Ecotopia

Book Description

"Ecotopia was founded when northern California, Oregon, and Washington seceded from the Union to create a "stable-state" ecosystem: the perfect balance between human beings and the environment. Now, twenty years later, the isolated, mysterious Ecotopia welcomes its first officially sanctioned American visitor: New York Times-Post reporter Will Weston.

Like a modern Gulliver, the skeptical Weston is by turns impressed, horrified, and overwhelmed by Ecotopia's strange practices: employee ownership of farms and businesses, the twenty-hour work week, the fanatical elimination of pollution, "mini-cities" that defeat overcrowding, devotion to trees bordering on worship, a woman-dominated government, and bloody, ritual war games. Bombarded by innovative, unsettling ideas, set afire by a relationship with a sexually forthright Ecotopian woman, Weston's conflict of values intensifies-and leads to a startling climax.

Customer Reviews:

Ecotopia.......2007-01-15

In 1980, the states of Washington, Oregon (probably only the western halves - the eastern halves of both states are socially conservative) and Northern California secede from the USA and build an ecological utopia, complete with recycling, alternative energy, a virtual ban on the ICE, and Native American chic. Their government policies stand in relation to the election platforms of Ralph Nader and Dennis Kucinich as the platforms of Nader and Kucinich stand in relation to George W. Bush's policies. For a few years I went to an Internet forum, one of the participants of which was a teacher of wicca and a community activist from Portland, OR with a rather authoritarian personality, who attacked people who advocated scientific rigor in public policy or expressed dislike of the work of her friend Ursula Kroeber Le Guin. She was incensed when somebody called Hillary Clinton "a left-wing politician": the real left-wingers are bell hooks, Barbara Ehrenreich (she gave a few more names that I cannot recollect at the moment). This book reminded me of her, for in Ecotopia, people like her would be in power. Yet while reading Ecotopia, just as when I was reading Edward Bellamy's Looking Backwards, I had the feeling that to some extent, I am living in this utopia, since the political movements that produced the two utopias, ecology in the 1970s and socialism in the 1890s, influenced the culture of this country in various ways.

A Great Concept.......2006-12-23

After reading "Utopias on Puget Sound," I was hooked on the history and all things utopia. I would bet that most people in Washington state and British Columbia would love to form a new country, but alas, we can dream about what life might be like if the west coast were to break away and start an ecotopia.

Agree with Mr. Leach.......2006-11-27

This novel is a mixed bag, and it's stayed with me for some time since I first read it. On the plus side, I found the book an easy, wonderfully quick read, and a pretty good exercise of world-building. I also found much to like in Ecotopia's vision, such as its environmental policies and progressive educational system, etc.

BUT...there is something decidedly specious about the ideals represented in the book, and in truth it was sometimes hard to tell if Callenbach was being sincere or satirical. Valid objections about the Ecotopian timeline aside, as well as its obvious hippy vintage, Ecotopia's almost enforced diversity--albeit in a non-bourgeois lifestyle--passive-aggression, and occasional totalitarian structure make even a tree-hugging, bleeding-heart liberal like me raise an eyebrow. Ecotopia sounds like a place that's better than Hell, but still ten floors below Heaven.

Recommended, but with a grain of salt; definitely not a play-book for the perfect society.

More relevant than ever 31 years later.......2006-07-03

Ecotopia has been on my reading list since it first appeared in 1975. I finally got around to reading it recently and was suprised to find it utterly engaging and only slightly dated (two-way TV must have seemed pretty cool prior to the Internet). Meanwhile, world population has grown by 2.5 billion and if anything the book is more relevant now than ever before. For example, in Callenbach's fabled nation, San Francisco's underground streams and creeks have been daylighted; schools don't have curricula or administrators; drug addictions are treated rather than punished; the work week is 20 hours; and the word "consumer" is not used in polite company. A great read for illiberal times.

essential reading. .......2005-05-16

What an inspirational book! Such great words sound so new because we are living in a denial so very old. What an important piece of work and how relevant now more than ever!
Written from the journal of a (quote) "dumb chauvinist ugly american bastard". Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach details the 1 month and a half of a journalist/diplomat living within a culture (northwest) that seceded from an overwhelming backwards and depressing U.S.A. inc. It explains how day to day life would be if we lived in a democracy (a place where people are put before profits, or more likely, where people evolved their idea of what is profitable).

