Living the Good Life: How to Live Sanely and Simply in a Troubled World

by Helen Nearing, Scott Nearing

Living the Good Life, like Walden Pond, is deeply rooted in an enduring American tradition of dissent from the majority and respect for the land. Moreover, it is the distillation of twenty--not two--years in the woods, and it offers wisdom and practical guidance to city dweller and prospective homesteader alike.

This book is a harvest of congenial and specific advice on harmonious rural living, for its authors have proved to themselves--and now to the world--that with hard work and harder common sense, they could take a piece of eroded, stony land and make it bloom and support them. In the process they have achieved something fine for themselves and relevant for everybody.

(Description from book jacket.)

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Nature, Self Help, Memoir, Sustainability, Survival

210 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Helen Knothe Nearing was an American author and advocate of simple living. She and Scott Nearing started a relationship in 1928 and married nearly 20 years later, on December 12, 1947.[3][3] The couple lived in rural Vermont where they grew much of their food and erected nine stone buildings over the course of two decades. They earned money by producing maple syrup and sugar from the trees on their land and from Scott Nearing's occasional paid lectures. (from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I imagine this book was pretty radical for its time, but I yawned my way through it. Her ideological hiccups were too hard for me to jump over. . . Anti-capitalist, fine. But then to ignore the fact that your years working the rat race in NYC earned you enough $$ to buy up two or three long-standing farmsteads in Vermont. Anti-meat-eating, fine. But then to suggest that *anyone* who keeps animals--even does so humanely and with loving care--is "enslaving" them? Etc. A bit too black/white for me; would have liked some more nuance in her discussions of very salient issues about which I suspect we'd (mostly) agree.

[Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the first-person account of a determined, conscientious couple who decided to check out of the Great Depression and head to the woods to find a different way of life. It's a fascinating look at the practice of homesteading, which Scott and Helen Nearing successfully accomplished for two decades in rural Vermont, starting in 1932. Although the book feels outdated in some ways, I was pleasantly surprised at how many of the Nearings' insights still hold true today. They were ahead of the curve when it came to the health risks of processed foods, the dangers of industrial excess (both psychological and ecological), and the general sense that living in harmony with nature is preferable to using technology to dominate it.

To be sure, this is a rather extreme example of homesteading. The Nearings lived a remarkably austere and disciplined lifestyle, one that even their rural neighbors found strange. Some of their philosophical positions, while theoretically defensible, probably wouldn't work for most people. It's important to note that their attempts to nudge their rural community into a kind of unified, collaborative entity were largely unsuccessful. They attributed these failings to various credible causes, but I found myself wondering how much of it had to do with their approach to "living well," which seemed puritanical and dogmatic in a way that I'm sure some people must have found off-putting. I don't think I'd want the Nearings as my local public organizers. But they set out to discover if living happily as subsistence farmers was something that intelligent, middle-aged people could accomplish, and in that respect they appear to have succeeded admirably. My favorite aspect of their model was their daily schedule, which included four hours of "bread labor" in the morning, followed by four hours of "avocational work" in the afternoon. It's a lifestyle I'm hoping to emulate in my own way.

This is a good read for anyone curious about the practice of homesteading, and the history of alternative lifestyles in general. Even though I was occasionally annoyed by the rather superior tone of these two adventurers, I have to tip my hat to them for having a dream and working hard to bring it to fruition.

[Cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, the Nearings, provide a synopsis of their experience in the 1930s moving from New York City -where they lived a typical urban lifestyle - to rural Vermont where they decided to homestead and attempted to build an intentional living community. In this book they outlined their decision making process for landing where they did in a small town in southern Vermont, the particulars of many of the key elements and foundational belief systems that centered their livelihood and new approach to life. Sometimes the level of detail provided was just right for me, such as explanations as to their typical diet and their eventual veganism. Sometimes the level of detail was a bit too much, such as the explanation of building their stone homes and outbuildings. There is so much to appreciate about this book. It was clearly a radical (and probably controversial) move to make at a time when the country was suffering from depression: they went from great privilege to frugality. I would’ve love to hear more about how their dear friends and family felt about this life transition. The introduction to the book was written by someone called Paul Goodman and it took me several reminders to myself that I was not reading these words in 2021 but as written in 1950. There are many apparent parallels to the “back to the land”movement of several decades ago to the one that I would argue has been reoccurring in the past decade. Another parallel from the 1930s to today is told early on in the book. Their experience as feeling unwanted by Vermonters when they made the move. They began as summer folk, people to not be trusted, people from not here. They write, “These ‘foreigners’ come with little or a lot of money and do not intend to stay long or work much”. This resonated with me, as during covid those of us who moved to Vermont experienced few people welcoming outsiders with open arms but many people commenting about their annoyance of city folk moving to Vermont. Another theme spoken about throughout the book that resonated with me today is the concept of whole foods, and the poison we put into our bodies with the level of processed foods. The Nearings took great strides to eat mostly what they could produce year-round on their land. Which involved sacrifice, with sometimes just salad greens to have at certain meals. But I truly appreciate their commitment to ensuring their bodies were nourished with healthy foods that were produced through their own deep love, minimizing the impact on the environment, and refusing to fall into the notion that we must have all foods at all times. Overall I found this book fascinating, their level of unwavering commitment admirable, and an important text for any homesteader to read.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

원제의 'Good Life'가 '조화로운 삶'으로 번역되었다. 'good'과 '조화롭다' 중 어느 것이 책의 내용을 더 잘 나타내는 것일까?
스코트와 헬렌 니어링의 가치관과 생활방식을 따르려는 사람들에게 이 책은 교과서가 될 것 같다. 그러나 그럴 용기 또는 의향이 없는 사람에게는 지루할 정도로 세밀하고 구체적인 방법론이 나열되어 있어 읽기가 쉽지 않은 부분이 있다. 하지만 그 부분을 넘기고 나니 그들의 철학에 많이 공감하고 감동하게 된다. 일시적인 일탈이 아니라 영구적으로 생활 방식을 바꾸어 실천한 그들이 정말 존경스럽다.
미국 시골의 개인주의적 성향에 막혀 공동체 사업에 실패한 이야기에서는 집단을 우선하는 전통적인 우리나라 시골의 가치관과 확연한 대비를 느꼈다.

[Mary Bundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a book I need to buy to make notes! I have a fantasy of living off the grid and being self-sustainable. That seems like an awful lot to do at once, so maybe I'll just start with buying a few chickens and attempting at growing yet another garden! ;-)

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great book for those who wish to live more simply and healthy.

[Linda Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Nearings left NY in 1932 to create a quiet life, powered by bread labor, muscle, good healthy food - and to liberate themselves from the hurly burly, planet-destroying, warmaking urban world. From the preface: "We were against the accumulation of profit and unearned income by non-producers." They wanted a use economy instead of a cash economy. They hoped to replace worry and fear with serenity and purpose. They did all that. Scott and Helen Nearing didn't just wander off into the Green Mountains with a pickax over a shoulder, though; they researched, read, analyzed, asked and investigated how to make their project work; adapting and discarding wisdom into books that delivered their daily routine, and their long-term plan. Notes on tool maintenance and placement, stone house building, crop rotations and elevations; failures, successes all went into the books. Intrinsic to the plan was four hours a day of bread labor, and four hours of whatever activity appealed. Half the year was on the Forest Farm, half traveling and lecturing. Regimen, discipline and a plan created a healthy subsistence life, buildings that survive and dreams and ideas that still appeal.

[Steve Comstock · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this, I will never be able to apply the word "diligent" to myself again. The level of dedication and rigid devotion the Nearings applied to crafting a new life for themselves is really inspiring. This is not an ideological book, though the authors are obviously ideological people. Their tone was frank and helpful not one of proselytization. Along the way they shared some very helpful information about composting, planning, building with stone, and winter gardening among other things. They also included an extensive bibliography at the end (which I am always a sucker for). It honestly inspired me to think more about the quality of my labor, the way my labor relates to my consumption, and the division of my labor amongst bread labor and avocational labor.

