Loving and Leaving the Good Life - by Helen Nearing [BOOK REVIEW]

Thoughts on: Loving and Leaving the Good Life by Helen Nearing

This isn't a well edited or carefully packaged literary review meant to give some concise synopsis of the book or cast a critical light on the author. I simply want to to share a free-form journal entry and few closing thoughts after finishing this book. Think of it as rough sawn timber - not dimensional lumber:

My background connection to Helen and Scott Nearing include reading their works The Good Life and Continuing The Good Life - each of which read as much more matter-of-fact homesteading journals and manuals.

I was amazed and pleasantly surprised by the sheer worldly-ness and diverging context of both Helen and Scott's lives before settling into their work together in Vermont and Maine. Their personal connections to turn of the century class struggle and class consciousness, esoteric religion and astrology had me hooked - if not fascinated and enraptured. The literary, philosophical and religious influence and inclusion of quotes added tremendously to the reading experience.

The Nearing's lived with such principle and dogged determination. Truly inspiring stuff. To be vocal about your beliefs even at great personal cost and sacrifice, to take chances in life, turning away at times from normal societies expected path, to follow a more humane inner calling, to value your privacy, yet open your home to others, to share your creations and surpluses easily and freely, to maintain your health and involvement with your surroundings, to read and build and grow and write, to have wide ranging interests, and to happily and bravely and consciously step into death with the same steadfast sureness and solidity they had in life - what an astounding couple. What a source of inspiration to pull from in helping us all to build a Good Life.

Does Scott Nearing's dogmatic and principled stance sound like he was the most fun person to be around? Of course not. But thankfully that isn't the only characteristic we should be judging someones quality as a human being upon.

We would all be so lucky to step as bravely into death with the same peace as Scott Nearing, doubly so to have a partner documenting life in the way Helen Nearing did in this book. The humanity and vulnerability in these 224 pages caught me off guard, in the heaviest and best of ways.

I cant think of another book so far that has made me more comfortable and accepting of death's inevitability and naturalness. That is plenty endorsement enough in my eyes.