Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Books about Community/Utopia

[Kevin Wolf (kjwolf]

Hi all
One of my favorite subjects - utopian novels!  Almost all utopian futures
involve community because it's the basis of a utopian society.   I collect
utopian "science fiction" with an emphasis on novels that take place in my
live time (<2050). The Fifth Sacred Thing was a great addition. Below are
some books in my library.  I am always looking for other books in the genre
so thank you for the Dazzle Day title Gretchen.  Some day I would like to
participate in a web page devoted to cataloging and discussing utopian
novels and science fiction. 

Here are some additions to the list:

Woman on the Edge of Time, Marge Piercy  
This is a disturbing book in its examination of our mental health system
but provided the concept of three adult families and the elimination of
birth as a final step in the building true equality among the sexes.  Marge
Piercy has thought a lot about community.

The Earth, David Brin
A great look at how the Internet creates a communities and power,
environmental collapse, and much more.  Those of you who don't like the
metaphysical, might not like the ending. 

The Mars Series - Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson
The best trilogy ever.  100 carefully selected humans colonize Mars in
2030.  Eventually transnational corporations take over and the Mars
colonists (who can now live for 200 plus years), and their children and new
arrivals escape and hide in small cohousing/communal villages.  And it goes
on and on in 2000 great pages of science, sociology, story telling,
democracy, revolution, cooperative economies and business, environmental
debate, community and society building, and more. 

Ecotopia and Ecotopia Emerging, Ernest Callenbach
One of the first and best of the new utopian genre.  N. Calif, Oregon and
WA leave the union during a time of war in South America and form a utopian
society. Ecotopia came first so it is best to read that first and then see
how Callenbach describes how the revolution occurred.  Ecotopia was a
personal inspiration in the formation of the co-op house (now the common
house) that preceded the development of N Street Cohousing. 

Always Coming Home, Ursula LeGuin
Truly a story of what cohousing communities might evolve into.  Its 2000
years in the future and humans have returned to pre-white Native American
related social systems.  It takes place in Napa County CA with the oceans
200 foot higher.  Artificial intelligence holds all knowledge of the past
2000 years with anyone able to access any of it at any time if they want
to.  Most everyone doesn't at all.

He, She and It, Marge Piercy
Only corporations and renegade communities with strong cyber defences and
skills survive in a world gone to hell with pollution etc.  Takes place in
next 50 or so years.  There's a great description of community and issues,
both utopian and distopian.

The Kin of Ata are Waiting for You, Dorothy Bryant
An early story (1971) its premises are weak but still it fits the genre.  I
personally didn't like it much.

Mating, Norman Rush
A modern day novel, not science fiction.  This utopian community is created
Botswania, in the harsh desert. It examines roles of leadership, founders
syndrome, ritual, living in a harsh environment, politics.  Well written
and engaging. 

Sylviron, Joel David Welty
Probably not easy to find as it was published by the Sylviron Foundation in
1987.  It is a bit amateurish in its story telling and believability, and
it waxes heavy on the wonders of community, but it was basically a good
story.  

The Wild Shore, Gold Coast and (I forgot the name of the third in the
series), Kim Stanley Robinson
Southern California distopian and utopia.  Not as well written as the Mars
series. Stan lives in Village Homes in Davis, a utopia of its own.

Antarctica, Kim Stanley Robinson
Takes place in current times.  I haven't read it yet but I understand it
continues Robinson's look into community as global warming advances.


This is the first time I've written down my collection and I am sure I am
missing some.  Please send other utopian/community novels to add to this
list.  I personally will appreciate it.  And if we keep the subject line
with these key words, we can add to this thread over time when any of us
find a new book! Hey, maybe one day it can become a webpage on the
cohousing site and my little dream of a website on the subject will get a
boost!

Kevin 
******

Kevin Wolf
724 N Street  Davis, CA  95616
kjwolf [at] dcn.davis.ca.us
530-758-4211
www.dcn.davis.ca.us./go/kjwolf
<><><><><><><><>


At 11:28 PM 10/27/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi -
>
>I read _The Fifth Sacred Thing_ before we joined cohousing, so now I'll
>have to re-read it from a new perspective.  I also *love* everything by
>Ursula K. LeGuin (hey, we belong to the same food coop! :-); _Four Ways to
>Forgiveness_ has some interesting points to make about coping with
>conflict and rebuilding a severely fractured society.
>
>But the real reason I'm writing is to recommend _The Dazzle of Day_ by
>Molly Gloss (also a Portlander).  Esperanto-speaking Quakers in a 200-year
>biosphere space trip -- what a premise!  There are really fantastic things
>about community and meetings that have greatly affected how I bring items
>to my cohousing group.  I now allow a lot more breathing space and
>reflection time when I plan a discussion (I've been taking on a lot of
>"special projects" that don't seem to fall under the auspices of any
>committee).  Essentially, the elements of Quaker meeting without the
>spiritual underlay.  I like the results a lot.  And the book is a great
>read even if you're not looking for that kind of inspiration -- fabulous
>writing.  Enjoy! 
>
>Any other recommendations about community-oriented novels that might have
>some relevance to contemporary cohousing?
>
>- Gretchen
>
>--
>gren [at] agora.rdrop.com                      http://www.ogi.edu/~gren/
>
Kevin Wolf
724 N Street
Davis, CA  95616
kjwolf [at] dcn.davis.ca.us
530-758-4211
www.dcn.davis.ca.us./go/kjwolf