- ISBN13: 9781584657040
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
For nearly twenty-five years, poet Baron Wormser and his family lived in a house in Maine with no electricity or running water. They grew much of their own food, carried water by hand, and read by the light of kerosene lamps. They considered themselves part of the “back to the land” movement, but their choice to live off the grid was neither statement nor protest: they simply had built their house too far from the road and could not afford to bring in power lines. Over the years, they settled in to a life that centered on what Thoreau called “the essential facts.”
In this graceful meditation, Wormser similarly spurns ideology in favor of observation, exploration, and reflection. “When we look for one thr… More >> The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet’s Memoir of Living Off the Grid
This is a great book. Not a how to at all (better than any how-to book on the subject I have read though, a motivating account of how-did), but a thoughtful collection of reflections about family life, rural off the grid living, poetry, country neighbors and the nearby small rural town’s life. A litle 70’s and 80’s era stemming from back-to-the-land out of the sixties style versus “modern” cob/strawbale, solar, energy efficiency, etc sustainability, but shows how simple it can be, how enjoyable too and really just encourages you to go do it. The refelctions on their local nature and our modern culture are timeless and pertinent. The topics cover city hippies getting helped out building the house, the virtues of an outhouse and no electricity, rural small town economy, stoic resourceful rural neighbors, national politics, wells/water supply, and of course their exciting driveway. A really fabulous book, I highly recommend it. Rating: 5 / 5
I hope everyone reads this book. It is charmingly written and a worthwhile read from the recent former poet laureate of Maine. His story motivates us all with its straighforward nature. Thank you, Baron Wormser and book seller. Rating: 5 / 5
Wonderfully crafted language. A polished gem. Resonance.
Few books, in recent years, have made me cry.
This one did. Rating: 5 / 5
Wormser is a sage, playful, exacting, pure writer, and this book is an absolute treat. The structure is wonderfully unconventional–his thoughts glide from one focused argument or narrative to the next like a bird moving from branch to branch in the woods. Looking forward to reading more prose (and poetry) from this author. Rating: 5 / 5
I thought this was a very hard read, author kept veering off the subject matter and writing page after page about something else i.e. poetry, trees, etc. I was hoping to read about everyday life in the backwoods of Maine and the hardships as well as the rewards of doing so. The title info was sparce and rare throughout the book. Too many long complicated unfamiliar words, Very disapointing. Rating: 2 / 5