Be the Change Bookclub

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.

Its 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 am 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!

Want to find out more about our September Author?  Read this great article from the May 2006 issue of Rambler Magazine about Lyle Estill. author of Small is Possible.

In September we will be reading Lyle Estill's book "Small is Possible: Life in a Local Economy".

This is the story of how one small southern US town found actual solutions to actual problems. Unwilling to rely on the government and wary of large corporations, these residents discovered it is possible for a community to feed itself, fuel itself, heal itself, and govern itself.

This book is filled with newspaper columns, blog entries, letters, and essays that have appeared on the margins of small-town economies. Tough subjects are handled with humor and finesse. Compelling stories of successful small businesses, from the grocery co-op to the biodiesel co-op, describe a town and its people on a genuine quest for sustainability.

Everyone interested in sustainability, local economy, small business, and whole foods will be inspired by the success stories in this book.

You can read reviews of the book at Amazon, or on Lyle Estill's blog.

Grab a copy today and join us in our discussions in September!