I would recommend this book to everyone young or old. Of course it would be hard for most people to grasp, knowing most sheeple are so loyal to their programming/ groupthink. I had to read this book a few times so it would soak in. Truly a wonderful relief and so refreshing. Please get the word out and buy this for all your friends so we can all finally start living.

So many great ideas in this book to mention. A few of these being:
1. self destructive, counter-productive lifestyles aren't very intelligent.
2. Large organizations do not work. small is beautiful.
3. Conformity is what happens to things when they are dying. Diversity and individualism are what sustain cultures in any aspect of creation.
4. The right to live. Basic levels of survival are guaranteed to all, regardless of their level of conformity. (kind of like why communities were invented for in the first place.)That poverty is the worst form of oppression and totally unnecessary.
5. A twenty hour workweek gets way more things done and much faster.
6. nuclear families are a form of torture.
7. Supply and demand is in the most part a lie.
8. How we feel in our hearts is important and worth fighting for.
8 1/2. Living in denial is not cool and will not be tolerated
9. Good things take time to mature and there is no rush, enjoy the process.
10. Women are natural leaders.
10 1/2. Polluters are dealt with justly as the criminals that they are. (given the verdict of assault or robbery) So it is simply not profitable to be a criminal anymore.
10 3/4. "Victimless" crimes such as prostitution, gambling, and drug use are no longer in the law books, since it's silly.
11. Cars are for people who don't know.
12. life is fun and should be celebrated.
13. clean water, peaceful surroundings, loving communities, beautiful scenery, sustainably co-existing, evolved selfishness, good food that doesn't kill you, incredible sex, amazing conversations, sanity, healthcare that works and is free, work that isn't prostitution, school that isn't brainwashing but actually teaches kids about life, etc... If you are interested in any of these things. read it and weep, then get to work and finally start living responsibly!

For you types that are into suicidal tendencies, sado masochism, communism, totalitarianism, strange forms of overzealous hero-worshipping, or are just plain brainwashed, I don't recommend this book. For it would be hard for you to start coming to grips with the reality that our hearts, I mean, Ernest Callenbach does with Ecotopia. then maybe you will find your way home as well. but I don't want to give away everything in this book. Happy reading!!!!! :)

Average customer rating:

A Good Idea...
Most reviews from Statesboro Georgia
Ecotopia, I don't think so
Jordan Walter English 1102
A True Ecotopia Emerging?

Ecotopia Emerging
Ernest Callenbach
Manufacturer: Heyday Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0960432035

Book Description

This "prequel" to Callenbach's classic Ecotopia dramatizes the rise and triumph of a powerful American movement to preserve the earth as a safe, sustainable environment.

The story springs from harsh realities. Toxic contamination of air, water, and food has become intolerable. Nuclear meltdowns threaten. Military spending burdens the economy. Politicians squabble over outdated agendas while the country declines. But then dedicated people begin to respond in their own ways to the crisis, and fresh hope arises. A brash physics student, Lou Swift, invents a unique solar cell that will end dependence on polluting fossil energy. Marissa D'Amico decides to devote her life to the restoration of clear-cut and eroded forests. Her mother Laura organizes a commando group of cancer victims to disable plants making carcinogenic chemicals. A distinguished but disillusioned legislator, Vera Allwen, organizes a new grassroots party working toward a survival-oriented future. Joining with thousands of others, they take their lives into their own hands—fighting the corporate control that endangers their personal survival along with that of the earth. A panorama of history about to happen, Ecotopia Emerging weaves many individual destinies into an absorbing epic: the birth of a new nation.

