The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food

Be the first to write a review

Overview

"For nearly a century, the blue-collar community of Hardwick, Vermont, has known hard times. The town's median income runs 25 percent below the state average; its unemployment rate, 40 percent higher. But over the past three years - amid an economic crisis that threatens to cripple small businesses and privately owned farms across the nation - Hardwick has jump-started its economy with a stunning number of food-based businesses built by a group of young, innovative entrepreneurs who support each other by sharing advice, equipment, and capital."

... See more details below
Hardcover
$18.30
BN.com price
(Save 26%)$24.99 List Price
Other sellers (Hardcover)
  • All (23) from $1.99   
  • New (11) from $6.92   
  • Used (12) from $1.99   
Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for Web

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)
$10.99
BN.com price
(Save 45%)$19.99 List Price

More About This Book

Overview

"For nearly a century, the blue-collar community of Hardwick, Vermont, has known hard times. The town's median income runs 25 percent below the state average; its unemployment rate, 40 percent higher. But over the past three years - amid an economic crisis that threatens to cripple small businesses and privately owned farms across the nation - Hardwick has jump-started its economy with a stunning number of food-based businesses built by a group of young, innovative entrepreneurs who support each other by sharing advice, equipment, and capital." "The Town That Food Saved is rich with appealing, colorful characters, from the optimistic upstarts creating a new agricultural model to the long-established farmers wary of the rapid change in the region. Ben Hewitt, a journalist and Vermonter, delves deeply into the repercussions of this groundbreaking approach to growing food, both its astounding successes and potential limitations." The Town That Food Saved tells the story of an unassuming community and its extraordinary determination to build a vibrant local food system unlike anything else in America. Hewitt's thoughtful examination of the future of our food system is grounded in ideas that will revolutionize the way we eat - and quite possibly the way we live.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

Suki Casanave
…an earnest, well-written account of how cooperative agricultural enterprise is creating jobs, bringing business back to main street and attracting investors…The author, who lives a few miles from Hardwick, has crafted detailed portraits of the "agrepreneurs" driving the town's transformation…But what makes Hewitt's undertaking especially interesting is that he peers inside the workings of his own community. His…narrative is driven by relentless scrutiny and assessment.
—The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
Through the last decade the Northern Vermont town of Hardwick, population 3200, gradually evolved into a nationally respected source of “local food” and began to reap benefits. Hewitt, an area resident and family farmer, previously wrote about the area as a potential example of localized agriculture and economics, especially for a population whose residents’ median income was below state average. But curiosity and healthy skepticism, along with his own investment, spurred him to this deeper investigation into the local personalities (and characters) driving the movement, and to observe, participate and reflect upon such odiferous activities as pig slaughtering. The resulting blend of analysis and reflection highlights the possibilities and perils of what Hewitt argues will impact the agricultural and economic future for better or worse. (Apr.)
School Library Journal
Adult/High School—Gourmet called Hardwick, VT, "one of the most important food towns in America." Like many communities, it has struggled and at times failed to maintain a viable economy that supports its citizens. Over the last few years, new food-based businesses, such as High Mowing Organic Seeds and Vermont Soy, have emerged at the hands of forward-thinking agripreneurs. Complete with historical details, compelling characters, and competing viewpoints, this book is a highly readable account of the creation of a new agricultural business model. Hewitt does not shy away from discussing the skepticism from long-established farmers or revealing that the benefits of this new food-based economy are not accessible to all of Hardwick's residents. Environmental science and sociology teachers will find a wealth of discussable topics ranging from what defines sustainable agriculture to the dynamics of community involvement. The literary tone and humor make this book more accessible and entertaining than some of the seminal works by Bill McKibben and Michael Pollan. Recommend this title to students with little or no background on this topic or to those who have read similar works and are looking for the next addition to the conversation.—Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD
From the Publisher

“Hewitt is an amiable skeptic and a storyteller of rare skill who seems incapable of crafting a dull sentence.”   TheAtlantic.com “these pages are full of characters: charismatic leaders, philosophers, quiet activists. It’s a brave and well-reported book; these are, after all, his neighbors.”   Los Angeles Times
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781605296869
  • Publisher: Rodale Press, Inc.
  • Publication date: 3/16/2010
  • Pages: 256
  • Sales rank: 1,160,867
  • Product dimensions: 5.80 (w) x 8.50 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author


BEN HEWITT is the author of The Town That Food Saved, and the upcoming Making Supper Safe, and articles for magazines such as Bicycling, Discover, Gourmet, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, the New York Times Magazine, Yankee and many others. He and his family live in a self-built, solar-powered house in Cabot, Vermont, and operate a 40-acre livestock, vegetable, and berry farm.
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Posted May 10, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Review title: America's Industrial Food System. A story of how t

    Review title: America's Industrial Food System.
    A story of how the town of Hardwick, Vermont was able to rebound from high unemployment when the main corporations closed. If you do not already know about GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and genetically modified seed, seed that is resistant to drought, pests, disease, and chemical weed killers, you will learn that information in this book by Ben Hewitt. Also, you will learn about the CAE (Center for an Agricultural Economy); about local food systems to sustain U.S.A. food needs; how the U.S. diet is related to diseases linked to 70% of all deaths due to consumption of cheap food yielding and increase in heart disease, diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer; where the "Fertile Cresent" is located; and what CSR and CSA represent. This was an informative and educational book, especially for readers that may not be aware of this information. And it is a refresher for those that may have heard this information before.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 19, 2010

    Worth it?

    Yes, it is.

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted September 4, 2010

    What is his point of view?

    It is a harsh review but really I haven't read a book so bad in a very long time. Unless I did not get it and the guy is a genius. After finishing the book, I know more about the different point of views but he told us about it in the first few chapter; not sure it deserved a whole book. I found the ideas to be very confused; he repeats the same idea several times and each time you hope he will get to the next level, but he does not. The writing is decent so you push yourself to the next chapter. Similar to the story he is telling, you hang on because you have hope. It definitely gets one star for pushing me to know more about this village, because the book left me hanging. May be I am just not the reader targeted for this book and I wish the author the best.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)