the fifth sacred thing

good book

bj just finished reading this, and i finished it a few weeks ago. i had started it a few years ago, but for one reason or another, didn't get very far. but recently, a friend mentioned it and said how it had really opened some things up for her. so i took the opportunity to give it another shot, and i'm very glad i did. i loved it. and now i want to be a witch... no seriously.

the book is written by starhawk, a well-known figure in the bay area. she teaches permaculture, earth-based spirituality, wicca/magic and activism among other things. i met her while i was in new orleans last year working on a community garden project. but i hadn't read anything of hers, nor did i really know much about her. now i sort of regret that i didn't take more opportunities to talk to her and learn more about her projects and philosophies.

the book is a utopian/dystopian fiction set in san francisco and california in 2048. it is 20 years after an apocalypse and san francisco has emerged and rebuilt as an ecotopian society existing in resistance to and at the margins of a fundamentalist/totalitarian state.

one of the things i thought was really interesting and well done, was the plausibility and relevance of the depiction of both the utopian and the dystopian elements. the good stuff was really inspiring, and illuminated for me compelling possibilities: personally, socially, and philosophically. the ugly stuff seemed prescient and all too realistic; echoing current trends here in the u.s. like increased erosion of civil liberties, the rise of fundamentalist christianity, and wide-scale environmental destruction.

overall, i really recommend it. especially if you're looking for a good novel that sucks you in and makes you want to keep reading. and if anyone wants to borrow a copy, ours is available;)