Reviews for Eden Within Eden: Oregon's Utopian Heritage

The average rating for Eden Within Eden: Oregon's Utopian Heritage based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-08-06 00:00:00 Marco Rossi This book is a good overview of communes and intentional communities in Oregon. It has a truly amazing appendix and foot notes ( The appendix, footnotes and index total 184 pages. The book from "Introduction" through "Conclusions" is 186 pages.) I was particularly interested in the communes in my neighborhood and was hoping they would be covered in some detail. Unfortunately, though the appendix mentions 4 of them, the text only discussed one (Alpha Farm). Though I could not quibble with the accuracy of what James Kopp wrote, it seemed to just barely scratch the surface. The really impressive appendix lists nearly 300 communities which is way more than could be covered in any depth in a book of this length. Still, I wish the author had found a way to write about Oregon Utopian efforts in a way that gave a real feel for what many were like. In addition to chapters on some of the early Utopian efforts, I would have liked long chapters, each featuring a type of community from the 1960's and 70s: urban, rural, religious, lesbian and political, including what they have evolved into. Perhaps the personal conflicts and history of living a little outside the law make it impractical to profile most of the groups that still exist in modified forms today.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-02-26 00:00:00 Mark Smith This is an overview of what is known about Oregon's Utopian intentional communities. The subjects that are chosen for emphasis are eclectic. The writing is academic with a lot about what we don't know, trying to establish definitions, characterizing various movements and themes and quoting and paraphrasing sources. So it comes out a little dry. It is basically a stepping-off point for further study. And it includes an appendix full of information and is well-annotated for those looking to do so. I don't think that the last chapter on Portland as Utopia based on its city and regional planning really adds to the book and has been covered more thoroughly in other sources. I am ready for some of the fiction based on these communes that Kopp cites.