The Transformation of Rural Life


Book Description

Jane Adams focuses on the transformation of rural life in Union County, Illinois, as she explores the ways in which American farming has been experienced and understood in the twentieth century. Reconstructing the histories of seven farms, she places the




My Good Life in France


Book Description

Ten years ago, Janine Marsh decided to leave her corporate life behind to fix up a run-down barn in northern France. This is the true story of her rollercoaster ride.




Reclaiming Rural


Book Description

As rural America continues to undergo massive economic and demographic shifts, rural churches are uniquely positioned to provide community leadership. Leading a rural congregation requires a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing these communities, as well as a strong theological and community-focused identity. Allen T. Stanton describes how in establishing this identity, rural leaders build a meaningful and vital ministry. Reclaiming Rural explores the myths and realities of rural places, and how those common narratives impact the leadership of rural churches. Ultimately, rural congregations must practice a contextual understanding of vitality, which understands both the strengths and challenges of leading in a rural setting. Arguing for a practice of evangelism imbued with this mission of vitality, Reclaiming Rural promotes the church as a leader in economic and community development, modeled upon a Wesleyan theology of grace. Acknowledging the many challenges facing rural churches, this book is an energetic and encouraging guide to overcoming social and economic obstacles to build a thriving congregation.




Rural Living


Book Description

""Rural Living"" offers a comprehensive exploration of life beyond urban boundaries, delving into the intricate tapestry of rural existence. This insightful book examines the economic structures, social dynamics, and environmental challenges unique to rural areas, challenging common stereotypes and presenting a nuanced understanding of rural realities. It argues that rural communities are not remnants of the past, but dynamic spaces vital to national economies, cultural preservation, and environmental stewardship. The book traces the historical evolution of rural areas from agrarian societies to diverse economic landscapes, highlighting how technological advancements and globalization have reshaped these communities. It addresses ongoing debates such as the impact of urbanization on rural areas and the balance between conservation and economic growth. Through case studies from various rural settings worldwide, ""Rural Living"" provides a comparative perspective on rural experiences, linking rural studies with economics, environmental science, and cultural anthropology. Structured in three parts, the book progresses from introducing core concepts of rurality to exploring major aspects of rural life, and finally examining challenges and potential solutions for rural areas. Its holistic approach and accessible language make it valuable for students, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the complexities of rural life and its significance in achieving balanced, sustainable development at local, national, and global levels.




Starting A New Life In Rural America


Book Description

Has the threat of urban terrorism, debacles like the disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans or just the general hassle of city life got you thinking about moving to the country? Good idea, but before you pull up stakes, here's a chance to learn about some of the realities of rural living that you might never have faced in your city or suburban home. Ragnar Benson grew up on a farm and has lived in the sticks for decades, and he has helped dozens of transplants settle into their new homes in the country. Now he has gathered his advice into this handy familiarization manual to introduce you to some of the issues you need to know about life in rural communities. Get an informed head-start on the adventure, independence and tranquility of a new life in rural America.




Rural Renaissance


Book Description

In the ’60s it was called the "back to the land" movement, and in Helen and Scott Nearings’ day, it was "living the good life." Whatever the term, North Americans have always yearned for a simpler way. But how do you accomplish that today? Blending inspiration with practical how-to’s, Rural Renaissance captures the American dream of country living for contemporary times. Journey with the authors and experience their lessons, laughter and love for the land as they trade the urban concrete maze for a five-acre organic farm and bed and breakfast in southwestern Wisconsin. Rural living today is a lot more than farming. It’s about a creative, nature-based and more self-sufficient lifestyle that combines a love of squash, solar energy, skinny-dipping and serendipity . . . The many topics explored in Rural Renaissance include: "right livelihood" and the good life organic gardening and permaculture renewable energy and energy conservation wholesome organic food, safe water and a natural home simplicity, frugality and freedom green design and recycled materials community, friends and raising a family independence and interdependence wildlife conservation and land stewardship. An authentic tale of a couple whose pioneering spirit and connection to the land reaches out to both the local and global community to make their dream come true, Rural Renaissance will appeal to a wide range of Cultural Creatives, free agents, conservation entrepreneurs and both arm-chair and real-life homesteaders regardless of where they live. Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko are innkeepers, organic growers, copartners in a marketing consulting company, and have previously published books. John is also a photographer. Former advertising agency fast-trackers, they are nationally recognized for their contemporary approach to homesteading, conservation and more sustainable living. They share their farm with their son, two llamas, and a flock of free-range chickens. Rural Renaissance also offers a foreword by Bill McKibben.




