Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community: Eight Essays

Wendell Berry sees the world through a different lens. An accomplished poet, essayist, and novelist, he chose to ignore the lure of literary New York to stay rooted in his Kentucky farm.

Rooted is an important idea for Berry. If more people were rooted in their land, they would want what's best for it. In our global age we have traded in the local concrete for the global abstraction. As Berry reminds us, "abstraction is the enemy wherever it is found" (23).

Berry's rootedness extends beyond his physical location. He has developed strong, firm, and often contrarian opinions which he is not ashamed to publish. For example, take his thoughts on economic growth:

[quote]Unlimited economic growth implies unlimited consumption, which in turn show more implies unlimited pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth. (xvii)[/quote]

Try his views on war:

[quote]War is obsolete, in short, because it can no longer produce a net good, even to the winner. (77)[/quote]

Berry on Christian government:

[quote]Jesus would have been horrified by just about every "Christian" government the world has ever seen. He would be horrified by our government and its works, and it would be horrified by him. (115)[/quote]

In the 8 essays (along with the superb preface, "The Joy of Sales Resistance") which make up this volume, Berry speaks the truth as clearly as he sees it. You can either disagree with him and offer counter arguments, or agree and examine your own lifestyle. One thing is impossible: when it comes to Berry, you cannot be neutral! show less

Wendell Berry has this habit of tweaking sensibilities that you think are untweakable. Here Berry takes on the Individualism that runs rampant in American Culture, especially as it pertains to sexuality.

If you are pretty sure that you dont want anyone bringing new ideas into your head, then stay the hell away from this book.

A provocative little book. The main theme of it is: America would be much better off if we returned to a community focused perspective. This is theme is applied mostly to agriculture, which the author cares a lot about, but also to sex, war and consumerism. One thing that I found very refreshing about Berry is that he's conservative, but conservative in a way that seems true to the word itself, unlike most political conservatives.

The title essay, long and (for Berry) somewhat dense, is well worth the price of admission. Berry begins with the 1990 accusations of sexual harassment made at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas by a former employee, Anita Hill. They were first aired at Thomas's 1990 confirmation hearing. But Berry looks much more deeply than most of us would be able to at the social and cultural context for the incident and how it reflects changes in our culture and society.

For that (now dated) news story you could substitute any number of more contemporary ones -- the essay speaks to our day just as effectively as its own.

I enjoyed reading this and gaining a new perspective into what community truly is. I didn't rate it higher than three stars not because I didn't enjoy all of the essays, but because about half of them dealt with issues that I am simply not that interested in.

Essays identifying the disintegration of community, and the subsequent rootless and placeless monoculture of commercial expectations and products.

However destructive may be the policies of the government and the methods and products of the corporations, the root of the problem is always to be found in private life.