The Unsettling of America

Culture & Agriculture

Wendell Berry

Recommended By

Book Synopsis

"The Unsettling of America" by Wendell Berry is a penetrating critique of modern industrial agriculture and its detrimental impact on the American landscape, communities, and human well-being. Drawing on his experiences as a farmer, environmental activist, and poet, Berry argues that the dominant model of industrial farming, which focuses on maximizing productivity and profits, is fundamentally unsustainable and degrading to both the land and its inhabitants.

Berry contends that this extractive and exploitative approach to agriculture has led to the erosion of rural communities, the degradation of soil fertility, the loss of biodiversity, and the alienation of individuals from both their food and the natural world. He delves into the social, economic, and ecological consequences of this system, highlighting the importance of small-scale farming, the stewardship of land, and the necessity of honoring local knowledge and traditions.

Throughout the book, Berry offers a powerful indictment of the industrial mindset that prioritizes efficiency and profit over the health of the land and the well-being of individuals. He emphasizes the need for a holistic and ecological approach to farming, one that respects the interconnectedness of all living beings and embraces sustainable practices.

"The Unsettling of America" challenges readers to reconsider their relationship with the land and to recognize the profound impact of our agricultural choices on our health, communities, and the future of our planet. It serves as a call to action for individuals, policymakers, and societies to prioritize the regeneration of the land, the preservation of local economies, and the cultivation of a deep, sustainable connection to the places we call home.

Explore More Books

See All
A History of Western Technology
Taxes Have Consequences
The Box
The Healing Journey
The Oxford History of Britain
The River of Doubt
Road to Wigan Pier
The Opium of the Intellectuals
Fewer
Academically Adrift
Raising Girls
Sourdough Culture
The Immateriality of the Material
My Forty Years with Ford
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Visual Explanations
The Uterus Is a Feature, Not a Bug
More Than You Know
Prisoners of Geography
Netflixed
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
The Big Score
Trading Bases
Living With A SEAL
Trauma
Walden
Primed to Perform
Don't Shoot the Dog!
Flu
Getting to Maybe
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
The Poems of Dylan Thomas
The Farming Ladder
Harvesting the Biosphere
Red Notice
Confessions of a Philosopher
The 80/20 Principle
Leapfrog
How To Turn Down A Billion Dollars
The Plot Against the President
Check Your Financial Privilege
Knowledge and Decisions
Hagakure
City of the Century
An Apology for the Builder
Army Of None
Solution Selling
Andrew Carnegie
Essentialism
The Iliad
The Great Crash of 1929
Exit Interview
The Seventh Sense
First a Dream
The Fatal Conceit
The Way of Kings
True Enough
The Creative Curve
Rework
Alexander Hamilton
Portfolios of the Poor
The City In History
The House of Rothschild
Seeing Like a State
Paradigms Of A.I. Programming
Alpha Girls
The Story of Civilization: The Age of Voltaire
Well
Liberty Under Seige
I Seem To Be A Verb
The Hand
Race Matters
Empires of Light
Ask The Dust
The Eden Project
The Things They Carried
The Myth of the Rational Voter
Moby Dick
On Writing
The Great Challenge
Daring Greatly
The German Generals Talk
I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Hansel and Gretel
Expert Political Judgement
Bossypants
The Sleepwalkers
Lean In
Fooled By Randomness
New Power
Whole Earth Discipline
Ham on Rye
Brave New Words
Hoover Dam
Out of Many, One
Travels with Charley
Cold Calling Techniques
Hamlet
The Black Jacobins
The Choice