World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler

After reading this book I couldn’t decide whether I should be comforted or frightened by the prospect of a world without oil.  It’s not just that the world is without oil, but that we, as a society, failed to prepare ourselves for it.

The good news is that in Kunstler’s view, life does go on but it’s a rude awakening for many.  The world is forced to revert to a frontier type of living without electricity, central heating, telephone communications, or any of the other modern conveniences with which we’ve become accustomed.

Without a central distribution system, goods must be handcrafted once again, so carpenters, coopers, blacksmiths, etc. are in high demand.  Communities must grow their own food and keep themselves healthy because there are no hospitals.

But this story isn’t all gloom and doom as people fall in love, are compassionate with one another, and become more connected with each in a race for survival.

Many other civilizations before us have collapsed for a variety of reasons, so why should we believe this couldn’t happen to us if we don’t prepare for it?

I liked this book a greal deal and it made me think how I might fare in similar circumstances.