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Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future
by Bill McKibben

Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future Cover

Powells.com Staff Pick

"Timely and useful. This valuable benchmark is a substantial contribution to the rethinking of unlimited economic expansion."
Recommended by Ted, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The bestselling author of The End of Nature issues an impassioned call to arms for an economy that creates community and ennobles our lives

In this powerful and provocative manifesto, Bill McKibben offers the biggest challenge in a generation to the prevailing view of our economy. For the first time in human history, he observes, "more" is no longer synonymous with "better" — indeed, for many of us, they have become almost opposites. McKibben puts forward a new way to think about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all. Our purchases, he says, need not be at odds with the things we truly value.

McKibben's animating idea is that we need to move beyond "growth" as the paramount economic ideal and pursue prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment. He shows this concept blossoming around the world with striking results, from the burgeoning economies of India and China to the more mature societies of Europe and New England. For those who worry about environmental threats, he offers a route out of the worst of those problems; for those who wonder if there isn't something more to life than buying, he provides the insight to think about one's life as an individual and as a member of a larger community.

McKibben offers a realistic, if challenging, scenario for a hopeful future. As he so eloquently shows, the more we nurture the essential humanity of our economy, the more we will recapture our own.

Review:

"Challenging the prevailing wisdom that the goal of economies should be unlimited growth, McKibben (The End of Nature) argues that the world doesn't have enough natural resources to sustain endless economic expansion. For example, if the Chinese owned cars in the same numbers as Americans, there would be 1.1 billion more vehicles on the road — untenable in a world that is rapidly running out of oil and clean air. Drawing the phrase 'deep economy' from the expression 'deep ecology,' a term environmentalists use to signify new ways of thinking about the environment, he suggests we need to explore new economic ideas. Rather then promoting accelerated cycles of economic expansion — a mindset that has brought the world to the brink of environmental disaster — we should concentrate on creating localized economies: community-scale power systems instead of huge centralized power plants; cohousing communities instead of sprawling suburbs. He gives examples of promising ventures of this type, such as a community-supported farm in Vermont and a community biosphere reserve, or large national park — like area, in Himalayan India, but some of the ideas — local currencies as supplements to national money, for example — seem overly optimistic. Nevertheless, McKibben's proposals for new, less growth-centered ways of thinking about economics are intriguing, and offer hope that change is possible." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"[McKibben] now brings his signature clarity of thought and handsomely crafted prose to a pivotal, complicated subject, the negative consequences of our growth-oriented economy." Donna Seaman, Booklist (Starred Review)

Review:

"I'd like to see Deep Economy read in every Econ 101 class. Bill McKibben asks the central human question: What is the economy for? The stakes here are terrifyingly high, but with his genial style and fascinating examples of alternative approaches, McKibben convinces me that economics is anything but dismal — if only we can learn to do it right!" Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed

Review:

"The cult of growth and globalization has seldom been so effectively challenged as by Bill McKibben in Deep Economy. But this bracing tonic of a book also throws the bright light of McKibben's matchless journalism on the vibrant local economies now springing up like mushrooms in the shadow of globalization. Deep Economy fills you with a hope and a sense of fresh possibility." Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma

Review:

"How is our nation going to cope with global warming, peak oil, inequality, and a growing sense of isolation? Bill McKibben provides the simple but brilliant answer the economists have missed — we need to create 'depth' through local interdependence and sustainable use of resources. I will be requiring this inspiring book for my students, and passionately recommending it to everyone else I know." Juliet Schor, professor of sociology, Boston College, and author of The Overspent American

Review:

"Bill McKibben works on the frontiers of new understandings and returns with his startling and lucid revelations of the possible future. A saner human-scale world does exist — just over the horizon — and McKibben introduces us to the people and ideas leading us there." William Greider, author of The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy

Review:

"McKibben tries to stay optimistic in his most quixotic work, but darkness presses at the edges of every page." Kirkus Reviews
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About the Author

Bill McKibben is the author of ten books, including The End of Nature, The Age of Missing Information, and Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age. A former staff writer for the New Yorker, he writes regularly for Harper's, the Atlantic Monthly, and the New York Review of Books, among other publications. He is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College and lives in Vermont with his wife, the writer Sue Halpern, and their daughter.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
clearned, March 2, 2007 (view all comments by clearned)
This is about the title of Bill M's new book. My life embodies Bills expression of where the economy needs to go. I am a 45 year old environmentalist and businesman and member of a cohousing project. When the termed deep ecology was coined I was attracted to it, however after I used it a few times with blank stares received, I learned that it was not helpful. When I read Bill's title I thought huh. Please get rid of it. I would like to suggest a simple but to the point..Beyond the Growth Economy, then use your subtitle.
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greenlance, January 9, 2007 (view all comments by greenlance)
Thanks once again to Bill Mckibben for guiding us through this perilous and confusing world! With our cultural directions gone haywire, we needed just this message to show us how to live together without destroying our nest. Now can we find the courage to move beyond that false consumer bliss?
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780805076264
Subtitle:
The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future
Author:
McKibben, Bill
Author:
McKibben, Bill
Publisher:
Times Books
Subject:
General
Subject:
Economic Development
Subject:
Community development
Subject:
Development - Economic Development
Subject:
General Social Science
Edition Description:
First
Publication Date:
20070306
Binding:
HC
Language:
English
Pages:
272
Dimensions:
9.41x6.51x.92 in. 1.08 lbs.
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