A quick and very easy read. The story is that of a plugged-in young man of the city casting off the chemical pollutants of normal American life. The setting is the desert of New Mexico, so I kept wanting the book to be an Ed Abbey story, ruddy and windswept. But Doug Fine seems a man more like myself; urban, tame. He reveals to the reader influences in his life which are more refined than the ranch he has made his home.

Still, the book is as much about wholeheartedly tackling a lifestyle much dreamed-of by guys like me as it is a personality sketch of the author, and in that respect is encouraging to anyone speculating about making some radical changes in their patterns of consumption. ( )

Farewell, My Subaru is the story of the author, a journalist from New York, who decides that it's time to end his consumption of fossil fuels. His mission is to become self-sustained while holding onto the modern conveniences he currently enjoys. He purchases some land in New Mexico and sets about learning how to live off of "the grid". Fine's adventures are amusing - from the flood, to the wiley baby goats, to the solar panel setup - and seems very genuine. It's not easy for the author to accomplish his goals, but he perseveres. I enjoyed this book, but couldn't help but feel that Fine's tips and encouragements mostly serve those who could afford to buy some land in the desert and set up solar panels. Being an apartment dweller, much of what was in this book didn't relate. This story served to wind me up about conservation and alternate energy, but then, I felt a bit helpless to act on it. ( )

Enjoyable, breezy fare. I preferred the family-centered and more thoughtful Kingsolver book, Animal Vegetable Miracle. But he does address some of the difficulties--and contradictions--of the green lifestyle. ( )

A very entertaining book about a guy, a dog and two goats trying to live without fossil fuels in the New Mexican desert. Worth the read if you are interested in living green (or trying to) or if you just want a good laugh. ( )

Engaging, if not terribly well-written, memoir of a young east-coast journalist's decision to become self-sustaining and carbon-neutral by raising goats in New Mexico. Entertaining and inspiring.