight of all these busy, self-important yuppies driving proudly down the highway in their hard-won BMWs, doing their deals and talking on their cellular phones while driving in traffic, going nowhere fast with such innane but self-absorbed intensity. There is a much more meaningful and satisfying way to approach one's life, and it is described in detail in this book. Buy it and be prepared to be educated and amazed. It has profoundly changed my own life and the way I approach the future, and I recommend it to anyone who has even a mild degree of discomfort with the rampant greed and materialism characterizing contemporary American society. Cheers!
Rating:
Summary: Oh, Just to Take Off and Live Off the Land
Review: I love New England. My favorite state being Maine. I love the mountains and the woods.
When I read the excerpt from the book about two people leaving the urban life in the depression to find a place in no-where
Vermont to start over, I was impressed with such a feat. It's something I would love to do. They went from living in an
old farm shack to building houses out of rocks on their land.
The couple and neighbors would help each other, share food,
and be good company. So if you always desired to take off, run to the rural mountains, and live off the land, this is a nice book to read. I also enjoyed it because it is true history. These people
really accomplished alot and what they had to work with.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, Just to Take Off and Live Off the Land
Review: I love New England. My favorite state being Maine. I love the mountains and the woods. When I read the excerpt from the book about two people leaving the urban life in the depression to find a place in no-where
Vermont to start over, I was impressed with such a feat. It's something I would love to do. They went from living in an
old farm shack to building houses out of rocks on their land.
The couple and neighbors would help each other, share food,
and be good company. So if you always desired to take off, run to the rural mountains, and live off the land, this is a nice book to read. I also enjoyed it because it is true history. These people
really accomplished alot and what they had to work with.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a how-to book
Review: I was very interested in reading about a couple who took the plunge and homesteaded. I found the references to why they moved to the homestead interesting, but unfortunately, the rest of the book is interweaved with this philosophy as well as social issues. The practical is overshadowed or not explained in detail. The detail that is there focuses on what they did not how they did it. If you are looking for a how-to book, you should look elsewhere. I did find the section on health interesting and helpful. Also, the second section, "Continuing the Good Life" had some practical ideas on gardening. Overall the book was a disappointment, since I expected a how-to book not a philosophy book.
Rating:
Summary: Conformists need not apply!
Review: If you want to know how to live a radical, outside the main stream life, read on. Paul and Helen Nearing were born "for such a time as this."
Rating:
Summary: A truly inspirational book!
Review: Since I was a little girl I've dreamt of living on a farm. Growing my own food. Gaining my daily exercise while I do my chores. Today I'm in my early 30's and still have a strong desire to live a life similar to Helen & Scott Nearing. This book was such an inspiration to me! "The Good Life" has made me yearn even more for a healthier, and fruitful lifestyle. I'm thankful that Helen & Scott were such generous people and willing to share their experiences and knoweldge. I only wish that I had the opportunity to meet these beautiful souls and share a few days labor, meal and conversation with them.
| 
