Green Barbarians: Live Bravely on Your Home Planet

by Ellen Sandbeck

Book Overview

Sandbeck preaches a return to a more primitive way of life--a life with more joy and fewer household products. Green Barbarians demonstrates that by mustering a bit of courage and relying less on many... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416571825
• Release Date: December 2009
• Publisher: Scribner
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Information For Those Wanting To Make A Change!!

This book is fantastic for those who want to make small changes in their daily life. The information provided is part horror stories about the amount of chemicals and part informational tidbits on the health hazards that stem from the ingredients that are in our everyday household items. The alternatives provided are easy and make sense. In a world where people seems to think that "making a change" is too hard, or that "green" products are just a marketing ploy, this book makes it easy to see that there is a problem and only the dedicated few who take books like "Green Barbarians" seriously will contribute and learn how to couteract household pollution, inside and out.

Common Sense Health That Most Ignore

Some people might see the title and think this is yet another eco-book on eco-living or such. In reality, this book is about how far we have drifted from common sense health in the way we live and eat. People are clueless to what's in their food and where it comes from or even how their immune system works (public education victims). Now, if you eat better and live better, one of the results will be a better environment. I.E., if you stop using your cloest full of chemicals, your health gets better, and so does your water supply. Sandbeck may come off anti-corporate, and even though I am far from being that way, there's truth to what she says in many companies. We have fallen into the trap of letting stangers convince us into buying things we don't need and scare us into buying things that don't improve our lives. Sandbeck is concise and funny and touches on a wide variety of topics from food safety, health, corporate funny-business, child well-being and the many myths we believe. A great place to start your efforts to improve your well-being. There is a growing awareness about such things and this book is a valuable addition. For more on the topics in this book, see The Hundred-Year Lie: How to Protect Yourself from the Chemicals That Are Destroying Your Health, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, Eat This and Live!, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, The Maker's Diet and Bottlemania: Big Business, Local Springs, and the Battle Over America's Drinking Water.

Read this book!!! It just might save your life!

Sandbeck's research and insight into the world of microbes is simply amazing! She has created a book that harkens to practices beginning with civilization and running right up to 1900, just about the time we got too smart for our own good! This practical guide to living is loaded with information that can help you live a healthier life while helping the environment in the process! A truly good read!

wonderful, interesting book

Green Barbarians is another wonderful title by Ellen Sandbeck. In this book she takes a look at how the fear of various ailments and of bacteria and microbes in particular has led people (especially in western culture) to over-protect themselves into ill health. Chapters delve into details about the body, food, kitchen, bathroom, laundry, health, pets and children. If you have read Sandbeck's Green housekeeping you may recognize some of the info and suggestions in the chapters about food, kitchen and bathrooms, she does repeat a little of the information from that book, but overall it's not as in-depth and cleaning-centric as Green Housekeeping. This book really gives you some insight into some of the ridiculous things that people do that are completely unnecessary and some of the long-forgotten practices that might still be of contemporary use. A lot of the books value come from the condensed results of various research articles and applications that point to surprising results. Especially in the chapter on health where she includes discussion on treating various human ailments with other organisms (biotherapy) like intestinal worms. The bibliography is impressive and the book seems to be very well researched. Also has an effective index for looking up choice statistics or wanting to gross out your roommate with a verbatim reading. In addition to the informative aspects of this book I also found it highly entertaining. This book had me laughing out loud and reading choice bits to my fiance more than any other recent book. The wit that Sandbeck writes with is indispensable, and though it doesn't take away from the gravity of some of the statements made in this book, it does make them a little easier to face. Highly recommended, amusing and informative, what more could you ask for?