Reviews and Praise for Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life

Read what the media are saying about Rural Renaissance.

"John and Lisa are a real inspiration in showing through their lifestyle decisions, their Inn, and everyday living, how two people can make a real environmental impact now and for the future. Along with their personal story, they offer practical ideas, plenty of resources, and reasons behind their choices. You don't have to move to the country to gain from their experience. There are lots of suggestions for easily putting some of their ideas to work in your own life now."
- Nell Newman, Co-Founder of Newman's Own Organics

"Rural Renaissance is neither wishful thinking nor nostalgia. In fact it is utterly practical and can be as magical as serendipity for people looking for better ways to live."
- David W. Orr, author of Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect, and chair of the Environmental Studies program at Oberlin College

"Here comes the next generation of homesteaders - and practical idealists. Powered by the wind and sun, Inn Serendipity does more than generate renewable energy. It - and the authors of this book - are helping energize and give a greater voice to a movement of people searching for more sustainable ways to live, regardless of where they call home."
- John Schaeffer, President & Founder of Real Goods and the Solar Living Institute

"Join these two delightful people on their modern-day journey back to the future, experiencing with them the joys and jitters of leaving the corporate cubicles of Chicago for the land, llamas, and rich lifestyle of a rural Wisconsin community. Also, this book is jam-packed with how-to's and resources in case you've been thinking of making your own journey into America's rural renaissance."
- Jim Hightower, America's #1 populist, radio commentator, publisher of The Hightower Lowdown Newsletter and author of numerous books, including Thieves in High Places.

"This inspired and inspiring book demonstrates that progress is not just the province of urban America. Legions of enterprising, forward-looking people are building exciting new livelihoods in regions that, for too long, have been overlooked. Rural Renaissance is the ultimate guide to reinventing individual lives and reinvigorating our shared future."
- Daniel H. Pink, author of Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself

"If you're like most North Americans, you want to live an ecologically sustainable life, but have not a clue about how to do it. Here's what you need: hundreds of wonderfully inventive and practical examples of "how to do it," based on real life, personal experiences. This well-organized book also shows you how all the parts fit together into a realistic, complete, and viable lifestyle."
- Paul H. Ray, Co-author of The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World

"This book is for anyone wishing to improve their life by achieving greater balance with the earth and their actions. The authors clearly trace the steps they took that continue to make a positive impact on their personal lives and community, while providing the resources readers need to follow suit."
- Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director, Co-op America

"If you want people to sail, paint them a picture of a beautiful island. Rural Renaissance not only recounts why living closer to the land can be so beautiful - emotionally, spiritually, and aesthetically. But, for the pragmatists and idealists, this book reveals how to do it right and why it's the right thing to do. At a time when the food we eat, and most other stuff we buy and consume, often travels half way around the globe, the authors have tapped into a cultural wave - glimpsed in Slow Food, fair trade, and international peace marches - to reconnect with the planet that provides for us, beginning with our daily lives. The modern refuge from the consumer culture will find solace and inspiration in this story."
- Brian Halweil, Senior Researcher, Worldwatch Institute and author of Home Grown: The Case for Local Food in a Global Market

"Engaging and beautifully written, this singular book weaves together an inspiring tale of one couple's path to a more sustainable and self-reliant way of living with detailed guidance on how you too can attain the good life."
- Stacy Mitchell, Senior Researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and author of The Home Town Advantage

"Simple living is for Ivanko and Kivirist not an end in itself, but a way to a fulfilling and joyous life...Living simply is complex. It requires having a plan, having and developing resources for enacting that plan, and sustaining what has been started - in short, an economy. As valuable as anything in this book are the stories they tell about their home economy, the practical resources they catalog, and the underlying philosophy of living well and simply."
- Keith Morton, board member of The Good Life Center, perpetuating the philosophies and lifeways exemplified by Helen and Scott Nearing, two of America's most inspirational practitioners of simple, frugal and purposeful living.

"Written with humor and passion, Rural Renaissance is a must read for anyone wanting to live a healthier life for themselves and the planet."
- Jan Joannides, Executive Director, Renewing the Countryside

"As part of the 1970s back-to-the-land movement myself, Rural Renaissance touched home. I chuckled as Lisa and John rediscovered many of the trials and tribulations that my peers endured. And I shared in their successes and celebrations. Their passion for who they are, what they do, their impact on the earth and society, and what they can offer the rest of us is contagious. The principles they live by will guide us all in a sustainable future. Lisa and John are, indeed, part of the solution."
- Mick Sagrillo, President, Midwest Renewable Energy Association

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