BOOK LIST: Books about Community/Utopia | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Maggi Rohde (maggiintranet.org) | |
Date: Tue, 2 Nov 1999 11:56:24 -0700 (MST) |
I was intrigued by the books people were posting to the list in the past week or so, and being an itinerant librarian, I compiled a booklist. =) Enjoy. Hope I got them all. I added a few other resources at the bottom. -Maggi BOOK LIST: Novels on Utopia / Future Communities ------------------------------------------------ compiled from the Cohousing-L archives, 11/2/99 BELLAMY, Edward: - Looking Backward Elph M. says: "... written in 1888 and set in the year 2000. It tends towards academic arguments and is lean on action but the ideas are superb!" BRADLEY, Marion Zimmer: - The Forbidden Tower Jasmine says: "Its part of the Darkover series. I found it a wonderful example of what happens when people from two very different cultures and lifestyles get married. One of the Darkovan women states that she doesn't understand how one person can be expected to satisfy all of the needs of their partner: if the person is uninterested or unable to meet the sexual (or other needs) of their partner for whatever reason (sickness, temporary inability, being away, too busy, not interested, etc.), wouldn't she/he be happy to have the partner turn to someone else to have their needs met instead of having to suffer too? And wouldn't it be better to have that person be someone they both care about instead of a stranger?" BRIN, David: - The Earth Kevin W. says: "A great look at how the Internet creates communities and power, environmental collapse, and much more. Those of you who don't like the metaphysical might not like the ending." BRYANT, Dorothy: - The Kin of Ata are Waiting for You Kevin W. says: "An early story (1971) its premises are weak but still it fits the genre. I personally didn't like it much." BUTLER, Octavia: - Parable of the Sower / Parable of the Talents Judy B. says: "... Books about founding a community - not sure of the time scale, but could be 2050 or so... a lot about slavery and survival." Maggi R. says: "More excellent commentary on people, post-apocalypse survival and building new communities. Everything by Butler is very good." CALLENBACH, Ernest: - Ecotopia / Ecotopia Emerging Kevin W. says: "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." GLOSS, Molly: - The Dazzle of Day Gretchen says: "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." HUXLEY, Aldous: - Island Vicky L. says: "... One of my favorites. He was truly a visionary." LEGUIN, Ursula K: - The Disposessed Judy B. says: "It is about an anarchist utopia (sort of science fantasy in that the colony is on a "moon" of a rich planet). The format can be hard to get into, (switching back and forth between present and past) but i found it fascinating, especially in the descriptions of the power relations in a supposedly egalitarian society. They have "only" community meals, and share *EVERYTHING*." - Four Ways to Forgiveness Gretchen says: "... Has some interesting points to make about coping with conflict and rebuilding a severely fractured society." - Always Coming Home Kevin W. says: "Truly a story of what cohousing communities might evolve into. It's 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." MARCUS, Clare Cooper: - House as Mirror of Self Hans T. says: "Here's a stretch to non-fiction... includes chapters on power struggles in making a home together, territory, control and privacy at home, self image and location." McINTYRE, Vonda: - Starfarers / Transition / Metaphase Liz S. says: "There is no better reading than Vonda McIntyre's trilogy ostensibly about space travel, but really about community, trust and, yes, the p-word." PIERCY, Marge: - He, She and It Kevin W. says: "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." - Woman on the Edge of Time Kevin W. says: "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." QUINN, Daniel: - Ishmael / The Story of B / My Ishmael - Beyond Civilization Gary S. says: "Daniel Quinn's ideas are not utopian, but about having the best type of human culture possible. And that's more or less what we've had for 99.7% of human time on this planet. It's mainly only the last 10,000 years that have been #%$#%@ up. Of course 6 billion of us can't go back to that 99.7%, which is why his new book is called **Beyond** Civilization." ROBINSON, Kim Stanley: - Red Mars / Green Mars / Blue Mars Kevin W. says: "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." - Antarctica Kevin W. says: "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." - The Wild Shore / Gold Coast / Pacific Edge Kevin W. says: "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." RUSH, Norman: - Mating Kevin W. says: "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." STARHAWK: - The Fifth Sacred Thing Patty and Lee say: "A novel that might give you some insight into both polyamory, and the idealism, courage and activism of the sixties, but set 50 years into the future..." Judy B. says: "I too found it wonderful and insightful..." TEPPER, Sherri S.: - A Gate to Women's Country Lee I. says: "The ending to the book packs a powerful surprise. One of the things I like about Sherri Tepper's books is the depths to which she goes to create her literary world. You simply are transported to another community and see it's inner workings." WELTY, Joel David: - Sylviron Kevin W. says: "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." --- Additional resources: Utopian/Dystopian Literature, Brenda Kukla http://www.cgocable.net/~rayser/utopian.txt Future Primative: The New Ecotopias, Frank Borsch http://www.uni-freiburg.de/borsch/fryburger/robinson.html CAW Bibliography: Inspirations and Visions of Community http://www.caw.org/biblio/01b.asp
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BOOK LIST: Books about Community/Utopia Maggi Rohde, November 2 1999
- Re: BOOK LIST: Books about Community/Utopia Bitner/Stevenson, November 2 1999
- Re: BOOK LIST: Books about Community/Utopia Bitner/Stevenson, November 3 1999
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