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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
The concept of the book and the details of Ecotopia were very interesting and I loved learning about the ways ecotopia functions. It felt like there were some very well-thought out aspects of their inventions and way of life. However, I really didn’t like the main character/narrator. Maybe he was meant to sort of suck as an American but I found him very chauvinistic and the details about women were often weird and overly sexual. The ending also was not good. It was a weirdly abrupt “happy ending.” And I didn’t like that there wasn’t really a plot it was just essays.
This is a good book with an excellent concept. Though there are some parts I'm not a huge fan of.
The author basically imagined a perfect communist/socialist dream society but without abandoning capitalism all together which made it even more un-realistic. Basically go big or go home. It almost felt as if the few mentions of capitalism were there just to pacify.
Also he breezed through any idpol issues. If you weren't white and heterosexual you barely (or not at all) existed in ecotopia. I think there was one brief mention of homosexuality but 0 mentions of trans, bi, pans, ace, etc. people. Race was briefly mentioned in his separate city-state ideas and I don't actually think it was handled that poorly but could have used some expansion.
Also the women were generally portrayed as hyper sexual beings. They were characters in their own right so they weren't necessarily just tools of the protagonist which is a nice change from a lot of writing. But focusing on their sexuality so much undercut that a lot.
The author basically imagined a perfect communist/socialist dream society but without abandoning capitalism all together which made it even more un-realistic. Basically go big or go home. It almost felt as if the few mentions of capitalism were there just to pacify.
Also he breezed through any idpol issues. If you weren't white and heterosexual you barely (or not at all) existed in ecotopia. I think there was one brief mention of homosexuality but 0 mentions of trans, bi, pans, ace, etc. people. Race was briefly mentioned in his separate city-state ideas and I don't actually think it was handled that poorly but could have used some expansion.
Also the women were generally portrayed as hyper sexual beings. They were characters in their own right so they weren't necessarily just tools of the protagonist which is a nice change from a lot of writing. But focusing on their sexuality so much undercut that a lot.
Rereading such an iconic book after its hopeful futuristic setting has come and gone leaves one with a sense of nostalgic ennui, I suppose. Written in 1977 and read by me some years later still, Ecotopia seems a little sexist, a little racist, and very innocent. It's still a beautiful vision: an Eden without waste, without pollution, without poverty, and certainly without inhibition. The voice of the narrator is clear and evolving and any lack of characterization can be blamed on his view.
I still like it. I'm still inspired. Internalize the message and there can be a little Ecotopia in my life.
I still like it. I'm still inspired. Internalize the message and there can be a little Ecotopia in my life.
I read this book 12 years ago when I first started college and really loved it at the time! Just re-read it as a 30-something and didn’t feel AS enthused. The concept is desirable and wish we could have some aspects of this type of life, but the story is a bit undesirable to me now. Can’t realty relate to the main character at all.
Fascinating time capsule. Reading this was like doing an archeological dig into the roots of a whole heap of utopian political, social, and psychological attitudes that helped shaped the 1970s and beyond. I can imagine myself reading this when I was 18 in the mid-80s and grooving to a lot of the ideas. Today, I found it oddly disturbing. It will take a while to process why.
A dated and simplistic, but somewhat interesting thought experiment imagining an alternative future focused on the environment
Started out promising, but spiraled quickly into repetitive arguments. Many points completely unnecessary and often quite strange. Would not recommend this to anyone
This book took me awhile to read, yet it was really short. It's not something I would have usually picked up, except for it was a book club selection. I really thought it would be more about the environment and the alternate world in that respect, but it was more about the character and feelings. I find many parts of Ecotopia to be appealing, however not sure how it would work in today's society. Worth reading.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
The book gave really good insights on world building and it was really interesting the concept.
The thing that stroke me the most though is how you can clearly see that this was written from the perspective of some american guy that had leftist american ideals such as the hippie movement, and how much that affected the female characters and thus his vision on what care labor is/ could be.
The thing that stroke me the most though is how you can clearly see that this was written from the perspective of some american guy that had leftist american ideals such as the hippie movement, and how much that affected the female characters and thus his vision on what care labor is/ could be.