Customer Reviews:

A Good Idea..........2006-07-10

Great ideas are brought up, and is a definite must-read for any environmentalist. The only drawback is that some plots are not well developed. I do not understand why anyone would rate this book below a three, but I did notice a lot of people who did rate this book low are from the South (i.e. Georgia).

Most reviews from Statesboro Georgia.......2006-06-22

Most of the Amazon reviews on this book are curiously from Statesboro Georgia. Perhaps the same individual writing multiple bad reviews.

I would recommend reading Ernest Callenbach's "Ecotopia" before reading "Ecotopia Emerging", as Ecotopia sets the groundwork for this book.

Ecotopia, I don't think so.......2005-05-05

In this particular novel Ernest Callenbach tries to really show his interest in how much better the world would be as an Ecotopia, but I feel as though many of his points would take so long to actually progress within our society that we wouldn't get anywhere from an ecotoia.
This book is about a girl by the name of Lou Swift and she builds a solar cell as an alternative way of energy. She ends up joining an organization that wants to form an Ecotopia. Some of their rules in my opinion were pointless such as, "no private car ownership, no production of carcinogens, and other rules that to me were off the wall.
I feel that the only reason you should read this book is if you are into the whole Ecotopia idea or you have to read it because your teacher told you to. Otherwise, I feel as though the book was a complete waste of my time because I didn't agree with any of the points that the author made about Ecotopia's and it was a slow paced book.

Jordan Walter English 1102.......2005-05-04

Imagine a world so politically divided that there is talk about secession. A world where environmentalists could gain enough support through a political party to secede from the other 50 states. In Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia Emerging he talks about a few things which are farstrung predictions. In his book a woman named Vera Allwen starts up a political party whose goals and values are very environmentally friendly. She wants a world without cars, pollution, roads, or governmental restrictions. She fights and stands up for the states of washington, california and Oregon. With the help of a young girl named Lou Swift they plan to be able to cut themselves completely away by using her "new solar cell energy." Lou swift doesnt want to become rich off of this discovery of hers, she only wants to help out a struggling nation and supply free solar energy. This book is filled with road blocks, environmentalists, governments, anarchy and talk of secession. The government has spent to much money for war so now they cannot even keep their states in check.

I personally did not like this book. It came off as being a little to slow and boring. Some of the things he talked about might have been able to happen but others were just ludacris. No state in the UNITED states of America would ever be able to gain enough support to secede from the U.S. and the U.S. would never allow this. People are to scared of change. His ideas seemed to come from some deep down dissolusioned vision that he secretly wished for. This book did not hit any key places for me so it definattely will not be making its way to my bookshelf anytime soon. I have already sold it back to the bookstore as a matter of fact. I was not to happy with this work. I think if there was either more action or more believable events. I know most books that are fiction you would just go along with it while reading, but this one just hit an arguing point within me.

A True Ecotopia Emerging?.......2005-05-03

Ernest Callenbach dreams of a revolution is manifested in his book, Ecotopia Emerging. The book is more of a daytime soap opera with its characters and plots. But if you read into what callenbach is really saying you might begin to understand the focus of the book. It is supposed to be a wake up call. The facts that are given in the book are true. Americans are killing themselves and they are willing to let that happen. Ernest saw this coming and was trying to explain to people how serious this is. The book itself is not written very well, which is why people seem to get lost in its translation. Callenbach goes between so many characters you sometimes have to read earlier pages just to stay on point. This flaw seriously hurts the book. Also there is the extreme projections in his book. While some may be true, the author tries to hard to scare people with his doomsday predictions. Even though I believe with what Callenbach is trying to do, He goes about it in the wrong way with a contrived plot. Which is way I cannot recommend this book at all.

