Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling

This book is a profile of Grafton, New Hampshire, locus of the Free Town movement. Basically, a bunch of libertarians who are willing to do anything (except pay taxes) for as much freedom as humanly possible. As we go on this narrative journey, we encounter many bears.

I suppose if I were more literary minded, I'd realize that the bears are not just a literal nuisance, but also some kind of metaphor for something or other. But I'm not very literary minded. Sometimes I found the relentless focus on the bears to be slightly annoying.

While the book is very interesting, entertaining, and at times equally frustrating and cathartic to read (I mean, what did they THINK was going to happen if nobody wanted to follow rules or pay taxes), maybe it was the lack of closure that bugged me. Or the fact that, since this book was published, the level of polarization in the US has gotten to the point where I don't find right-wing politics as humorous anymore.… (more)

This book is about Grafton, NH, the Free Town Project (a libertarian plan to take over an American town and eliminate its government), and New Hamphire's bears.

I believe this book got on my radar via Obsidian's review. In a way that occasionally feels a bit roundabout, Hongoltz-Hetling writes about Grafton, NH's beginnings, how it contained the seeds that allowed the Free Town Project to take root, and how that then exacerbated and exposed Grafton's various issues.

Grafton was depicted as a place that had been hanging on by its fingernails even before the Free Towners got there. The Free Towners took Grafton and tried their best to abolish as many laws and regulations as possible, or cripple the town's ability to enforce them, leaving residents even more vulnerable to things like fire and the area's growing bear population than they were before. As the town's problems mounted, things like guns, fences, and occasional neighborly support (which could be nonexistent, or not enough, or downright scary) were viewed as potential solutions. Literally everything but taxes.

I came away from this book with feelings of horror and anger about New Hampshire in general (the Free State Project gives me chills), Grafton in particular, and the various similarities I see in my own state. If you ever really want to appreciate taxes and what they can do for communities, this is the book to read.

The one bright spot: Soule, a Grafton resident who I'd been worrying about since the author described her difficulties moving around in her own home and making everything more accessible, and who'd basically become a shut-in due to concerns about bears, eventually ended up someplace that sounded genuinely healthier and better for her overall.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (more)

Absolutely wild from beginning to end.

When scores of diehard Libertarians move to the small town of Grafton New Hampshire they have the noble goal of freeing it from all forms of government tyranny, like building permits, zoning laws, and fire departments. Chaos and problems ensue, not the least of which are epidemic numbers of wild, human fed, possibly dementia addled, black bears.

The author weaves the current (from around 2001-2016) bear based craziness with Grafton’s own unique history of iconoclasm and vociferous tax avoidance, dating back to the revolutionary war. A uniquely readable brand of dry humor, meticulous research, and numerous interviews make for a distinctive, constantly fascinating read.
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