Book Review: This Organic Life

This Organic Life: Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader

By Joan Dye Gussow

Before Barbara Kingsolver's memoir "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" became a bestseller and a must-read for both foodies and greenies, there was "This Organic Life" by Joan Dye Gussow.

A Professor Emeritus at Teachers College, Columbia University, Gussow has been writing since the 1970s about the effect that big agribusiness has had on our diets, our environment, and our habits.

Joan is the ultimate localvore--all of her produce comes from her back yard. She does not garden as a hobby (though her mini-farm is a labor of love); she gardens to feed herself. In short, Joan chooses to do what our ancestors had to do: produces her own food, and stores enough of it to last until the next growing season.

Joan's academic interest in food supply and quality inspired her to walk her talk. In part, her garden exists simply to prove that self-sustainability is possible.

The book is part memoir, part instruction manual, part cookbook. Joan includes seasonal recipes that pair with tales from her garden.

What I like most about "This Organic Life" is that Joan includes her failures and frustrations (and in the case of her husband's death, her sorrow) as well as her triumphs and joys. What she proposes--that people can and should grow their own food for their health and for the health of the environment--is not an easy task.

But what Joan also relays is her sense of accomplishment and joy about her life's work.