Ecotopia: The Second ICP Triennial of Photography and Video

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Ecotopia: The Second ICP Triennial of Photography and Video

Manufacturer: Steidl/International Center of Photography
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 3865213103
Release Date: 2006-10-15

Book Description

When the International Center of Photography launched Strangers, its first Triennial, in 2003, its curators wrote that their goal was "to demonstrate photography's incomparable richness as a visual medium--in the form of still photographs, video, sculptural objects, and installation pieces. The result is a dynamic coherence that results as much from a dialogue between individual works as from curatorial intention." This second time out, in a period of rampant natural disasters and concerns about global environmental change, they have shifted their attention from strangers, from our relationships with one another, to home, to our relationships with the earth. Ecotopia, brings readers the natural world through the eyes and lenses of some of the most interesting and engaging photographers working today. These 30 international artists shatter stereotypes of landscape and nature imagery to examine new concepts of the natural sphere occasioned by twenty-first-century technologies. They capture our destructive engagement with the environment and develop visions of our future, both better and worse. Ecotopia considers nature in the broadest sense, and offers new perspectives on the planet that sustains, enchants and, increasingly, frightens.

Average customer rating:

Rich, challenging, literary anthology that demands re-reading
sort of excellent

Future Primitive: The New Ecotopias

Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0312863500

Amazon.com

Kim Stanley Robinson has long been known for his excellent science fiction novels such as Red Mars, Blue Mars, and Green Mars. Here he turns his hand toward editing, with a collection of stories by writers like Ursula K. Le Guin, Gene Wolfe, Pat Murphy, and Terry Bisson. These are stories of a future where "wet" technology has replaced "hard": silicon chips have given way to DNA strands, and the industrial high tech has been subsumed by environmental high tech. While all of these fine stories have been printed elsewhere, collected together they comprise a formidable and fascinating look at a future full of ectopias.

Book Description

Ernest Callenbach's classic novel Ecotopia sparked a movement that is growing rapidly around the world. Ecotopians embrace high technology as a a tool for preserving and living gently within the natural environment of Planet Earth.Kim Stanley Robinson has gathered here in this volume bright tales of Ecotopian futures, as well as a few cautionary ones. Writers and poets, from Gary Snyder to Ursula K. LeGuin to Ernest Callenbach himself have contributed their visions, along with Pat Murphy, Paul Park, R.A. Lafferty, Rachel Pollack, Garry Kilworth, Robert Silverberg, Gene Wolfe, Howard Waldrop, Carol Emshwiller, Frederick Turner, and Robinson Jeffers.

Customer Reviews:

Rich, challenging, literary anthology that demands re-reading.......2007-01-28

At first I was a bit disappointed in this collection, because the earliest stories didn't seem ecotopian, utopian, or even SF in character. After I discovered the editor's endnotes, though, the intention behind the collection and its total vision became apparent, and the inclusion of the early stories made perfect sense.

As Dr. Robinson himself notes, the stories don't tend toward standard utopian themes---namely the planned, perfect, permanent society---but they instead reflect the dirty, earthy, organic, fertile concerns of the ecotopian. The "stories reveal everywhere their writers' belief that the societies they depict are preferable to the boxed existences of modern, urban life" (p. 346) through embodied engagement with the world of physical nature and the re-infusion of meaning into everyday life. "What these stories ask us to reconsider is what is really important in life, and thus new definitions of utopia must be reconsidered as well" (ibid).
"It's not that [these stories] advocate a simple return to nature, or a rejection of technology, which given our current situation would be nothing than another kind of ecological impossibility." Instead, these stories, "reject ther inevitability of a machine future" (p. 11).

Not all of the stories are immediately accessible, and many, if not most, demand re-reading in order to get a full appreciation of both the ideas and the writing in which those ideas are expressed. Most of the stories in the anthology really impressed me, but my favorites (at least right now) would have to be "Hogfoot Right and Bird-hands," "House of Bones," "Chocco," and "Newton's Sleep," all of which explored essential themes about what it means to be human in communion with (or separation from) the world of biological nature.

