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chemistreader's review against another edition
4.0
I have read selections. Very interesting to read and consider esp. man's role in the use of energy and the care for creation. However, he does not offer many practical suggestions.
julesroberto's review against another edition
Partial read for seminary
Notable: A Native Hill
Notable: A Native Hill
clardyparty's review against another edition
4.0
Makes me want to buy a dozen acres, plant some vegetables, get a goat, and live the Green Acres life.
moonpix's review against another edition
3.0
Never in my life have I felt more conflicted towards a book lol. There's a lot here I disagree with, but I appreciate how deeply he considers what is and isn't worth compromising on in modern life.
kristidurbs's review against another edition
5.0
Wendell Berry has certainly captured my heart - and my mind - with this collection of essays. Berry is an astute, witty, and poetic writer, and does not shy away from boldly confronting and challenging the status quo and generally accepted ways of living and going about life. His wisdom and insight is unique and much needed in our world. I found myself longing more for the rolling hills and quiet of a more agrarian lifestyle with each essay, while simultaneously longing I could have Mr. Berry as my next door neighbor or even adopted grandfather. (I'll also confess - to have such a gifted writer and thinker from my home state fills me with pride in being a Kentuckian.)
This surely will not be the last book I read that Wendell Berry authored. Should you be interested in Wendell Berry, these essays are a great start. I would wager they wouldn't be the last you read of him, either.
This surely will not be the last book I read that Wendell Berry authored. Should you be interested in Wendell Berry, these essays are a great start. I would wager they wouldn't be the last you read of him, either.
charityjohnson's review against another edition
2.0
Berry is a great poet. However, he does not demonstrate any deep insights in this book. He sounded like Greening of America, all grown up.
It might appeal to some people, but I found it tiresome.
It might appeal to some people, but I found it tiresome.
kath_m's review against another edition
3.0
My attention span is, sadly, too short for Wendell Berry. Ironically, this is exactly what this collection of essays addresses... the dangerous and demoralizing impact of modern life on our communities, our minds, and our very souls. I honestly did not make it through a single essay, although I skimmed the majority of them and came away with questions to ponder in my own life.
racheljohnson9731's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
ikahime's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books that you can read over and over again - for refreshers and boosts to your own philosophy, but also to argue with, or realize that your opinions have changed since your last reading. A collection of essays that hold the farm at its heart, but are still approachable for the urban non-farmer. Calls for responsible awareness of food long before Pollan, consideration of an almost Amish nature of the appropriateness of technology, the wholesale rejection of modern, rapacious economy. I find it hard to side with his stubborn cleavage to the Christian faith, but agree that what much of the Bible says does not jive with what most Christians do with respect to God's creation. Too bad more Christians aren't like Wendell - it would be a totally different faith in practice.