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Siesta Lane: One Cabin, No Running Water, and a Year Living Green
“Equal parts sweet and serious…will make many folks think about their lives in new ways.”—Bill McKibben
A poet at heart, Amy Minato rejects her life of consumption in Chicago to go back to nature - specifically, to a commune in Oregon, where she rediscovers herself. She also cops occasionally to the pretentiousness of her mission, and laughs along with the reader at her attempts to be both environmentally friendly and sane, considering the fact that she's moved in with a bunch of strangers in a remote locale.
Jan Muir, a relative of the great environmentalist John Muir, lends her beautiful black-and-white illustrations to the book.
Written with a grace and clarity of vision reminiscent of Annie Dillard's prose, Siesta Lane is both a practical case study in living green, and the heartwarming story of a modern idealist who dives headfirst into the fray and discovers just what it takes to live a year unplugged.
This is a must-read for armchair adventurers and a perfect, engaging primer for anyone who wants to stride confidently into the new, environmentally-conscious 21st century.
A poet at heart, Amy Minato rejects her life of consumption in Chicago to go back to nature - specifically, to a commune in Oregon, where she rediscovers herself. She also cops occasionally to the pretentiousness of her mission, and laughs along with the reader at her attempts to be both environmentally friendly and sane, considering the fact that she's moved in with a bunch of strangers in a remote locale.
Jan Muir, a relative of the great environmentalist John Muir, lends her beautiful black-and-white illustrations to the book.
Written with a grace and clarity of vision reminiscent of Annie Dillard's prose, Siesta Lane is both a practical case study in living green, and the heartwarming story of a modern idealist who dives headfirst into the fray and discovers just what it takes to live a year unplugged.
This is a must-read for armchair adventurers and a perfect, engaging primer for anyone who wants to stride confidently into the new, environmentally-conscious 21st century.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 5, 2009
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243 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 28, 2010
I spotted this book displayed prominently at the library. I typically place library books on hold and have my hubby pick them up for me...so actually visiting the library is always a rare treat. I often end up discovering books I would not have found otherwise. Inevitably, I take a stack of books to a computer and log onto Goodreads to determine whether they are worth my time.
Siesta Lane was one of my good finds from last weekend.
I loved this little gem of a book. Someone on Goodreads described it as Walden if it had been written by a woman. It also reminds me a bit of Anne Morrow Lindberg's Gift from the Sea.
Stuck in a Chicago traffic jam, Amy Minato decided she needed to shake up her life and get back to the bare roots.
She moved to Oregon and pursued a graduate degree in environmental studies, but felt that Eugene was still too much of a big city for her. So she fled the city to a remote wooded area where she rented a 10x12 cabin as part of an intentional cohousing community.
Each cabin had electricity, but no kitchen facilities or running water. All of the occupants of the eight cabins used the main house for their cooking and bathing needs. Heat was provided by wood stoves. They grew a lot of their food, and the occupants lived a simple, back-to-the earth lifestyle as much as possible. It was true community living in all its glory and challenges.
As I've mentioned before, I love "one year experiment" memoirs. Minato actually did not want to leave Siesta Lane after a year, but she was forced to because of a change in ownership of the land.
Beyond the actual content of this book, I loved the language. Minato's poetic background clearly shines through. She intersperses chapters describing her life in the woods with photos, poems, and drawings.
And here are some passages that illustrate her gift for language and the contemplative life:
"Impulsive people are, it seems, more likely to be outcasts--shadwos lurking around the edges of society--crazy artists. Western culture values, requires order, efficiency, organization. But it is nonlinear folk who keep the spirit alive, honor mystery and the irrefutable bent of everything in the unniverse toward chaos."
"I go on one date with a law student and feel my soul slump under the chair."
"The communal spirit is a spider running on slender legs across the threads of the web, strengthening here, slacking there, making sure the relationships can carry her shimmering, necessary weight."
"We pick a few splotchy apples from a wild tree, ones it seemed unlikely other creatures would harvest. They are pinched and tart, keeping their juices to themselves, their sweetness in reserve. As people do, who are unloved for too long."
"It's the Pacific Northwest, after all, and rain's the lover who won't stop tickling you."
My favorite part of the book came toward the beginning, when Minato's brother comes to visit, presumably to spy on her for her conservative mom. Minato created a "daily schedule," which she posted on the community bulletin board for her brother's pleasure. The schedule contained such activities as "sun chant/ritual cleansing with guru, colonics, vegan dinner, sunset drumming circle, group howl, and an admonition to wear clothing because her brother would be visiting." Just the kind of teasing I love!
She also ponders the crazy number of choices we demand in our western culture ("why must there be 30 kinds of cereal?...I had always believed that the more choices in life, the better, but now it doesn't seem true.") and she mentions her Norwegian friend who gets irate at the number of choices offered to him in American restaurants--such a broad array of choices is wholly American! I will never forget Mike's first trip to visit me in Oregon, and his bewilderment at the sheer number of choices offered to him when he ordered a sandwich.
