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Shelter from the Machine: Homesteaders in the Age of Capitalism
”You’re either buried with your crystals or your shotgun.” That laconic comment captures the hippies-versus-hicks conflict that divides, and in some ways defines, modern-day homesteaders. It also reveals that back to-the-landers, though they may seek lives off the grid, remain connected to the most pressing questions confronting the United States today.Jason Strange shows where homesteaders fit, and don't fit, within contemporary America. Blending history with personal stories, Strange visits pig roasts and bohemian work parties to find people engaged in a lifestyle that offers challenge and fulfillment for those in search of virtues like self-employment, frugality, contact with nature, and escape from the mainstream. He also lays bare the vast differences in education and opportunity that leave some homesteaders dispossessed while charting the tensions that arise when people seek refuge from the ills of modern society—only to find themselves indelibly marked by the system they dreamed of escaping.
- GenresNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 24, 2020
I was provided with a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Read this review (and others) on my blog https://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/...
Have you been feeling like you want to just drop out of society and move off the grid? Then you’ll probably love “Shelter from the Machine: Homesteaders in the Age of Capitalism” by Jason G. Strange, released March 23, 2020 from The University of Illinois Press. Strange shows the differences and similarities between “country and bohemian homesteaders”, the past and future of subsistence farming, and “critiques of mainstream material culture” in this very readable and realistic look at communities in Eastern Kentucky and beyond. I also appreciated Strange's in-depth analysis of literacy--not only the ability to read but to possess the ability to distinguish between different types of information and media. Some homesteaders are extremely bookish and others have rebelled against all forms of book learning/reading. I really loved "meeting" the people he interviewed and I made a list of at least 10 books referenced in the text to add to my TBR.
Read this review (and others) on my blog https://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/...
Have you been feeling like you want to just drop out of society and move off the grid? Then you’ll probably love “Shelter from the Machine: Homesteaders in the Age of Capitalism” by Jason G. Strange, released March 23, 2020 from The University of Illinois Press. Strange shows the differences and similarities between “country and bohemian homesteaders”, the past and future of subsistence farming, and “critiques of mainstream material culture” in this very readable and realistic look at communities in Eastern Kentucky and beyond. I also appreciated Strange's in-depth analysis of literacy--not only the ability to read but to possess the ability to distinguish between different types of information and media. Some homesteaders are extremely bookish and others have rebelled against all forms of book learning/reading. I really loved "meeting" the people he interviewed and I made a list of at least 10 books referenced in the text to add to my TBR.
July 30, 2020
I would probably give this 4.5 stars if I could. The main reason I took off a star is mostly because I really wish there had been more emphasis on "homesteading as resistance," which was what drew me to the book in the first place. The final chapter covers that, and it does it well after a build up of solid context and history, but I would have loved deeper coverage on modern-day resistance next to the initial back-to-the-landers of the 60s. Overall this was a really strong book - a dive into the history of homesteading, the effects of capitalism and politics on homesteading and American life, effects of capitalism on education, literacy, and job prospects across the class divide, and why people choose homesteading as a lifestyle. It was very meaty while also remaining very accessible, which I know was one of the author's goals. I'm anxious to dive into the bibliography and read more on the subject.
March 16, 2020
I heard about homesteaders but I didn't know a lot. This book helped me to learn more and it's well written and engrossing.
An informative and interesting read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
An informative and interesting read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
January 4, 2020
An interesting exploration of how some live and their attitudes. It's not a how-to book (for those seeking advice), nor does it claim to be. The author makes an effort to be objective, but will likely offend a reader here and there (unavoidable). For most, however, it will be an educational journey to learn (more) about how some approach their lives and society, with which you might never interact.
Thanks very much for the ARC for review!
Thanks very much for the ARC for review!
November 11, 2019
Very good book. Definitely a different way to look at society and our roll in it. I like the way that the lifestyle of the homesteads is portrayed and explained.
Read
March 23, 2020Shelter from the Machine - Homesteaders in the Age of Capitalism
Jason G. Strange
Review by Barbara Bamberger Scott
Seen within and from a broader perspective, modern homesteaders have much in common, even as they come from different backgrounds. Berea College Professor Jason G. Strange explores big questions through his contact with a sampling of Appalachian homesteaders, both the locals and the newly arrived outsiders (whom he sometimes, kindly, refers to as hicks and hippies).
