World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler (see Carousel, My Picks on side bar) is an interesting book about our possible future in the United States when the oil runs out. Here is a brief description from the Amazon web site taken from a March, 2008 description by Publisher's Weekly:
Robert Earle has lost his job (he was a software executive) and family in the chaos following the breakdown. Elected mayor of Union Grove, N.Y., in the wake of a town crisis, Earle must rebuild civil society out of squabbling factions, including a cultish community of newcomers, an established group of Congregationalists and a plantation kept by the wealthy Stephen Bullock. Re-establishing basic infrastructure is a big enough challenge, but major tension comes from a crew of neighboring rednecks led by warlord Wayne Karp. Kunstler is most engaged when discussing the fate of the status quo and in divulging the particulars of daily life. Kunstler's world is convincing if didactic: Union Grove exists solely to illustrate Kunstler's doomsday vision. Readers willing to go for the ride will see a frightening and bleak future.
I liked the book. I liked the characters. I was sad when it ended because I would like to have learned more about how life went on in Union Grove.
I recommend this book.
Here is a trailer for the book which lasts about 3 1/2 minutes
Video book review by a reader - Lasts 3 1/2 minutes
No comments:
Post a Comment