All in all this is a superb science fiction anthology that belongs on the bookshelves of anyone interested in utopian and ecotopian fiction, about the current state of humanity, and about our possible futures.

sort of excellent.......2000-03-28

By the far the two best stories in this collection are Terry Bisson's "Bears Discover Fire" and Pat Murphy's powerful and eloquently written "In the Abode of Snows." After that, the other stories didn't seem to stir me quite as much .They were well written yes, but still... The extensive reading list at the end of the book is especially helpful to those interested in the ideas behind the variuos themes in the story. For that and the 2 stories, i gave it the above score.

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Ecotopia: An Audio Novel
Ernest Callenbach
Manufacturer: Audio Renaissance
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1559270527

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Ecotopia

Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000H025O2

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Ecotopia
Ernest Callenbach
Manufacturer: BANYAN BOOKS INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UPGQXK

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Ecotopia Emerging
Ernest Callenbach
Manufacturer: Banyan Tree Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MRH9AU

Ecotopia the Notebooks and Reports of Will

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Ecotopia the Notebooks and Reports of Will
Ernest Callenbach
Manufacturer: Bantam Doubleday Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0553136232

Ecotopia; The Notebooks and Reports of William Weston

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Ecotopia; The Notebooks and Reports of William Weston
Ernest Callenbach
Manufacturer: Bantam Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SB98S6

Amazon.com

You can almost taste the freshly caught bluefish and smell the tangy salt air in Philip Craig's newest Martha's Vineyard mystery, a seasonal delight featuring former Boston policeman J.W. Jackson. J.W. hasn't seen legendary bluesman Corrie Appleyard since he was a child, and when Corrie arrives on the Vineyard for a rare concert appearance, J.W. couldn't be happier. It's almost enough to take his mind off the series of arson fires that have destroyed the dilapidated summer cottages that a local slumlord rents out at outrageously high prices to college kids who've come to work and play in the famous summer colony. But when Corrie's precious guitar is found at the site of the latest fire, and an unidentified body is pulled from the ruins, J.W. fears the worst.

Although he's already busy trying to track down a blackmailer who's been threatening Susanna Quick, his wife Zee's close friend, J.W. agrees to investigate the arson fires for the owner of the cottages, which leads him into still another unsolved mystery: why is Zee so opposed to his newest client? By the time the connection between the arsonist, the slumlord, Susanna, and Zee is unraveled in a surprising denouement, you'll have worked up an appetite. Luckily, the author has included the recipes of Vineyard favorites at the end of this tasty mystery. J.W. is an extremely appealing hero, a man of simple pleasures who's not averse to putting himself on the line to defend his wife, his family, and his close-knit community of friends and neighbors . The pacing won't keep you from a nap after a day of sun and salt water, but the book moves along nicely, the Vineyard landscape is lovingly and authentically evoked, and the characters are well drawn. Vineyard Blues is another satisfying outing for this accomplished writer (who also brought us A Fatal Vineyard Season, A Shoot on Martha's Vineyard, Death on a Vineyard Beach) and his likable protagonist. --Jane Adams

Book Description

A surprise visit from a dear old friend only adds to the joys of good weather, great fishing, warm breezes and loving family for J. W. Jackson this idyllic island summer. The ex-Boston cop is thrilled to see accomplished bluesman Corrie Appleyard strolling up his driveway, guitar case in hand. But days later, J.W.'s elation turns to dread when a rundown summer shack burns to the ground -- the latest in a string of suspicious fires. And when an unidentified corpse is discovered in the ashes, J. W. fears that the charred remains are Corrie's. Now twin obligations to friendship and the truth are leading him into an ugly morass of arson, extortion, secrets, and murder. And he'll go to the dangerous ends of paradise to bring a killer to justice -- because this outrage has slammed J. W. Jackson in the heart.

Download Description

It's been twenty years since J. W. Jackson has seen Corrie Appleyard. So he's surprised and delighted when the African-American bluesman walks up his driveway, guitar in hand. Corrie has come to Martha's Vineyard to play a few shows and catch up on old times. But there's more than making music and reminiscing with friends going on on Martha's Vineyard this summer. While J. W. and his wife Zee build a children's wing onto their cottage, someone is burning down the houses that a reviled local slumlord rents to college kids in the summer. J. W. and Zee might almost cheer the arsonist if they didn't fear someone would get hurt.

