Book Review: Small is Possible:Life in a Local Economy

Cover via Amazon

I loved Lyle Estill's "Small is Possible: Life in a Local Economy". It's a fun, inspiring collection of stories from Chatham County, the author's home town. It chronicles the successes and failures of the resident's attempts to build a sustainable, local economy and thriving community.

The large collection of characters at times seemed to rival War and Peace in complexity. I occasionally had to flick back to remind myself who was who, which interrupted the flow a little.

I'm involved in my own town's attempts to build community and rebuild our local economy. I find it both fascinating and disturbing that for many people here the idea of a thriving town means 'growth' and the idea of a local economy, supporting and supported by a local community is swept aside in the quest for bigness, progress and outside intervention (from big government or big business).

The book hinted at times that there was another side of the community in Chatham County that is perhaps less interested in the possibilities of small and I would loved to have heard more about the context into which the attempts at local sustainability fit.

All in all, a compelling read for anyone interested in sustainable, local living and building community!

Book Review: Eye of the Whale

There is something about whales. These magnificent creatures of the deep are at once vulnerable, and mighty. Completely alien, but remarkably ‘human’. Even now, when there doesn’t seem a lot left to discover, much about the lives of whales remains a mystery.

We have driven them almost to extinction by hunting. What could be more cruel than whaling? And, in this day and age, more pointless and stupid? And we continue to threaten their existence - and our own - through our careless, toxic, throw-away lifestyles.

Douglas Carlton Abrams, author of The Lost Diary of Don Juan, has written a riveting ecological thriller, Eye of the Whale.

Eye of the Whale is a mix of heart-wrenching facts and captivating fiction. Its not a lecture, but most definitely a story. And a great one at that! It’s a page-turning adventure that had me dying to know how it would all end.

Eye of the Whale is the story of Elizabeth McKay - a marine biologist working to crack the code of humpback whale communication. She discovers new words while recording whale song off the island of Bequia and as she tries to make sense of her discovery she manages to ruffle the feathers of people in academia, medicine and business - all of whom have a vested interest in keeping her from discovering the truth and telling the world.

You can sneak a read of the first 32 pages at Douglas Abrams website.