enjoy the ride
Sufficient Life
I can't believe I didn't read this previously but I am now down to the dregs of my sister's books I inhertited from her estate. In them was The Good Earth by Pearl Buck.
It has the best and, seems to me, the most realistic discription of survival in an awful situation.
A Chinese family has been elevating themselves up the social ladder by hard work. Then along come a widespread drought in their farming community. They have been frugal and have some supplies saved but the drought lasts more than a year. They plan right away on reducing their consumption so as not to attract attention by being well fed when others are starving. They then go through their stores and finally their oxen is butchered.
The neighbors are convinced that they have hidden stores at this time, which they no longer have, and a gang of them tear apart the house looking for food. But the head of the household had taken whatever money he had accumulated to buy more land and nothing was available for them to steal.
Anyway- the continous adaption of the family to survive and prosper again is very informative. How they rely on each other and use opportunities.
Too many times people in survival forums keep expressing how they would do well by Hollywood Rambo scenarios- total fictions that would hardly be likely to succeed.
But this book has the feel of being based on reality.
And it's fun to read.
It has the best and, seems to me, the most realistic discription of survival in an awful situation.
A Chinese family has been elevating themselves up the social ladder by hard work. Then along come a widespread drought in their farming community. They have been frugal and have some supplies saved but the drought lasts more than a year. They plan right away on reducing their consumption so as not to attract attention by being well fed when others are starving. They then go through their stores and finally their oxen is butchered.
The neighbors are convinced that they have hidden stores at this time, which they no longer have, and a gang of them tear apart the house looking for food. But the head of the household had taken whatever money he had accumulated to buy more land and nothing was available for them to steal.
Anyway- the continous adaption of the family to survive and prosper again is very informative. How they rely on each other and use opportunities.
Too many times people in survival forums keep expressing how they would do well by Hollywood Rambo scenarios- total fictions that would hardly be likely to succeed.
But this book has the feel of being based on reality.
And it's fun to read.
