Carla Emery (1939–2005)

I reviewed this book years ago at Amazon.com.

The gist of it was that the best part of this book is the material about the Danish psychiatrist who proved, rather satisfactorily, I think, that you can hypnotize somebody to make them do something they wouldn't ordinarily do--exactly opposite what most hypnotists will have you believe. (Actually, I had already learned this 25 years ago from the hypnotist Michael Zanoni.)

However, Ms. Emery thinks that NSA agents are running around America show more hypnotizing people with electronic influencing machines. At that point Emery sounds like somebody who would have given the psychoanalyst Viktor Tausk a field day.

I also looked up some of Emery's references and discovered that in some cases she has seriously distorted what her sources said. For example, she claims that one writer has said that the military commissioned a large number of studies on the use of hypnotism as a weapon; in fact, the cited author said that the studies were about wider aspects of psychological warfare with only one or two that focused on hypnotism. Deliberate mistake or carelessness or something else? I do not know.

I gave the book a good rating, though, because it is a trip to read, and I think the Danish shrink's point of view needs exposure but is not presented elsewhere. show less

Encyclopedic indeed: this book is 851 large pages (not including the index) of just about everything you could need to know to live self-sufficiently. While no one book has it all, this one does touch on some subjects that I haven't come across before in my extensive reading, such as giving birth in primitive conditions, caring for your dead, making vinegar (not flavored vinegar but vinegar from scratch), and how to make real animal rennet from the stomach of a calf.

Carla Emery is spoken of show more reverently by many in the self sufficiency community and as far as I can tell may be the American equivalent of John Seymour, the old hand who has done it all and speaks from experience (in the rare instance that she can't claim expertise, she calls one in to speak on the topic). Self sufficiency is not a hobby but a lifestyle and as such encompasses all aspects of life. Emery seems to understand this. show less

Mine is the 9th edition. There are many more. That alone should tell you this is a keeper. Speak with folks interested in land, garden, animal husbandry, etc, and this book WILL come up eventually. Everyone has a copy or knows someone who does. More information than most of us will ever need, yet the thin newsprint pages that make this phonebook size book lap reading in your favorite chair (or tree stump) will keep you coming back again and again. If someone responds to an earlier edition show more with good info, Carla Emery includes that information (in their own words) in her next edition.

Reading this is like sitting down in a room full of homesteaders and listening to them gab. Sure, you may never need to know how to give birth by yourself in the winter, but isn't it great to know the information is there is you do need it? Maybe you won't need to know how to birth a lamb, but that part on growing grain might be just what you need. If you can do it on a homestead, it IS in this book.

Get the latest edition, and rest easy knowing Carla has your back. show less

An excellent, obscure book, written with wit and flair. I found much to learn in this book, and was highly entertained along the way by the author's often hilarious stories of life on her farm with her husband, kids, and livestock.