Crunchy Cons, a book review

I love this book. I absolutely adore this book.

I first heard about it online when it became the talk of the political (and some of the homeschooling) blogs. I went to the various web pages given, including the original article in The National Review, which led to the writing of the book. I was home...

C. S. Lewis talks a lot about "reading to know we are not alone". Absolutely! I knew there were those of us who had a lot in common with the "Left". When I was the president of our health food co-op in Iowa, we always talked about the two groups of people who went to the State co-op meetings...evangelical, homeschooling Christian types and left-wing liberal, hippy types. I see the same in some homeschool organizations.

This is the phenomenon Rod Dreher writes about. It's about getting back to what is important in life...faith, family, home, good food, friends, community. It's about how the conservatism we believe in is not the conservatism of today's Republican party. There are chapters on community, food (you won't want to eat bologna ever again), education, faith...those things we care about.

You most likely will not agree with everything he says. You may even challenge some of his arguments (although I haven't, yet, and I only have a couple more chapters to finish). However, if you have ever composted anything in your life, if you have ever homeschooled, if you have ever been drawn to older homes rather than McMansions, if you have ever purchased organic food because it tastes better, if you have ever questioned how food is raised for the market, if you have ever longed for real community, if faith is important to you...there will be something of yourself you see in this book.

My daughter was able to read this before I got my hands on it at the library. I remember the night she called, reading me parts of the book. It was like looking in a literary mirror! I waited until it came out in paperback to make the purchase but if I ever find the hardback edition at a library sale...it's mine.

Rod Dreher writes as if he has met you at a corner diner, sipping coffee and chatting about what is important in Life. Good stuff...