Beyond the Sidewalks

Economists call the 1970s the “disastrous decade,” but those were the glory years for a doomsaying magazine editor and organic farmer and his family. Follow their adventures as they move from a homestead print shop on the edge of a small village (just beyond the sidewalks), to a working hog farm, to their dream homestead. Witness the joys of self-sufficient country living and a growing family business— and the harsh realities of both. Observe this life story against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world, as narrated by the young writer’s 76-year-old alter ego (“a has-been who never was”). This is history, autobiography, philosophy, a touch of humor, and a real-time glimpse of life on a small farm in the 1970s.