book review

This week’s “Change the World Wednesdays” challenge over on Reduce Footprints is about getting children involved in the environment.  For this project, I’m reviewing the first two books in the Gaia Girls series.

I found this meticulous review of what sounds like a very impressive book. It’s a textbook about the environmental destruction of the American West.

Crescent City Farmers Market Cookbook by Poppy Tooker. Marketumbrella.org, 2009. Trade paperback, 216 pages. ISBN: 978-1-60358-099-1. Three stars.

Regional farmers’ markets often develop a following based on their particular combination of locally produced foods – and then recipes for what to do with those foods. This book collects some of the recipes from the Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans, Louisiana. There are full-color photos, but mostly of people and ingredients, not finished dishes, which was a bit disappointing.

Green Your Home All in One For Dummies by Yvonne Jeffery, Liz Barclay, Michael Grosvenor, Elizabeth B. Goldsmith, Betsy Sheldon, Eric Corey Freed, Rik DeGunther, Ann Whitman, The National Gardening Association, and Owen Dell. Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2009. Trade paperback, 668 pages. ISBN: 978-0-470-40778-3. Four stars.

This book is actually seven books bundled together, covering the main areas of establishing a sustainable lifestyle. Like all “For Dummies” books, this one features italicized vocabulary words (followed by definitions), bulleted lists, numbered instructions, and dingbats for “Remember” (information you’ll use repeatedly), “Tips” (ideas that can help you accomplish things), and “Warnings” (dangers to avoid).

Gaia’s Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway. Trade paperback, 313 pages. ISBN: 978-1-60358-029-8. Five stars.

This book presents the principles of permaculture – landscaping inspired by nature, designed to be both sustainable and useful – with instructions for applying them to yard-sized areas. It is illustrated with photos in full color and black-and-white, plus diagrams and charts in shades of green and brown.

Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener’s Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting by R. J. Ruppenthal.  Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008.  Trade paperback, 178 pages.  ISBN: 798-1-60358-028-1.  Three stars.

             Most books about producing your own food are aimed at rural readers with a substantial amount of outdoor space.  This one is aimed at suburban and urban readers with little or no outdoor space.  It focuses on “square inch” methods that can get great results from a tiny yard, sidewalk strip, balcony, patio – or even indoor locations such as a windowsill or kitchen.

The End of Money and the Future of Civilization by Thomas H. Greco, Jr.  Chelsea Green, 2009.  Trade paperback, 268 pages.  ISBN: 978-1-60358-078-6.  Three stars.

             This book takes a look at how “the economy” evolved, what causes its instability, and what could be done to create a healthier exchange system.  The early chapters describe the author’s personal background in economics, crisis and metamorphosis, and opposing philosophies of control.

Living Above the Store: Building a Business That Creates Value, Inspires Change, and Restores Land and Community–How One Family Business Transformed Itself … Using Sustainable Management Practices by Martin Melaver.  Chelsea Green, 2009.  Hardback, 317 pages.  ISBN: 978-1-60358-085-4.  Three stars.

             This book examines the business sphere as it has been in the past, as it is today, and as it could be in the future.  It pays careful attention to values as well as economic principles.  It makes compelling arguments for why businesses need to consider the land and the community, not just cash flow.

            Climate Solutions: A Citizen’s Guide by Peter Barnes.  Chelsea Green Publishing, 2008.  Trade paperback, 93 pages.  ISBN: 978-1-60358-005-2.  Four stars.

             Peter Barnes takes a look at the climate crisis and several specific ways of addressing it.  The introductory materials emphasize the importance of this issue to our continued survival and happiness.