Ditch the City and Go Country


Book Description

The No-Nonsense Guide For Country Dreamers Though moving to the country takes determination, every ex-urbanite says it was the best decision they ever made. The same rings true for Alissa Hessler, who relocated from Seattle to rural Maine years ago and has never looked back. In this book she uses her wit, charm and experience to help you chart a path to successful country living. Ditch the City and Go Country covers the ins and outs of how to find a home, how to keep your current job remotely or where to look for a new one, how to own livestock and prepare for disasters, how to make a smooth transition and become a part of your new community and how to embrace the seasons. With this must-have guide, you’ll be able to stop daydreaming and finally live the life you’ve always wanted in the country. Alissa Hessler was inspired to launch her blog Urban Exodus after relocating to Maine in 2011. She has been featured in Modern Farmer, Popular Photography, Click Magazine and Maine Home.




The Cottage Fairy Companion


Book Description

Awaken to Mindful Living Cottagecore Style “This book presents an easy entry point for readers interested in exploring mindfulness and the cottagecore lifestyle.” –Library Journal review #1 Best Seller in Small Homes & Cottages, Folkcrafts, Architectural Decoration and Ornaments, Fiber Arts & Textiles, Seasonal Crafts, Architecture, Home Design Decorating & Design Discover how to infuse the charm of cottagecore into your everyday life with The Cottage Fairy Companion. This book takes you to a simpler, more mindful existence, offering the beauty of slow living, rustic aesthetics, and a deep connection to nature. Romanticize our life. With The Cottage Fairy Companion as your guide, immerse yourself in the enchantment of everyday magic. Reimagine life through a cottagecore lens, whether you're a city-dweller or countryside resident, helping you build an intimate connection with nature and experience the joys of slow living. Embrace mindful restoration. Follow the inspiring journey of author Paola Merrill and unearth the profound wisdom that nature offers for personal growth and fulfillment. This guide illustrates how the practices of rustic living and mindful awareness can become the cornerstone of your daily life, transforming your world into a serene haven of simple, balanced living. Inside you'll discover: Practical strategies to integrate cottagecore aesthetics into your daily life, regardless of your dwelling An engaging narrative of Paola Merrill's transition from city bustle to countryside tranquility Mindfulness techniques rooted in the wisdom of nature Inspiration to embrace the magic in the everyday If you liked books like Escape Into Cottagecore, Cozy White Cottage, Simply Living Well, or The Little Book of Cottagecore, you’ll love The Cottage Fairy Companion.




Peculiar Places


Book Description

The queer recluse, the shambling farmer, the clannish hill folk—white rural populations have long disturbed the American imagination, alternately revered as moral, healthy, and hardworking, and feared as antisocial or socially uncouth. In Peculiar Places, Ryan Lee Cartwright examines the deep archive of these contrary formations, mapping racialized queer and disability histories of white social nonconformity across the rural twentieth-century United States. Sensationalized accounts of white rural communities’ aberrant sexualities, racial intermingling, gender transgressions, and anomalous bodies and minds, which proliferated from the turn of the century, created a national view of the perversity of white rural poverty for the American public. Cartwright contends that these accounts, extracted and estranged from their own ambivalent forum of community gossip, must be read in kind: through a racialized, materialist queercrip optic of the deeply familiar and mundane. Taking in popular science, documentary photography, news media, documentaries, and horror films, Peculiar Places orients itself at the intersections of disability studies, queer studies, and gender studies to illuminate a racialized landscape both profoundly ordinary and familiar.




Visibility Interrupted


Book Description

A questioning of the belief in the power of LGBTQ visibility through the lives of queer women in the rural Midwest Today most LGBTQ rights supporters take for granted the virtue of being “out, loud, and proud.” Most also assume that it would be terrible to be LGBTQ in a rural place. By considering moments in which queerness and rurality come into contact, Visibility Interrupted argues that both positions are wrong. In the first monograph on LGBTQ women in the rural Midwest, Carly Thomsen deconstructs the image of the rural as a flat, homogenous, and anachronistic place where LGBTQ people necessarily suffer. And she suggests that visibility is not liberation and will not lead to liberation. Far from being an unambiguous good, argues Thomsen, visibility politics can, in fact, preclude collective action. They also advance metronormativity, postraciality, and capitalism. To make these interventions, Thomsen develops the theory of unbecoming: interrogating the relationship between that which we celebrate and that which we find disdainful—the past, the rural, politics—is crucial for developing alternative subjectivities and politics. Unbecoming precedes becoming. Drawing from critical race studies, disability studies, and queer Marxism, in addition to feminist and queer studies, the insights of this book will be useful to scholars theorizing issues far beyond sexuality and place and to social justice activists who want to move beyond visibility.