[Jennifer Talarico]

The ideas in this book are as relevant today as they were when Helen and Scott Nearing set out to live off the land in the 1930's.

[Ryan]

The preface alone is a great manifesto for the back to the earth, away from the rat-race lifestyle.

[Miyeonjeong · Rating 3 out of 5]

우리는 할 수 있다면 가장 품위 있고 친절하고 올바르고 질서 있고 짜임새 있게 살아야 한다.

[Jungsook Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the people's book reviews on 'Living the Good Life' by Helen and Scott Nearing and am surprised that this book is said interesting by some of them.

I felt the first three chapters are lengthy and boring with too many details since I have no desire or intention to build a house or farm, but I admire and respect the couple's accomplishments.

(Scott Nearing is thought to follow Gandhi or Tolstoy's way not to chase the world but pursue self sufficient living style. Scott and Helen led a real minimal life style) according to wikipedia.

I was surprised to find out there was same concerns in 1950s as now about food processing , poisoning and the increase in the use of drugs. It reminds me the concerns in 'The Jungle' by Upton Sinclair. The couple's diet is too radical; they eat only one kind of food for each meal and use wooden utensils including chopsticks only. Anyway Scott lived to 100 and Helen 91. Maybe their diet and laboring in nature were the reasons. Who knows?

The most envious part from their life style is their organizing skills for a day, days, months, a year in advance. I applaud their adjustment capability since they moved from the professor's job to farmers. By publishing many books to educate and enlighten people, they actually didn't seem to have given up teaching.

[Megan Chrisler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This doesn't make great recreational reading (hence the 3 stars)...one chapter is devoted to how they built their house, after all. Plus, because it was published in the 1950s, some of it is a bit outdated.

However, as a historical piece, it's very interesting. This book is considered a foundational text in the back-to-the-land movement in the U.S., and I can see why: it follows two socialists who reject New York City, capitalism, and the new world order for backcountry living in Vermont, all while watching the end of the Great Depression and the entirety of WWII. I said some of it is outdated, but the majority of it still has the same messages that are discussed today in homesteading, public health, and environmental circles: the overuse of chemicals in agriculture, our unequal and broken food system, the health crises caused by ultra processed foods, and even the ill effects of the fast-paced urban lifestyle.

If you're already on board with homesteading values, this probably won't do much for you (outside of teaching you how to build a stone house over a couple years). Nor is it going to do much if you're looking for a great vacation read. But if you're into the history of America's back-to-the-land movement or love reading Thoreau, you should give this a try.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s important to consider the period of time that writing takes place, in order to correctly comprehend the authors thoughts. The stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, caused this couple to reevaluate their life in NYC. They hoped for a more fulfilling life, enjoyed at a slower pace, by living off the land in a small town in Vermont. Scott Nearing often refers to this as an experiment. We the readers, get to view their experiment as well as the results.
Whether or not the reader shares Scott’s eco-political point of view, or his ideas about the exploitation of animals, I feel this is a great book to read. I can’t help but admire their self-discipline and the clarity with which they pursued this life.
They leave behind a well written path to the self-sufficient life. It’s an admirable accomplishment to have the Nearings’ life work be so well documented.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

In lots of ways very interesting. In lots of ways super annoying, as only self-satisfied vegans can be (says the former self-satisfied vegan).

My biggest take-away is probably either that if something is not pressing, don't worry about finishing it; or, four hours "bread labor" every day, four hours other pursuits. (The term "bread labor" was one of the things I found annoying, but in the end is super descriptive and useful).