After finishing the book this evening, I googled Amy Minato to find out more about what she is doing now. And wonder of wonders, she lives right in my neck of the woods, in Multnomah Village. According to an Oregonian article, she likes living here because of the feeling of community within a city. And she teaches writing regularly in the village. What a delightful discovery!
Siesta Lane was one of my good finds from last weekend.
I loved this little gem of a book. Someone on Goodreads described it as Walden if it had been written by a woman. It also reminds me a bit of Anne Morrow Lindberg's Gift from the Sea.
Stuck in a Chicago traffic jam, Amy Minato decided she needed to shake up her life and get back to the bare roots.
She moved to Oregon and pursued a graduate degree in environmental studies, but felt that Eugene was still too much of a big city for her. So she fled the city to a remote wooded area where she rented a 10x12 cabin as part of an intentional cohousing community.
Each cabin had electricity, but no kitchen facilities or running water. All of the occupants of the eight cabins used the main house for their cooking and bathing needs. Heat was provided by wood stoves. They grew a lot of their food, and the occupants lived a simple, back-to-the earth lifestyle as much as possible. It was true community living in all its glory and challenges.
As I've mentioned before, I love "one year experiment" memoirs. Minato actually did not want to leave Siesta Lane after a year, but she was forced to because of a change in ownership of the land.
Beyond the actual content of this book, I loved the language. Minato's poetic background clearly shines through. She intersperses chapters describing her life in the woods with photos, poems, and drawings.
And here are some passages that illustrate her gift for language and the contemplative life:
"Impulsive people are, it seems, more likely to be outcasts--shadwos lurking around the edges of society--crazy artists. Western culture values, requires order, efficiency, organization. But it is nonlinear folk who keep the spirit alive, honor mystery and the irrefutable bent of everything in the unniverse toward chaos."
"I go on one date with a law student and feel my soul slump under the chair."
"The communal spirit is a spider running on slender legs across the threads of the web, strengthening here, slacking there, making sure the relationships can carry her shimmering, necessary weight."
"We pick a few splotchy apples from a wild tree, ones it seemed unlikely other creatures would harvest. They are pinched and tart, keeping their juices to themselves, their sweetness in reserve. As people do, who are unloved for too long."
"It's the Pacific Northwest, after all, and rain's the lover who won't stop tickling you."
My favorite part of the book came toward the beginning, when Minato's brother comes to visit, presumably to spy on her for her conservative mom. Minato created a "daily schedule," which she posted on the community bulletin board for her brother's pleasure. The schedule contained such activities as "sun chant/ritual cleansing with guru, colonics, vegan dinner, sunset drumming circle, group howl, and an admonition to wear clothing because her brother would be visiting." Just the kind of teasing I love!
She also ponders the crazy number of choices we demand in our western culture ("why must there be 30 kinds of cereal?...I had always believed that the more choices in life, the better, but now it doesn't seem true.") and she mentions her Norwegian friend who gets irate at the number of choices offered to him in American restaurants--such a broad array of choices is wholly American! I will never forget Mike's first trip to visit me in Oregon, and his bewilderment at the sheer number of choices offered to him when he ordered a sandwich.
After finishing the book this evening, I googled Amy Minato to find out more about what she is doing now. And wonder of wonders, she lives right in my neck of the woods, in Multnomah Village. According to an Oregonian article, she likes living here because of the feeling of community within a city. And she teaches writing regularly in the village. What a delightful discovery!
January 8, 2023
A decision to live simplistically for a year is an achievement. I would do this while young before life gets too complicated— which is the point to which she writes about. I like her perspective on how most people treat nature in a destructive way without really thinking about it. She reminds us of the beauty and the purpose of wildlife and unaltered habitats before we change these environments to suit our needs. Through Amy Minato’s poetry and writing — a lot can be learned.
September 18, 2012
Siesta Lane
Siesta Lane: One Cabin, No Running Water, and a Year Living Green. Amy Minato (2009). Skyhorse Publishing: New York.
“There is no substitute for direct experience, for sun on our face and soil in our boots. We need to risk a genuine, daily relationship with place. The only remedy is to take that precarious step outside.”
In an attempt to lessen her impact on the environment, Minato decides to slow down and live the quiet life in Oregon. Using her lyrical skills, the poet (The Wider Lens, 2004) tells the story of her year getting closer to herself and her love of nature. What emerges is an ode to nature with a vibrant examination of the mind of a woman at midlife. She learns to love the silence of only her heartbeat and the night and all its trappings.
“Mistral — a powerful, cold, dry northeasterly gale. How many words for wind? We need words for these variations, these gestures of air.”
Siesta Lane: One Cabin, No Running Water, and a Year Living Green. Amy Minato (2009). Skyhorse Publishing: New York.
“There is no substitute for direct experience, for sun on our face and soil in our boots. We need to risk a genuine, daily relationship with place. The only remedy is to take that precarious step outside.”
In an attempt to lessen her impact on the environment, Minato decides to slow down and live the quiet life in Oregon. Using her lyrical skills, the poet (The Wider Lens, 2004) tells the story of her year getting closer to herself and her love of nature. What emerges is an ode to nature with a vibrant examination of the mind of a woman at midlife. She learns to love the silence of only her heartbeat and the night and all its trappings.
