Radical Homemaking by Shannon Hayes
This month we are going to feature an amazing book, one of
my favorites actually, Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes. Let me start off by
saying that this book isn’t exactly a book that you can read to the kids (maybe
you could but it would probably put them to sleep). It isn’t inappropriate in any way but it is
pretty heavy and adult oriented.
I have decided to feature it because I think its message is
really important. I heard about this book while listening to NPR one morning. They
were talking about the power of being a homemaker. There is a hidden revolution
(not so hidden if you hang with my group of friends) of people leaving their
corporate, consumer driven lives and starting down a new path of ecological sustainability.
This path (and I think a lot of our readers are already on it) focuses on
sustainability, social justice, the community, the family, health, and
happiness. The people on this path take pride in making things, cooking things,
and growing things. They are women who are choosing to stay home not to be docile
servants to their spouses (like so many think homemakers are) but because they
are feminist who see that by staying home they can take care of their families
and give them better lives. They are men who stay home because they have the
skills that can give their families a better future.
The book Radical Homemaking looks at different people in all
kinds of walks making this change. Some have made a total change and left the
city behind to live a rural farm life. Others are implementing sustainability
and radical homemaking into their urban lives.
I found this book really inspiring. I went to college and had an amazing corporate career, but chose not to go back when I had my babies. I was lucky and my family had the means to support this decision. I wanted to be the one home with my girls when they first walked and first talked. There were times though that I questioned if I was making the right decision. In my heart I knew I was but this book helped me to see that by staying home I could offer my family as much as I could when I was in the corporate world, even more.
I found this book really inspiring. I went to college and had an amazing corporate career, but chose not to go back when I had my babies. I was lucky and my family had the means to support this decision. I wanted to be the one home with my girls when they first walked and first talked. There were times though that I questioned if I was making the right decision. In my heart I knew I was but this book helped me to see that by staying home I could offer my family as much as I could when I was in the corporate world, even more.
Check it out, I think it is an amazing book! It may even be
a perfect Mothers Day gift for that radical homemaker in your life.
-Amanda
-Amanda
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