Reading Joel Salatin books is like eating popcorn - you just can't stop once you start. Fortunately he has a quite a few out there, so it's possible to keep right on turning pages.
"Folks, this ain't normal" was so down-to-earth and common sense that I had to keep giving my head a shake. This man sees right through all the nonsense floating around in the food production/food industry business. We have lost our idea of what is normal, natural and nurturing. What is needed is for a generation to take Salatin's precepts to heart and turn the tide on abnormal.
FTAN takes on just about anything having to do with daily living from child raising to gardening/farming to where we get our water. Like his previous book that I reviewed in the summer each chapter ends with take-away points. Many are easily put into practice; others are ideals that will take years for our country to embrace. But you will always find something that you can do, right now, today, that will make a difference. Each person doing their bit in their own part of the universe will get the ball rolling to restore normalcy to society in general.
Child raising is chapter one, so I'll give an example of his practical advice to return to normal in the home.
1. Grow things...anything. Indoor grow lights are still magic, and can bring sunlight indoors for remarkable discoveries.
2. Lobby for more lenient child labor opportunities so that once again teens can do historically normal work.
3. Instead of going on a cruise or Disney vacation, how about choosing a working ranch experience for the family, or an extremely rustic wilderness adventure where you make some traps and hunt for food?
4. Brainstorm entrepreneurial child-appropriate businesses - hand crafts, repair, tutoring, calligraphy, customized invitations, cleaning homes, mowing lawns, picking up rocks, hoeing weeds. The list of possibilities could fill many pages. Don't underestimate the creativity and resourcefulness of your sixteen-year-old unleashed on the community. Stay out of the way and let her run.
Sounds like a great book! I have it on my wishlist, but I think I'll put a hold on it, as well.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was in Edmonton, my nephew told me the gov't has brought in legislation that kids aged 13-16 can't work more than 2 hours a day on school days... which makes it really troublesome for parents dropping off and picking up their kids from working at MacDonald's! It's almost not worth the gas!
I really like Joel Salatin. I will put this book on my "to read" list. I will have to check and see if it is available for the Kindle. Thanks for the review!
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