At Home in Nature: Modern Homesteading and Spiritual Practice in America, by Rebecca Kneale Gould. University of California Press, 2005. Paperback, 350 pp. SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR.

Motivated by the desire variously to reject consumerism, to live closer to the earth, to embrace voluntary simplicity, or to discover a more spiritual path, homesteaders have made the radical decision to go "back to the land," rejecting modern culture and amenities to live self-sufficiently and in harmony with nature. Drawing from vivid firsthand accounts and from rich historical material, this study of homesteading in America from the late nineteenth century to the present examines the lives and beliefs of those who have ascribed to the homesteading philosophy, placing their experiences within the broader context of the changing meanings of nature and religion in modern American culture.

This accessible and lively study brings readers into the world of contemporary homesteading, while also treating the literary and historical legacy of Thoreau, Emerson, John Burroughs, Helen and Scott Nearing, Ralph Borsodi, Wendell Berry and others. The author, Rebecca Kneale Gould, is Associate Professor of Religion and Environmental Studies at Middlebury College. Professor Gould grew up in Concord and holds a AB, MA and Ph.D. from Harvard University.