Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living

I loved reading "Farewell, My Subaru" and am pretty sure my husband immediately picked up when I finished. I recommended the book to several friends hours after finishing the book. Doug Fine does a great job in relaying the first year of his adventures in living a greener life. The one suggestion I have for future editions is to put a reference for the boxed facts interspersed throughout the book. I look forward to reading more of Doug's adventures!

Like many of the others who have posted reviews, I was unable to stop reading this book once I opened it (even with three kids running around the house). Doug communicates his successes and failures at turning his ranch into a "carbon-neutral location" very well, often injecting humor into the whole process. The book is not a "how to" for becoming "self-sustaining" but provides factual information, on-line resources, as well as some great recipes to try out...I would highly recommend this book as well as Doug's previous book (Not Really An Alaskan Mountain Man).

This book was so entertaining and motivational that I ended up purchasing the audio book as well to accompany me on my morning commute. I finished it in a little less than 3 days and was sad to have it end. Much of what Doug spoke about are things I've thought about trying or things I've been putting off, but hearing his experiences and the hurdles he went through and the obstacles he overcame made me a little more confident and has motivated me to continue trying to increase the green in my life. Not only is this a good introduction of how to add more green into your life and perspective, it's a hilarious story that will keep you smiling throughout.

I think this is a great book. It touches on many ideas and all in a humorous way. He pulls not punches and he discusses his success and failures. Hopefully everyone that has the chance to read this book will make one small change. We don't have to go whole hog like Doug. But every little step Helps.

I started Doug Fine's fun book at about 5:00 PM yesterday and finished it by bedtime while also cooking supper, bathing two children and having several meaningful conversations with my wife. It's a quick read, and better for it. I have read a couple of other books in the "What I did for year to help mother earth" genre of books and this one ranks up with Barbara Kingsolvers "Animal, Vegetable and Miracle." Doug settles down in an isolated valley in New Mexico and begins his adventures in sustainable living by purchasing some goats on Craig's List, replacing the said Subaru of the title with a F250 vegetable oil powered diesel truck, and going substantially off-grid. On the way we meet some interesting characters, hear a bit too much about Doug's libido and get some practical advice on living the good life. But don't buy this book if you are looking for a step-by-step instruction on how to set up a eco-friendly homestead. Instead Farewell, My Subaru offers a few recipes, some web site links to get more information, and a good deal of evidence that going through life with good karma really pays off.