The area Strange has honed in on is the (real, but fictionally titled) region of Bear Lick, Kentucky. He has made a several year study of this piece of Appalachia and its rugged band of non-conforming farmers, gardeners, and off-the-gridders.
Some of Bear Lick’s denizens are early arrivals, children of older generations that simply lived in the harsh hills because their people been there for generations. Others, mostly children of the 1960s, came in search of the simple life, the ideal of self-sufficiency and connection to nature. Both groups have common vision, too. Both live like peasants in an age when most Americans slavishly crave the latest tech toys and live in crowded cities in search of the almighty dollar to buy them with.
Strange picks apart the principles of capitalism and the industrial age that have driven some apparently sensible people to the homesteading alternative in Eastern Kentucky. He describes his stint in a factory where many locals choose to earn a minimal wage through hard, boring repetitious tasks. This leads to the conclusion that the back roads and wooded hills of Bear Lick provide, for its voluntary population of homesteaders, a “shelter from the machine.” Though some homesteaders do work from home, the more they can provide for themselves, the less they must live in dread of domination by corporations, which some of Bear Lick’s residents refer to as akin to Satan himself.
Strange is the Chair of the Department of Peace and Social Justice Studies at Berea College, the first non-segregated, coeducational college in the South, founded on abolitionist principles. It is still unique, and remarkable, for offering free, four year education. As a dedicated teacher in that setting, he is well qualified to compare in depth the schooling of the poor to that of the affluent. He takes a hard look at capitalism, since that system is very often the inimical force providing the motivation for an individual or familial return to Edenic settings like Bear Lick. He suggests that even those residents of Bear Lick who depend on “real” jobs are also being shielded from the worst abuses of the system by openly and avidly embracing non-capitalist work, and with it, a vital, if unstated, kind of collective, or some would say Christian, model: sharing without profit, giving back to and receiving from one’s neighbors and one’s environment.
In both groups - whether one calls them hicks or home people, hippies or nonconformists - Strange finds certain significant similarities, concluding with the quiet suggestion that perhaps the important common factor among them is an unspoken wish to live “without a chief.”
Jason G. Strange
Review by Barbara Bamberger Scott
Seen within and from a broader perspective, modern homesteaders have much in common, even as they come from different backgrounds. Berea College Professor Jason G. Strange explores big questions through his contact with a sampling of Appalachian homesteaders, both the locals and the newly arrived outsiders (whom he sometimes, kindly, refers to as hicks and hippies).
The area Strange has honed in on is the (real, but fictionally titled) region of Bear Lick, Kentucky. He has made a several year study of this piece of Appalachia and its rugged band of non-conforming farmers, gardeners, and off-the-gridders.
Some of Bear Lick’s denizens are early arrivals, children of older generations that simply lived in the harsh hills because their people been there for generations. Others, mostly children of the 1960s, came in search of the simple life, the ideal of self-sufficiency and connection to nature. Both groups have common vision, too. Both live like peasants in an age when most Americans slavishly crave the latest tech toys and live in crowded cities in search of the almighty dollar to buy them with.
Strange picks apart the principles of capitalism and the industrial age that have driven some apparently sensible people to the homesteading alternative in Eastern Kentucky. He describes his stint in a factory where many locals choose to earn a minimal wage through hard, boring repetitious tasks. This leads to the conclusion that the back roads and wooded hills of Bear Lick provide, for its voluntary population of homesteaders, a “shelter from the machine.” Though some homesteaders do work from home, the more they can provide for themselves, the less they must live in dread of domination by corporations, which some of Bear Lick’s residents refer to as akin to Satan himself.
