SKIP: A Book Connecting Industrious People with Land Owners by Paul Wheaton and Mike Haasl

I give this book 10 out of 10 acorns.

First off, how am I the first one to offer a review for this excellent book? I feel an undue self applied pressure to try and set the bar for a decent review! I will try my best. SKIP: A Book Connecting Industrious People with Land Owners written by Paul Wheaton and Mike Haasl is a physical paper trove of knowledge behind how the Permies SKIP program functions and the background to how the program came to be currently.

The writing is relaxed, feeling more like having a casual conversation, and it is quite a quick read if you really put your mind to it. This however is slowed due to the incredible illustrations throughout the book. I admit, I was worried that the book would be more of a boring how-to guide as I wasn't sure how you would spice up talking about each individual badge. I was pleasantly surprised all the things to observe and relate to the writing. The information lifted from both reading and appreciating the included art 'sticks' better in my mind.

This book is going to end up being one of my more worn books, I can already tell. I would get the needed information for my BB submissions from the forum online but I don't always carry my laptop where I am doing the work. A book is something I would rather bring out into the woods than a piece of sensitive technology. I will need to invest in a Permie inspired bookmark but it will be useful while conducting projects.

I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to develop their skills for being a little more self sustaining. I'm doing a lot of this BB work for fun, and I'm glad that I can support the creators of this program by buying the book and sharing the message with others.

I give this book 9.5 out of 10 acorns.

You might think this book is simply a duplicate of the SKIP program at Permies.com.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that. The introduction chapters do a good job of explaining the problem facing many landowners who have invested their lives improving a property and don't want to see their hard work razed and replaced with cul-de-sacs or strip malls. It also lays out the philosophy behind the SKIP system: Namely, that there is a cheaper and more mentally-healthy way to gain an education that will serve you well for the rest of your life.

Some might call this a DIY guide to "adulting" if such adulting is done right. Others might call it a nearly comprehensive "merit badge" catalog for gaining the permaculture equivalent of an Eagle Scout award, or a master's degree in practical skills. These skills won't make you a specialist in any field. They will make you a generalist in many fields. And that is a much more useful course to take. We should all strive to be generalists in a bunch of useful skills.

One thing the book lacks, however, is the extensive list of how-to videos and combox discussions available online at Permies. Used hand-in-hand, which you will want to, will fill that void.

I'm using the book as a record-keeping journal for my badge bits.

You need this book. You need to give a copy of this book to any young man or woman you know who seems to be adrift, glued to their phone, or even depressed by the trajectory of their life.

j

Maybe Paul will do a baker's dozen sale on SKIP once the promotion for BBIYB is over...

One can hope!

j

Jim Garlits wrote:I give this book 9.5 out of 10 acorns.

You might think this book is simply a duplicate of the SKIP program at Permies.com.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that. The introduction chapters do a good job of explaining the problem facing many landowners who have invested their lives improving a property and don't want to see their hard work razed and replaced with cul-de-sacs or strip malls. It also lays out the philosophy behind the SKIP system: Namely, that there is a cheaper and more mentally-healthy way to gain an education that will serve you well for the rest of your life.

Some might call this a DIY guide to "adulting" if such adulting is done right. Others might call it a nearly comprehensive "merit badge" catalog for gaining the permaculture equivalent of an Eagle Scout award, or a master's degree in practical skills. These skills won't make you a specialist in any field. They will make you a generalist in many fields. And that is a much more useful course to take. We should all strive to be generalists in a bunch of useful skills.

One thing the book lacks, however, is the extensive list of how-to videos and combox discussions available online at Permies. Used hand-in-hand, which you will want to, will fill that void.

I'm using the book as a record-keeping journal for my badge bits.

You need this book. You need to give a copy of this book to any young man or woman you know who seems to be adrift, glued to their phone, or even depressed by the trajectory of their life.

j