Shelter from the Machine: Homesteaders in the Age of Capitalism (Paperback)
Jason G. Strange (author)
£17.99
Paperback
328 Pages /
Published: 10/03/2020
- Not available
Email me when available
Stay one step ahead and let us notify you when this item is next available to order
Email me when available
Enter your email below and we will notify you when this item is next available to order.

Shelter from the Machine: Homesteaders in the Age of Capitalism (Paperback)
£17.99
Thank you
We will contact you when this item is next available to order.
"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.
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
ISBN: 9780252084898
Number of pages: 328
Dimensions: 235 x 156 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
"This well-written book offers a judgment-free assessment of the core reasons for our nation's cultural divide, along lines created by disparate access to education and opportunity. " --Progressive
"Do yourself a favor, and read Shelter From The Machine." --Smokey Mountain Living Magazine
"[Strange's] book has many moments of humor and presents a rich array of folk wisdom imparted by real folk." --Homestead.org
"An important and much needed addition. Strange does a strong job of providing the historical context for homesteading and the reasons why it is so significant today. But even more important are his willingness to ground the book in the words and deeds of the homesteaders themselves and his own history with homesteading, and to go beyond a historical description to explore the role of class and capitalism in explaining the homesteaders' differences."-Stephen L. Fisher, coeditor of Transforming Places: Lessons from Appalachia
"An intimate but sprawling, profound but accessible gem of a book, Shelter from the Machine provides a useful and accessible critique of our 'macroparasitic' political economy and a timely reminder that transformative change is as possible as it is necessary."-Shaunna L. Scott, coeditor of Studying Appalachian Studies: Making the Path by Walking
"Do yourself a favor, and read Shelter From The Machine." --Smokey Mountain Living Magazine
"[Strange's] book has many moments of humor and presents a rich array of folk wisdom imparted by real folk." --Homestead.org
"An important and much needed addition. Strange does a strong job of providing the historical context for homesteading and the reasons why it is so significant today. But even more important are his willingness to ground the book in the words and deeds of the homesteaders themselves and his own history with homesteading, and to go beyond a historical description to explore the role of class and capitalism in explaining the homesteaders' differences."-Stephen L. Fisher, coeditor of Transforming Places: Lessons from Appalachia
"An intimate but sprawling, profound but accessible gem of a book, Shelter from the Machine provides a useful and accessible critique of our 'macroparasitic' political economy and a timely reminder that transformative change is as possible as it is necessary."-Shaunna L. Scott, coeditor of Studying Appalachian Studies: Making the Path by Walking
You may also be interested in...
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Not registered? CREATE AN ACCOUNTCREATE A plus ACCOUNT
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
Click & Collect
Reserve online, pay on collection.
Please note that owing to current COVID-19 restrictions, many of our shops are closed. Find out more by clicking here.
Please note that owing to current COVID-19 restrictions, many of our shops are closed. Find out more by clicking here.
Thank you for your reservation
Your order is now being processed and we have sent a confirmation email to you at
When will my order be ready to collect?
Following the initial email, you will be contacted by the shop to confirm that your item is available for collection.
Call us on or send us an email at
Unfortunately there has been a problem with your order
Please try again or alternatively you can contact your chosen shop on or send us an email at