[Monique Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was new to the homesteading movement. It has inspired me to keep a balance between work, life and health. The connections with Helen Nearing's relationship with Kristnamurti and the connection to other progressive philosophies at the time is fascinating. Highly recommend this book to all - while the Nearing's only showed the positive perspective on their lifestyle, it is informative for those of us trying to find our place in the world.

[Krista Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This couple bought a farm in the 1930s and endeavored to live self-sufficiently without meat, dairy etc. Their chapter on building a house of out stone was very interesting - as was the chapter on how to keep a garden in the northeast producing far earlier and later in the season. Quite interesting.

[Itsjustmeghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this YEARS ago at a sheep and wool festival. The story sounded interesting. I never read it then. Found it again and laughed when I saw the topic, because so many people have fled the cities, bought land and are now trying to live off the land again. Interesting story and guidance provided. Definite can’t just build a house out of rock like you could back in the day.

[Heikki Lahnaoja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiinnostava kuvaus, kuinka Scott ja Helen Nearing alkoivat elää lähes omavaraisesti Vermontin maaseudulla 1930-luvulla. Erittäin radikaalilla pariskunnalla on hyviä ajatuksia, vaikka todellisuudessa heillä lienee ollut runsaasti varallisuutta elämänmuutoksensa toteuttamiseen.

[Keri Calhoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

mostly excellent thought the loooong chapter on building a stone house was a bit of a slog.

[Deb cambria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admirable

[Joe Vess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed and informative, but also really dry.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read for seeing how this couple lived. I enjoyed the commentary on the current events at that time.

[Jess Dollar]

A fascinating peek into the birth of the 1970s homesteading/new age movement. I wonder if my own parents read this before buying a farm in upstate NY in 1973.

[Iseult · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book mostly interesting because of the time period. I didn't think that the liberal values in this book were already developed in the 1930s. The anti-capitalism, back-to-the-land, largely raw organic vegan ideals of theirs are mostly attributed to the 1960's and 1970's, and have made a comeback today. I know Thoreau did a lot of the same things in Walden (which I started reading years ago but I hope to read soon) but as far as I remember, I didn't see him fitting into the modern liberal politics like I do the Nearings. I thought he was more of an environmental conservationist and individualist (the Nearings state toward the end they would rather be in a rural commune because everyone working together would be much more efficient, but their neighbors mostly keep to themselves and didn't believe in their values, so it didn't work out.)

The book contained many quotes from other books on farming and the preciousness of nature (not only quotes before each chapter, but a lot imbedded in the text), as well as many lists for their plans and their reasons for doing things, which some might find tedious after a while. But I think they listed all of their plans and the dimensions for their house and whatnot (the building the house chapter was boring to me) because they were trying to prove to everyone else who would call them extremists how they were rational in all their decisions and how, with the quotes, there were other people throughout time who shared some of their values. There were parts that made me roll my eyes, like say white flour is by definition poisonous, or the way that they claim that every single part of their work on the farm was enjoyable. However it was interesting to compare their views to modern views and seeing how similar they were.

I would have liked to know what the Nearings did in NYC before they moved, what their occupations were, what they enjoyed about the city, and what made them start to think of urban life as intolerable. Sure, I can probably google this stuff now but this book I have was published in 1970 and the original in 1954, so it would've been much harder to find out then. It would've also been interesting for them to talk about the Great Depression and how they saw it change the city, but they hardly ever mentioned the depression. I wanted to know why they moved to Maine if they were so happy in Vermont, however seeing as they were around 70 in the 1950s, they probably couldn't do all the physical labor anymore (though it's admirable that they were able to do all this from their 50s to 70s.) Lastly, I wanted to know who or what inspired them, beyond the books they quoted which were mostly old accounts of people farming or how much they loved nature. I want to know who inspired them to be vegan, who inspired their political views. Again, I can google this stuff now, but I think it's important to the book. This seemed to be more of a how-to manual though, than a diary or biography.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting, before-its-time account of two individuals, Helen and Scott Nearing, and their experiences while homesteading in rural Vermont from 1932-1952.

