No matter how many books on 'local economies' you have read, you will learn something new and eye-opening from Anthony Flaccavento. Starting with his own organizing efforts in Southwest Virginia, Flaccavento spins the colorful tales of successful grassroots economy-building in Appalachia and in small towns and low-income neighborhoods across the United States. There's so much inspiring material packed into these pages, I challenge anyone to read it and NOT want to buy from, invest in, or even start a local business in food, energy, or finance. This book will change readers' lives.
~Michael H. Shuman, author of The Local Economy Solution
There is a movement happening. The secret is that it is successful and has been going on for a long time—for American agriculture it started over 30 years ago with the 1980s farm crisis. All of us 'on the ground' owe Anthony a debt of gratitude, for he, as one of us, has paused for a moment from the work to capture the root causes, our community-led responses, and the path forward. In a world that is often full of despair, Anthony shares the growing hope that is more prevalent than acknowledged.
~Martin Richards, "recovering tobacco farmer" and Executive Director Community Farm Alliance
Flaccavento deftly weaves a big-picture vision for building a better economy—one that truly serves our needs and long-term well-being—with down-to-earth stories and practical tips for how to set these changes in motion within your own household and community.
~Stacy Mitchell, codirector of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and author of Big-Box Swindle
Building a Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up is an invaluable guidebook for those who seek to liberate their communities from colonial servitude to Wall Street and the money-seeking corporate robots that come only to take.
~David C. Korten, author of Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth
Flaccavento brings a completely unique perspective to economics, which is to say that he is both entertaining and factual. Economists generally aren't concerned with either. I recommend this book to those who have come to realize our country is running on fumes and who desire to explore what's next.
~Kimber Lanning, founder and director of Local First Arizona
The main achievement here is in synthesizing a literature that has been emerging for twenty or thirty years and doing so in a manner that is clear, readable, and effective.
~Paul B. Thompson, author of The Agrarian Vision: Sustainability and Environmental Ethics
Through a series of narratives and case studies, Flaccavento illustrates real stories of changes from the 'bottom up' that are initiated and led by community members. He weaves these stories into a cogent critique of how these economic policies have harmed middle- and lower-income Americans and further, how this large-scale economy has harmed community life.
~A. Whitney Sanford, author of Growing Stories from India: Religion and the Fate of Agriculture
This work will be considered current for a number of years, as the stories and examples are very up to date and seem to be on the cutting edge of knowledge and thinking in this area.
~John Ikerd, University of Missouri-Columbia
A blessing of a book. It is rich in stories and detail for the curious or discouraged and those seeking a strategy to move toward a sustainable and equitable future. Flaccavento excels as a storyteller, reporting on successful 'bottom-up' ventures and experiments in building new systems around food, energy, health services, worker ownership, community finance, and place-based arts and culture.
~YES! Weekly
Building a Health Economy from the Bottom Up is a timely book that fits well into the current political dialogue, offering a significant contribution to the field of rural community planning, and will have wide appeal among students and practitioners.
~Journal of Planning Education and Research
