Book of The Week-Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes

It's been a while since we did a Book of the Week so we really need a lot of bang for our buck.  Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes was a fascinating read.  This book really made me think and look at things differently.  Although on the surface it seems like a radical change in the way we approach homemaking, as I got in to the book I realized it actually discusses a radical return to the way homemaking was originally approached prior to the industrial revolution. 

I had to read this book slowly (especially the first half) because it just had so much information to absorb (all referenced in the end notes) and process.  The second half of the book went faster for me because it discussed specific people and how they live the radical homemaker lifestyle.  The book not only focuses on the many different ways to live the lifestyle, but it also discusses the similarities that seemed to connect all the radical homemakers to each other.

I loved how this book didn't glorify independence, but focused on an inter-dependence that we can have within our local community.  None of the radical homemakers were able to provide for their every need completely on their own.  Instead they would trade what they did have....extra produce, arts, crafts, skills, time, energy, etc.....for the things that they needed that they couldn't provide for themselves.  That is where the importance of our community comes in.    

But of all the many things that I learned from this book, there is one thing that stood out for me the most.....there was not one "right way" to do it.  It is not all or nothing.  Every little baby step you take towards a greener lifestyle (or whatever particular goal you have) really does count for something and moves you that much closer to your goal.