I call the book forward-thinking for several reasons. The authors were actually Marxists attempting to build an existence for themselves that was independent of the capitalist economics of their country, especially in the wake of the Great Depression when they began their venture. Thus, as intellectuals, they held many opinions that were considered extraordinary by their rural peers. For example, they aligned themselves with the vegan group and abstained from using animal products (which they believed contributed to the violent enslavement of their fellow creatures).

The book actually can be summarized neatly into the following points:

- Stone houses worked best, collected from the rocky terrain on which they lived.
- Composting organic matter and using a greenhouse were the secrets that allowed them to grow most of their own food in an unforgiving climate. (The growing season was only 85 days, and even then frost sometimes killed their crops.)
-Eating fresh vegetables/fruits and whole foods granted them exceptional health, and they never saw a doctor those whole 20 years. (Modern readers might be aghast at the idea that Helen could have been dead from cervical or other cancer before she knew she was even sick, but it seems that it worked out alright for them.)
-Their diet was fresh fruit for breakfast, cooked grains or soup for lunch, and a salad for dinner. Yeah, I could not have abiding that, but good for them.
- They explain that the community in rural Vermont consisted of stubborn individualists, and was thus difficult to bind in any common purpose. The lone exception was when the mail service was threatened to be cut off and all residents grouped together to protest this affront.

The book was published in 1954 and then again in 1970, I imagine in light of all of the post-hippie era would be homesteaders who wanted tips. It goes a little too in detail on how to build a stone house (like on, and on, and on...) and not enough on other topics, but it was interesting.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally picked up this book when my eyes caught sight of it on the library shelf this summer. I had heard of it many times but did not know much about it, other than that the Nearings had a farm in Maine, where I was temporarily living. I began to read it mostly to get ideas about homesteading and gardening because I wish to start my own farm in the next year or so. What I found instead was the entrance to a livelihood of a higher quality than I have encountered or considered before. I have since read two more of their books. (I realized after reviewing those books that I had never written my review for this book, though I had given it a 4-star rating (unsure of why, but I'll keep it, though the other two books are undisputed 5-starers.)) I so admire the lifestyle of the Nearings and their willingness to share their experiences, stemming from their commitment to furthering the collective knowledge and success of the human race. I did learn a lot about growing food, and on this subject I took many notes. I also took many notes on the subject of livelihood. I am excited to incorporate many of their principles into my own life.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ran across this book while scanning the library shelves for books about Vermont for a fall trip. I had heard of Helen and Scott Nearing but didn't know much detail about their lives. They were socialist vegans living a purposely subsistance farming life in a Vermont valley from 1932-1952. They built their house and farm buildings by hand from stone, grew almost all their own food, and did it all working only four hours per day. They would have loved to set up a communal way of life with other like-minded folks, but ran into the typical problems of anyone set on such an endeavor.

Their views on food remind me much of Michael Pollan and many others compaigning for better food today.

I found most of their ideals and life style admirable but not enviable! But they continue to give us lots to think about.

[Shannan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had this on my shelf for years and finally I decided to pick it up in hopes of clearing out "to do" reading. So I didn't go into this book with the best of intentions. I found myself semi interested in Helen and Scott's 1930 homesteading adventures and skimmed through most of the book. My takeaway was that I was reading about hippies before hippies were even thought of and "organic" farmers before there was the big organic movement. Also they are a bit insufferable - which is true of many trailblazers as they had to believe in their cause and their plight 500% so they could stay the course.

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for anyone that wants to think differently than a capitalist perspective — over-laced with an almost poetic appreciation for their land and a unique historical perspective. They used their hands and their land to build homes, buildings and roads. It is incredible to see the progress they made in Vermont in such a relatively short time though, in today’s perspective, it may seem like a slow process. They valued hard work and balance. They had such idealistic notions around cooperative work and though the project failed it was really impressive learn the value set of people who do not hold traditional common capitalistic views.