I went into Ecotopia not expecting much in the way of serious character studies or deeds of derring-do. What I expected was a typical utopian/dystopian novel where the author focuses on describing the virtues or faults of their imagined society at the relative expense of all else; and I wasn’t disappointed.I was pleasantly surprised, however, at how well the novel read.It’s constructed as a series of articles and diary entries written by William Weston, the first American (officially) allowed to enter Ecotopia, the nation created 20 years previously by the secession of Washington, Oregon and northern California. The articles describe Ecotopian society, which is based around the ideal of a sustainable, modern society radically different from the growth-oriented, extractive society we’re currently saddled with. The diary chronicles William’s immersion in Ecotopian life and culminates in a near-religious epiphany, where he realizes he can’t return to the United States.Strictly speaking, Ecotopia is neither a utopia nor a dystopia. It’s quite clear which society Callenbach prefers but there are numerous instances where the narrative points out the problems that persist in this new society, and the struggle to achieve a constantly shifting balance. And there are some aspects that may be problematic to the reader:Segregation of races/cultures (side effect [in the book] of the drive toward decentralization and regionalism)Ritual warfare (though compare Ursula K. Le Guin's Always Coming Home or the Wild Continents of Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men/Star Maker)Moving too far toward communalism? (for which I’m personally ill-suited but which seems preferable to the ultra-atomization of modern culture)Continued flirtation with nuclear powerCallenbach’s effort doesn’t attempt to explain Ecotopia’s economy or schools or social relationships in great detail but it does compel readers (whatever bias they bring to the book) to think about the costs that our consumption-driven, growth-oriented, violent culture extracts from both people and planet. (I will admit that the author is preaching to the choir in my case - given the choice, I would happily emigrate.)Not “highly” recommended, perhaps, but definitely recommended if your interested in the utopia/dystopia genre or environmental concerns.
This is one of the most important books ever written -- no joke. Callenbach, writing in the early-mid 1970s, imagines that Washington, Oregon, and Northern California have seceded from the Union to form Ecotopia, a new nation based on "stable-state" (today, we call it "sustainable") practices in manufacturing, agriculture, construction, transportation -- the whole gamut. Some of Callenbach's ideas are dated, and feel like they should have been -- and were -- left behind in the 70s. This is a novel, but its structure is a gimmick, really. The protagonist is Will Weston, a reporter for the New York Times-Post who is the first American to travel to Ecotopia, nineteen years after secession. Half the chapters are his formal reports for the newspaper, the other half -- in italics -- are his personal journals. The formal reports lay out how the society runs -- this is the more important stuff in the novel. The journals cover Weston's inner conflict -- he is very skeptical of the whole thing, but the lumberjack girl with the "animal" sexuality, well, she breaks that down a bit. These chapters sometimes devolve into puerile hippie sex fantasy. This isn't just an ecological utopia, but the Full Berkeley -- free love, ganjaburning on the high-speed mag-lev train from Tahoe to SF (suck it, Bobby Jindal!), even a 1:1 nurse-patient ratio in hospitals, complete with happy ending. Much of what's here we take for granted today, at least in San Francisco -- sorted recycling bins (check), biodegradable plastics (check), round-the-bay electric rail link (check), female political leadership (Boxer -- check! Feinstein -- check! Pelosi -- check!) legal marijuana and a Market Street closed to cars and replanted with trees (coming soon!)What's so incredible is that I last taught this book maybe in 2002 -- and much, much more of reality has aligned with Callenbach's vision since. Ecotopia is, for environmentalists, what Star Trek has been to physicists and astronomers and astronauts since just a few years earlier -- the map that points the way to the next frontier. Read it, and read Obama's recent joint address to Congress. Start at "it begins with energy" on page 3 of the NYT transcript, linked below: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/us/...Ratings: five stars for the vision, three for the fiction.
Do You like book Ecotopia (1990)?
Northern California, Oregon, and Washington secede from the US. What's not to like? Five stars for imagination, given that this was written back in the 70s. This is a flawed masterpiece, an original vision that sticks to the inside of your head (OK my head) for decades. Callenbach shows us an alternative to the corporate- and profit-dominated world we live in now. Having read the book, I can't hear pundits talk about rising GDP and the need to increase our standard of living without wondering whether all economic hocus-pocus is hooey. And that's a good thing. That said, other reviewers have rightly said that the book is sexist, racist, and naive. I imagine it is, and I hate to think what influence it may have had on my adolescent mind back then. On the other hand, millions of us boomers survived the animated Peter Pan only to shudder in horror when showing it to our children.
—Tim
This is about how the West Coast, that bastion of enlightenment, manages to break away from the rest of the Union. Callenbach was apparently as ignorant of history as Governor Rick Perry. Ah, but that isn't the intentional/unintentional irony. It's that I couldn't be sure if Ecotopia was supposed to be a Utopia or a Dystopia. I think the former, and to me that was the irony. For this ecologically perfect community of free hot tub love is the heavy hand of the State. Those who didn't fit into this community were like the residents of Beta 2 who were "not of the body." Callenbach is apparently unaware of the groupthink involved in creating such a culture. This is a dystopia with a pretty face, like Walden 2 or Brave New World.
—Rob Springer
I've wanted to read this book ever since moving to the west coast 16 years ago. When I moved to Washington, this book seemed to be part of the subconscious feeling that you were in another country, akin to the Texas spirit.The story is that 20 years after a secession, a reporter goes to visit the new country of Ecotopia, comprised of Washington, Oregon, and NorCal.Long on ideas, short on good writing, the book's strength is the ideas centered around sustainable living and total biosphere economics, many of which are sadly still cutting edge. Its major weakness is its awful social ideas, rooted deeply in the west coast hippy movement. It's all primal scream therapy, pseudo tribalism, and painfully white. In fact, race is the book's gravest failing. In essence, by starting from the notion of a secession, the author admits that racial harmony won't work (good thing the areas that secede are mostly white), and races should basically get their own homelands. Black people get Oakland, which is renamed... Soul City. Not kidding.Overall, an interesting but not essential read.
—Diego González