Strange is the Chair of the Department of Peace and Social Justice Studies at Berea College, the first non-segregated, coeducational college in the South, founded on abolitionist principles. It is still unique, and remarkable, for offering free, four year education. As a dedicated teacher in that setting, he is well qualified to compare in depth the schooling of the poor to that of the affluent. He takes a hard look at capitalism, since that system is very often the inimical force providing the motivation for an individual or familial return to Edenic settings like Bear Lick. He suggests that even those residents of Bear Lick who depend on “real” jobs are also being shielded from the worst abuses of the system by openly and avidly embracing non-capitalist work, and with it, a vital, if unstated, kind of collective, or some would say Christian, model: sharing without profit, giving back to and receiving from one’s neighbors and one’s environment.
In both groups - whether one calls them hicks or home people, hippies or nonconformists - Strange finds certain significant similarities, concluding with the quiet suggestion that perhaps the important common factor among them is an unspoken wish to live “without a chief.”
January 18, 2023
I picked up Jason Strange’s book because Goodreads recommended it to me, and my wife is interested in homesteading. What I was not expecting was a masterful investigation into alternative radical lifestyles and a deconstruction of American capitalism. Strange is a professor of peace and justice studies at Berea College in Kentucky, a school for low-income Kentuckians that emphasizes community and work. Strange grew up between his parents’ farm in Kentucky and the indigenous land of his mother’s second husband. His book is a result of living in those two worlds and observing the similarities and differences between “hick” and “hippie” homesteaders. (Interestingly, one of the main distinctions is how well-read the homesteader is – bohemian homesteaders come to the lifestyle by reading nonfiction.) One of his friends observes wryly in the beginning of the book, “You’re either buried with your gun or your crystals.” Strange accessibly writes the stories of the people he finds, and the political theory behind those stories.
Strange spends a good bit of time figuring out what homesteading is. Essentially, he settles on families that intentionally produce more subsistence than the average American. This definition purposely covers a lot of ground, from the sixth-generation Kentuckian who hunts and forages like their ancestors, to the hippie with a graduate degree who is just learning not to plant corn in the shade. What they share is a disdain for a world in which they are controlled. Strange’s “hick” homesteaders compare crude oil to the Beast of Revelation, while the “hippies” comment that corporations are the AIs controlling our destiny. They’re not that far apart.
Strange is an excellent, readable writer with a knack for the penetrating one-liner, like “Houses are likewise bloated. The first thousand square feet or so is a home, but the remainder is primarily a debtor’s prison with bars of drywall and a warden named Wells Fargo.” But he’s also an excellent theorist. He’s fair to both sides, seeing their weaknesses and their strengths (for instance, rampant homophobia vs. a susceptibility to pseudoscience). He traces the history of Kentucky land use steeped in colonialism, and the negative effects of the concept of land ownership in human history. And he rightly critiques the rise of industrial corporations in the degradation of the human condition. Whether his homesteaders have a bookshelf full of good books or just The Good Book, they reject the control of the many by the few, taking their lives into their own hands (a word that Strange reminds us, despite its negative connotations, is just called “anarchy” – the good kind). Strange inspires me to be a better writer – and do a little more homesteading of my own.
Strange spends a good bit of time figuring out what homesteading is. Essentially, he settles on families that intentionally produce more subsistence than the average American. This definition purposely covers a lot of ground, from the sixth-generation Kentuckian who hunts and forages like their ancestors, to the hippie with a graduate degree who is just learning not to plant corn in the shade. What they share is a disdain for a world in which they are controlled. Strange’s “hick” homesteaders compare crude oil to the Beast of Revelation, while the “hippies” comment that corporations are the AIs controlling our destiny. They’re not that far apart.
Strange is an excellent, readable writer with a knack for the penetrating one-liner, like “Houses are likewise bloated. The first thousand square feet or so is a home, but the remainder is primarily a debtor’s prison with bars of drywall and a warden named Wells Fargo.” But he’s also an excellent theorist. He’s fair to both sides, seeing their weaknesses and their strengths (for instance, rampant homophobia vs. a susceptibility to pseudoscience). He traces the history of Kentucky land use steeped in colonialism, and the negative effects of the concept of land ownership in human history. And he rightly critiques the rise of industrial corporations in the degradation of the human condition. Whether his homesteaders have a bookshelf full of good books or just The Good Book, they reject the control of the many by the few, taking their lives into their own hands (a word that Strange reminds us, despite its negative connotations, is just called “anarchy” – the good kind). Strange inspires me to be a better writer – and do a little more homesteading of my own.