“Mistral — a powerful, cold, dry northeasterly gale. How many words for wind? We need words for these variations, these gestures of air.”
December 28, 2010
I found this book mildly interesting. The author left busy Chicago and settled into one of eight cabins on a piece of property in Oregon. She had no electricity or running water and the group shared meals in a "main house." Life slowed down and Amy Minato was able to get back in touch with herself and the land. I loved some of her observations, particularly one on the abundance of choices in modern life. She finds herself overwhelmed in a grocery store in Eugene and says, "I had always believed that the more choices in life, the better; but now that doesn't seem true. It feels more like oppression of its own kind. Every miniscule decision takes time and energy...and takes me farther away from my connection with everything deeper in life." This book made me stop and take a breath.
August 15, 2012
nice read. I loved the pictures included in Siesta Lane.A Cabin,No Running Water, and a year Living Green. I won this book as a GOOD READS FIRST READS WINNER. I enjoyed reading about Amy Minato's year. living in a small cabin with no water. in a rustic area in Oregon. she was one of about eight small cabins and one common house. she lived there for one year.living off the fat of the land with few modern conveniences. oh how peaceful that sounds. makes a reader envious. wishing i could spend even a couple weeks in such a place. I read the regular book edition. and have it on my bookshelf to enjoy. { I won the book version of this I hope i gave the correct review. a fun read. wish I could be there right now.
October 12, 2009
A variety of short stories - most of which are two-to-three pages - about living without many modern conveniences. The strongest point of the book is its use of language about nature.
March 7, 2019
Some beautiful prose in this book. I seemed to alternate between feeling very saddened by how much we have damaged our environment and being a bit ticked off at the author's rather simplistic and idealist view of the world.
May 1, 2024
I listened to this on audible, while I enjoyed the content of the book and the writers insights, the choice of narrator didn't do it justice. It was a struggle to listen to, I may get hold of a hard copy and read again.
May 11, 2017
A poet at heart, Amy Minato rejects her life of consumption in Chicago to go back to nature-specifically, to a commune in Oregon, where she rediscovers herself.
June 22, 2017
all I can say is i want to live on Siesta Lane!!!
July 7, 2022
It was artsy and I actually enjoyed her essays. Until she got to the part where she gave her cat away because he wasn’t eco friendly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2012
I won this book as an Advanced Read through Good Reads program and I will read it again and again!
The story is one that many dream about - leaving behind the big city for a simpler life. I personally couldn't do it but in reading this book - I got the sense of peace and connectivity with the land and escaped from the real world for just a bit. The writing was lyrical and beautiful and evoked emotions of all sorts.
I will read this book in parts and pieces when I want to go to the woods but am unable to leave the suburbs and I commit to being a little more gentle with the earth because I do want to leave it a better place than I found it!
The story is one that many dream about - leaving behind the big city for a simpler life. I personally couldn't do it but in reading this book - I got the sense of peace and connectivity with the land and escaped from the real world for just a bit. The writing was lyrical and beautiful and evoked emotions of all sorts.
I will read this book in parts and pieces when I want to go to the woods but am unable to leave the suburbs and I commit to being a little more gentle with the earth because I do want to leave it a better place than I found it!
October 12, 2012
Daughter won this one in a Goodreads giveaway. She told me it was too "hippie" for her and gave it to me, one who lived when there really were hippies. While I agree with the concepts and the lessons therein, it was a little too juvenile for me. Sort of like a journal you kept in college while much of life is new. It reads as a series of entries, complete with some drawings, some photographs, and some poems. I enjoyed the nature descriptions, but that is about it. If it had come out years ago it would have been groundbreaking and interesting, not so much now, in fact I think I read something like this 30 years ago. Makes a nice diary, not a good book.
August 13, 2012
I loved this book. It was great. A beautiful description of how a woman really gets in touch with herself and the world around her. The pictures were great, I only wish that there were more in the book.
The poetry in the book was really thought provoking. The author has a wonderful descriptive writing style. I would recommend this book highly for anyone who feels they are overwhelmed by the world we live in today. It is a step out of the normal day to day routine. I found it very relaxing.
The poetry in the book was really thought provoking. The author has a wonderful descriptive writing style. I would recommend this book highly for anyone who feels they are overwhelmed by the world we live in today. It is a step out of the normal day to day routine. I found it very relaxing.
September 21, 2012
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway, I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting. Heavy on the poetry and more of a series of short stories than an actual novel. The story doesn't really seem to go anywhere.
February 16, 2022
I forced myself to read this ‘til the end b/c I liked the concept and I kept hoping it would get better. Unfortunately it did not. It is repetitive, pretentious, and overly nature centric to the exclusion of man. There were brief moments of enjoyable content, but they were few and far between.
Want to read
September 16, 2009Oregon setting - starts in Eugene.
April 25, 2009
ok book, but I expected more from it.
January 14, 2010
Fast read. Met the author, really nice woman!
September 6, 2012
An interesting read with a mix of prose and short snippets of daily life the author experienced while living off reservation.
March 9, 2013
wonderful poetry woven into this memoir, lovely purpose
Read
October 13, 2011Review pending.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews