Henry and The Great Society
June 27th, 2008 | By Kendra
* Thanks to my friend Joy in Australia who just informed me that you can get a free copy of Henry to download and print at this website. So now you can all read it, for FREE! Thanks Joy!
Well, I’ve finally finished this book. It’s a pretty thin, paperback book. I vowed to read it in one night, but my eyelids had a different plan. I have to say that when I did finally put it down, and even throughout it, I was filled with sorrow and inspiration all at the same time.
The story is about the life of a man named Henry. The setting begins back in the ‘good old days’, before electricity and paved roads or even automobiles; when men farmed the land and gathered around the porch of the one local General Store swapping pocket knives and stories. Life was slow, and good. Henry and his wife Esther lived on the land that had been in Henry’s family for many generations, in the humble little home that had been passed down to him.
They were happy, content with life. Their young children were full of wonder and curiosity, and loved exploring the land and pretending wild adventures. In the evenings they would all gather together in a darkened room, lit softly by four oil lamps, one in each corner, and Henry would make up fantastic stories as the children sat wide-eyed leaning on his every word. Before tucking the children into bed, they would all gather around as Henry read to them from the Bible and they prayed. They lived simply, with only a few pairs of clothing each, which made washing day easy for Esther. They owed no man anything, and worked only to sustain themselves. It was a humble, fulfilling life, and they were very happy.
Then “progression” came to town. Modern “conveniences” were being pushed onto this family. First a paved road through town, then cars, electricity, indoor plumbing, telephones, insurance agents, household appliances, television, department stores and credit cards.
I don’t want to give away the whole story, but Henry suddenly finds himself trapped: a slave to that which was supposed to liberate him, he had “prospered into poverty”. These “conveniences” that were supposed to bring them “the good things in life” really ended up taking away all that they had enjoyed about life.
I would love to go into more detail; believe me, I could go on and on. But I really want to encourage you to find this book somewhere and read it yourself. I have to warn you though, it will make you reconsider all that you think is so valuable in your own life. Adelia told me that after her husband read this book was when he decided to quit his blue collar job and they began living off the land.
Before I read this book I found myself wondering how Adelia could live without such things as a steady income and the internet. I thought to myself, “Wow, if she only had the internet it would be so much easier for her to find recipes and herbal remedies than sorting through all of her books.” Well, now I completely understand why they have chosen to live this way. And I have to say that her way of living, humbly, simply, is becoming more and more appealing to me.
I’m sure I will have much more to say on this topic of living more simply in the posts to come. But since this is just supposed to be a book review I’ll leave it at that. I do hope that you are able to read this thought provoking novel. A forewarning though, the ending chapters of the book are a little overwhelming, and I dare say even fanatical (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). I could only swallow so much of the author’s venting, but the story itself is enough to get your wheels turning.
I hope that you are able to share this challenging book with me. I’d love to hear your thoughts once you’ve read the book. How were you inspired? How did you see yourself in this story?