April 17, 2020
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Shelter from the Machine is a historical and philosophical overview of the spectrum (mostly split into "hippies" vs. "hicks") of people living a subsistence off-grid existence in modern day Appalachia. Released 23rd March 2020 by University of Illinois Press, it's 304 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is an interesting ethical and philosophical treatise written as a composite story composed of interviews, notes, anecdotes, and first person sources. The author, Dr. Jason Strange, is an academic and on the faculty of Berea College. Despite the potential for impenetrable academic rigidity (about which the author has some opinions) the narrative is simple, accessible, and compassionate, resulting in a genuinely captivating read.
This is *not* a how-to. There are no lists or tips on how to transition to an off-grid lifestyle. What it is is a compelling read and a fascinating glimpse into a group of people most of us rarely (if ever) encounter. Though it's a substantial book, the author's style reminded me a lot of the shorter interview style entries from the famous Foxfire books. The bibliography is comprehensive and the index usefully cross referenced. The footnotes are meticulous and plentiful.
This would make a superlative resource for a classroom setting. I usually have 4 or 5(+) books going at any given time and I personally found this one compelling enough that it took over my reading time and I finished it in one sitting.
Five stars. This is an important academic sociological study of an underrepresented group of people.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Shelter from the Machine is a historical and philosophical overview of the spectrum (mostly split into "hippies" vs. "hicks") of people living a subsistence off-grid existence in modern day Appalachia. Released 23rd March 2020 by University of Illinois Press, it's 304 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is an interesting ethical and philosophical treatise written as a composite story composed of interviews, notes, anecdotes, and first person sources. The author, Dr. Jason Strange, is an academic and on the faculty of Berea College. Despite the potential for impenetrable academic rigidity (about which the author has some opinions) the narrative is simple, accessible, and compassionate, resulting in a genuinely captivating read.
This is *not* a how-to. There are no lists or tips on how to transition to an off-grid lifestyle. What it is is a compelling read and a fascinating glimpse into a group of people most of us rarely (if ever) encounter. Though it's a substantial book, the author's style reminded me a lot of the shorter interview style entries from the famous Foxfire books. The bibliography is comprehensive and the index usefully cross referenced. The footnotes are meticulous and plentiful.
This would make a superlative resource for a classroom setting. I usually have 4 or 5(+) books going at any given time and I personally found this one compelling enough that it took over my reading time and I finished it in one sitting.
Five stars. This is an important academic sociological study of an underrepresented group of people.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
January 31, 2021
This is a wonderfully engaging book that includes some history of land ownership in this country along with stories of the lives of those living in rural locations either by choice or inheritance. The author uses the terms homesteaders or bohemian homesteaders rather than hippies, a word choice I appreciated. In looking at those who chose to live a simpler life, he notes distinctions such as outhouses where magazines and books are present versus those without. This leads him to some valuable conclusions about the importance of reading & literacy for a healthy democracy. In his teaching he confronts daily the lack of true comprehension that plagues many of his students.
What binds different areas of the book together is the author's own history as part of the back to the land movement and his life as an educator teaching at Berea College in Kentucky. Capitalism comes into the discussion at various times as a force that cannot be ignored when evaluating how to live, where to live and what kind of work to choose. It is important to ground this book an awareness of the role of capitalism in order to understand the larger forces at play (not exactly an apt term).
If you were like me, a part of this movement back to the land in the late 1970's or are attracted to this idea today, this book will make you aware of how homesteading is an American tradition with its contributions large and small to the greater society. There is a healthy dose of compassion in the writer's approach as well as a keen critical eye to the damage capitalism does which are shared in the stories he chronicles. His concerns about the future of our democracy are outlined and ones I think most of us share. Without a more literate and truly engaged social network, we are woefully unprepared for what lies ahead.
What binds different areas of the book together is the author's own history as part of the back to the land movement and his life as an educator teaching at Berea College in Kentucky. Capitalism comes into the discussion at various times as a force that cannot be ignored when evaluating how to live, where to live and what kind of work to choose. It is important to ground this book an awareness of the role of capitalism in order to understand the larger forces at play (not exactly an apt term).
If you were like me, a part of this movement back to the land in the late 1970's or are attracted to this idea today, this book will make you aware of how homesteading is an American tradition with its contributions large and small to the greater society. There is a healthy dose of compassion in the writer's approach as well as a keen critical eye to the damage capitalism does which are shared in the stories he chronicles. His concerns about the future of our democracy are outlined and ones I think most of us share. Without a more literate and truly engaged social network, we are woefully unprepared for what lies ahead.
March 22, 2020
This was a new and very different kind of read for me. I found it fascinating in parts particularly as I've no personal knowledge of rural USA. It informed us about living off the land, cultural traditions and religious celebrations. Those who featured were hobbies. living more or less as their ancestors did. It was a very interesting way of living and so far removed from my own upbringing. I found this really easy to read and I valued all it had to say. It's not a book I'd usually choose but I'm really glad I did.
December 30, 2019
An interesting view of two groups living within the Appalachians. One group is the hippies and the other is the poor homesteaders living like their ancestors did. Shown through stories from each you can see similarities and obvious differences in views and ways of life, but both have their place. Not a book to sit down and read through, and at times felt like it jumped around a bit too much, but overall the book was well worth the read and I would recommend it.
December 24, 2020
This book is far afield of others on the subject of homesteading, which tend to run the gamut of memoirs, how-to, farm fiction and poetry.
Strange's writing is thoughtful, compelling and incredibly apt.
I would recommend it to anyone considering becoming a homesteader, trying to relate to one, or just folks who enjoy solid non-fiction.
Now if only there were a way to translate it for the non-readers, who would benefit most from these concepts..
Strange's writing is thoughtful, compelling and incredibly apt.
I would recommend it to anyone considering becoming a homesteader, trying to relate to one, or just folks who enjoy solid non-fiction.
Now if only there were a way to translate it for the non-readers, who would benefit most from these concepts..
April 5, 2020
Best book I've read in a long time. Perfect for those who want to understand the who and the why of homesteading.
November 20, 2023
Also for college seminar… better than first book lol.
December 6, 2019
**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**
I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book. I thought this book would be more of a guide on how to homestead but I loved that it took me on a tour of homesteaders throughout the United States instead. I got to meet (through reading their individual stories) various homesteaders and live their lives through their eyes for a brief period of time. I personally have always wanted to be a homesteader. I want to live off the land and to provide my own means of living and food, water, shelter, etc. I do wish this book was more of a how-to but now I see that's my fault because that's not what this book is. It's still a fantastic book and it makes me believe that anyone can realize the dream of being a homesteader with time and dedication to the world of homesteading. Thank you for a fantastic book!!
I was pleasantly surprised when I read this book. I thought this book would be more of a guide on how to homestead but I loved that it took me on a tour of homesteaders throughout the United States instead. I got to meet (through reading their individual stories) various homesteaders and live their lives through their eyes for a brief period of time. I personally have always wanted to be a homesteader. I want to live off the land and to provide my own means of living and food, water, shelter, etc. I do wish this book was more of a how-to but now I see that's my fault because that's not what this book is. It's still a fantastic book and it makes me believe that anyone can realize the dream of being a homesteader with time and dedication to the world of homesteading. Thank you for a fantastic book!!
December 9, 2019
I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.
Not so sure I like the way the author went about portraying rural christianity. Interesting book, homesteading and rural Appalachia. Some are more extreme than others, but the stark differences in the people and the degree in which they are involved is interesting. #ShelterfromtheMachine #NetGalley
Not so sure I like the way the author went about portraying rural christianity. Interesting book, homesteading and rural Appalachia. Some are more extreme than others, but the stark differences in the people and the degree in which they are involved is interesting. #ShelterfromtheMachine #NetGalley
January 29, 2024
enlightening read
Jason G. Strange has done his homework. What an enlightening, entertaining and educational read. Much more than a study on homesteading, Shelter From the Machine is a must read for understanding America.
Jason G. Strange has done his homework. What an enlightening, entertaining and educational read. Much more than a study on homesteading, Shelter From the Machine is a must read for understanding America.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews