If you are a homesteader or someone who is curious about self-sufficient living, you have probably wondered what it is like to live completely “off-grid.” Maybe you’ve wondered if there are small or big changes you could make to head toward that lifestyle, and maybe you’re not sure how to get started.
Off Grid and Free: My Path to the Wilderness is Ron Melchiore’s story of the ups, downs, adventures, challenges, and rewards of off-grid living. This book is the selected read for the Summer 2019 Homesteaders’ Book Club, a virtual book club for folks interested in self-sufficiency and the homesteading lifestyle.
Why Read This Book?
Off Grid and Free offers a combination of useful homestead and off-grid lessons, combined with humorous and honest storytelling. Ron shares the adventures that led him to this lifestyle as well as what it was like to get started. You’ll relate to some parts, be amazed by others, but generally feel like you’re getting to know Ron in the process. You’ll probably also start a list of questions and ideas to explore, which is why it’s a great book to read with others.
How to Join the Homesteaders’ Book Club
The Homesteaders’ Book Club is hosted through a Facebook Group that is open to anyone who is interested in self-sufficient living or homesteading – whether you are living that life already or just thinking about heading in that direction. To join, you must have a Facebook account (though you can create one just for this purposes if you don’t use Facebook already) and click on the “join” link on the Homesteaders’ Book Group Page.
Then, click on the announcement for a link to the book and follow along as we add discussion posts, and information from the author!
Ron, and the book club host, Carrie Williams Howe, are both bloggers for Mother Earth News and are looking forward to a fun and interactive discussion this summer! We’ll post discussion questions, and Ron will try to answer any questions that readers have about his 39 years of homesteading and off-grid living. The reading this summer will be very flexible. While we’ll offer a guideline on which sections we’ll discuss, we will invite readers to join at their leisure and read at their own pace.
Join us to explore what it would be like to not just visit the wilderness, but live in it. We’d love to have you!
Carrie Williams Howe is a blogger at The Happy Hive Homestead. She is the Executive Director of an educational nonprofit by day, and parent and aspiring homesteader by night and on weekends. She lives in Williston,Vermont, with her husband, two young children, and a rambunctious border collie. Carrie has a PhD in educational leadership and is passionate about learning collaboratively. Connect with Carrie on The Happy Hive Facebook page. Read all of Carrie’s MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
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