Corrie Appleyard is staying in one of the houses that is set ablaze. When an unidentified body is pulled from the ruins and Corrie is nowhere to be found, J. W.'s interest becomes personal. As he begins his own investigation, a local acquaintance comes to J. W. with another problem. Reluctantly, J. W. is drawn into a dark past with a cast of unwholesome characters... and some unexpected discoveries.

Perfect summer reading, rich in fishing lore and food, Vineyard Blues is proof that "Craig just keeps getting better" (The Chattanooga Times).

Customer Reviews:

another fine Vineyard mess.......2007-05-31

Corey Appleyard arrives on the island, carrying a guitar and memories of JW's daddy from many years ago. The happy reunion is shortlived, though, as an arsonist is setting Ben Krane's shacks on fire on a regular basis. And, a dead body is found inside one of those shacks. Is it insurance[...]? Some connection to Philadelphia gangsters? Is Ben Krane's love life connected to it? You must read it to find out. Enjoy.

Singing the Blues on Martha's Vineyard.......2006-04-23

Even on Martha's Vineyard, sometimes people have to sing the blues. And that seems to be the case when Corrie Appleyard comes to town to perform. An old friend of the Jackson clan, Corrie is in town to entertain the folks on Martha's Vineyard, and to visit long lost friend, J.W. Even in the midst of a major home renovation, Corrie is asked to stay with the Jackson while he is in town. Despite their invitations, Corrie chooses to stay with much younger island visitors at the rented "slum" cottages rented out by local realtor, Ben Krane. And there seems to be a long line of people truly tired of the slimy slumlord. After his office burns to the ground, several of his rental cottages follow suit. When one of the cottages is set fire, and a body is discovered inside, Ben hires J.W. to find out who is setting the blazes, and who the body is.

This is another good installation in the Martha's Vineyard series. I enjoy the characters of J.W. and Zee, but I agree with several of the other reviewers in regards to his children. At one point, he lets his young son, Joshua go down to the dock and explore a boat by himself, with no mention of a lifejacket or life preserver. J.W, must have the only 2 perfect kids in the world...as most young boys I know would find a way to fall in the water or have some other catastrophe befall them when left to their own devices. I do really like the characters and the story, however, and get a chuckle out of how "perfect" the children are.

The first book in this series is called "A Beautiful Place to Die". Enjoy!

An enjoyable, light read........2005-04-30

This series has always been on the cozy side, and I've enjoyed previous books, but there is no development of the supporting characters and even the uniqueness of Martha's Vineyard is lost here. I'd like to see better dialogue and the word "delish" disappear completely. But it's a quick, light read in which there are no "evil" bad guys, just humans driven by greed, revenge and curiosity.

May know MV but he doesn't know kids.......2004-08-04

Perfect Z breeds perfect children. Ech! I wonder if it's a generational thing--Craig doesn't know how kids actually behave because if he had any, it was from an era when he wasn't expected to do any of the child-rearing? I mean, "Pa"?
The story itself was interesting and believable, but as soon as Craig started discussing JW's home life, I had trouble reading, what with the involuntary eye-rolling those passages set off.

Vineyard Blues.......2004-02-19

Having enjoyed visiting Martha's Vineyard a few times, I was intrigued to read Philip Craig's books after reading an article about him in the Boston Globe. To date I've read nine of his stories and have thoroughly enjoyed each one. I pass them on to my Son who owns a home on the Vineyard and he appreciates them, too. In Vineyard Blues, the inclusion of Zee and the children are a natural-seeming progression of "J.W.s" journey. It is refreshing to read how he and Zee realize that their children are their #1 priority and adjust their lives accordingly. I look forward to each new installment. Keep them coming, Mr. Craig.

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