The Community Resilience Reader: Essential Resources for an Era of Upheaval

If I could give this book 3.5 stars, I would. It has plenty of valuable information on community recovery from fossil fuel addiction. Unfortunately, it fell down in one decisive area. WHAT POLITICAL BARRIERS MUST WE OVERCOME TO MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION & HOW DO WE GAIN THE POPULAR SUPPORT & POLITICAL POWER WE'LL NEED TO REMOVE THESE BARRIERS? It's all good & well to lay out alternative visions of a democratic, sustainable, resilient future & present viable alternatives to our current ecocidal system. But how do we get from here to there? There are powerful economic & political forces standing in our way--how do we overcome them?The closest the book comes to addressing this decisive question was the chapter on "Energy Democracy." To their credit, Fairchild & Weinrub actually use the "c" word (capitalism!). They clearly explain why we need to get rid of "fossil-fuel-powered capitalism" & replace it with system based on energy & economic democracy. They boldly declare that a "decisive shift in power" is crucial, yet they never explain how we can make this shift happen.There was no analysis of the current state of our makeshift resistance movement trying to protect the Earth, get us off fossil fuels, and eliminate a profit-driven economy at war with people & the planet. This is a life-or-death power struggle! Nothing short of a protracted planetary mutiny will turn things around. Powerful forces are rallying people around a delusional, dangerous crusade to "make America great again" through "energy dominance" & hyper-militarism. This agenda has substantial support & money behind it. HOW DO WE PLAN TO TURN THIS AROUND?How can we expose, divide & defeat their deadly agenda? How do we gain strength & momentum? Don't we need a strategy for transforming our diverse, fragmented movement (forever on the defensive) into a mighty irresistible force that breaks the grip of profit, petroleum, & corporate power over our lives? Not one the authors who contributed to this book raised or addressed these vital questions. Yet none of the valuable insights & policies this book advocates will become a reality if we don't start discussing these questions & looking for answers.

As a farmer I had to fight my way through this book. I had to change my my way thinking and acknowledge the truths it presented. My objective was/is to build a resilient and sustainable farm for the present that at the same time adapt to and mitigate the future. This and many other readings are significant contributions to that objective. Well worth your time if you are concerned about our 4 E’s crisis.

If you're interested in the state of the planet right now, as well as where the options may lead mankind during the Anthropocene, this is probably the best book currently out there.

ok

This was an excellent book which I highly recommend to anyone interested in how to build community resilience.

Thorough, technical without being too much for the non-professional, inspiring and practical: A great resource.

This was my text book for ENIV 490

I would like to extend my deep appreciation to Daniel Lerch and the team at the Post Carbon Institute because they have done it again. This collection of authors dig deeply into the topics of global carrying capacity, economics, community, ecology, energy, and other resilience related themes. Because of the diversity of authors and topics included in the Reader this is a resource for students in higher education settings and community activists working toward a more sustainable and resilient future. Building on the success of the 2010 Post Carbon Reader and other publications produced by the Post Carbon Institute this new book is a resource I will use in some of my advanced undergraduate courses at Plymouth State University. It is also a book I will recommend to local decision makers who are trying to find ways to guide their own communities forward in a positive direction. Each chapter is nutrient dense and leads the reader to think deeply about our current operating procedures on planet earth and the need for profound change. I look forward to conversations with others around these chapters and to the positive change we can create together.