Twelve by Twelve: A One-Room Cabin Off the Grid and Beyond the American Dream

My wish for everyone about to read this book is that they might keep their expectations and preconceptions to a minimum. Some reviewers here seem to have come to this book in anticipation of a detailed instruction manual on how to live off the grid. I would argue that this book is much more valuable and accessible precisely because it does not deal with details but rather with the spirit of honest reflection that is at the true heart of personal development. I can appreciate that the book is perhaps easily mistaken for one of many recent ecological/sustainability offerings, since much of the book concerns living with a smaller carbon footprint sans electricity, heating, etc. However, that is all the price of admission into deeper contemplations. This book is a conservationist work in the sense that Gandhi's work is inherently conservationist, or why intelligent business practice is inherently conservationist--it looks to the roots of why we even need conservationists in the first place; what is it that leads people to think in such short-sighted terms as to knowingly guarantee their own extinction by plundering their resources in exchange for a way of life that doesn't lead to happiness anyway? The answer to that is fundamentally connected to the reasons why we pursue other futile solutions to problems, and is even connected to the fact that we as humans believe that there are such things as problems in the first place.The author initially has many questions about how to go about saving the world, how to be more green, how to take a hot shower without heat. Dr. Jackie Benton, the author's mentor and owner of the 12x12, is for the most part quiet when it comes to answering him. Questions are universal, but answers are limiting and inhibiting. The intriguing thing about this book is that it won't make a lot of sense to many Americans because it is speaking precisely to that American condition of consumerist apathy. It may very well be like lucidly talking about mania to a manic individual, or about quitting drugs to someone who is already strung out. What helps is the author's own honesty. I disagree with other reviewers who say the author is preachy. He asks his own questions, and I must say he shows a high degree of integrity and clarity in doing so. He clearly wishes his readers to reflect for themselves; otherwise he might have just written simple instructions on how to live life the way he sees fit without all the probing discussion.This is now my favorite book. I think it's a work to be celebrated and commended. Its subtlety is utterly satisfying and the writing is excellent but accessible and understated. This book moves beyond the anxiety we all have been feeling with regards to how our western lifestyles directly impact the lives of the rest of the planet's people, because anxiety and guilt are not going to help anybody. Anxiety and guilt are egocentric in the sense that you are focused on your own faults and mistakes; habitually thinking about oneself is vanity in its broadest sense; if you're thinking of yourself, you can't be thinking about helping others. Guilt is a trick the mind plays on the self in order to prolong inaction. Twelve By Twelve is a fine compass to hold in one's hand as we each attempt to cross the border into a more authenticate and fulfilled existence.

I bought this book on impulse just because the title and the idea it espoused intrigued me. I have been trying hard to simplify my daily life, and in the back of my mind I've always been fascinated by the idea of living off the grid in a peaceful meadow. I mean, who hasn't? I was hoping this book would be about the practical aspects of doing exactly that.This book is short on actual off-grid living techniques (buy a solar shower - got it) and long on new-age, eco-spiritual diatribe. The worshipful observation of spider webs and asparagus is obviously something that the author enjoys indulging in, and its hard to find fault in him for enjoying such simple pleasures. He writes well enough that at times I kind of wished I could have been there with him.Where things veer off into irrelevance are the lengthy, preachy homilies on what essentially amounts to the politics of human activity on ecology, some of which is highly subjective and contradictory.He laments the destruction of the rainforest while flying over it in a helicopter; in fairness he loathes himself for doing so. He admirably advocates non-cooperation with the state when it suits his worldview, but then turns and rejoices in `mandatory' state edicts that force children to take classes on the evils of corporate advertising. (I guess he's ok with using the guns of government, as long as they are pointed at people who don't think like he does). He laments logging and vilifies carbon and 'greenhouse gasses' but ignores the fact that his idyllic forest homestead should - very naturally - be reduced to a smouldering heap of carbon while filling the air with millions of tons of CO2 somewhere around every 50 years due to naturally occurring forest fires.In a pinnacle moment, he shares a belly laugh with a Gambian tribesman about the absurd American obsession with progress and development but neglects to mention that the current life expectancy of Gambians is a meager 55 years while in the US its 78 years, entirely due to innovation and development. I guess its hard to see the value of 20+ years of human life by looking through the window of a 12x12 shack.I fully understand that any author has to take a certain perspective on things and that its impossible to be entirely objective about any given topic. But when subjectivity is ladled out so thick that it drips with myopic lopsidedness it usually detracts from my reading experience.As the book carries on, it becomes less and less about living off the grid and increasingly more about the `awfulness' of the current human experience. There are tedious sections about the evils of North Carolina racism reinforced with anecdotes gleaned from the author's extensive observations of grocery store parking lots. Somehow, no matter what the problem is, the author always boils it down to the current corporate-driven human disconnection from the earth. Its a one-course meal served in a series of fragrant 12x12 helpings, drenched in a subtle sauce of guilt, anxiety and thinly veiled self-righteousness. For desert you get a plate of questionable optimism; it can all work out ... provided we all start to think alike and run our behavior through an author approved eco-filter.If you blindly embrace all of the unstated assumptions that form the foundation of the philosophy of this book, you'll probably find it delightful; just assume the planet is on its last legs, primitive tribalism is better than what you experience every day, and that your primary hobby should be admiring the leaf structure of home-grown broccoli. Just don't question the assumptions this book makes about the nature of reality and perhaps you'll be able to uncover a nugget or two about living off the grid.

Having grown up during the 1930's on a farm that had no electricity and no running water I have experienced the life that Bill Powers lived in that 12 x 12 cabin. Our house was probably 700 sq ft and we had 10 people living in that house. We lived off the land, growing vegetables to eat, and killed hogs and calves, and chickens for meat. I milked cows every morning before I went to school and at night too. We gathered eggs to eat when the chicken would lay them. It was a simple life but a hard life. We all worked in the fields in the summers. We never had a vacation. When we moved on the farm in 1936 my father didn't have a car. We moved to the farm from another farm in a wagon with mules. I was four years old.There are pros and cons about this kind of life. It is a simple life to live off the land, but it is a hard life that I don't to repeat. I am 78 years old and I think back to those days, and would take electricity and running water any time! But there has to be a way we can have some of both lives. I don't want the Tyson Chicken farms. I buy my eggs from a local farmer and my vegetables and berries and fruits when I can get them, from local farmers. I buy meat from a small town meat market who buys grass fed meat...local ranchers..and I see the cattle on the farms around here grazing in the fields and it makes me feel good. I buy milk from a local dairy that does not add hormones to the mild. I pay more for it, but I love the taste and I know it is pure.There is way to live a simple life. You just have to make up your mind how to do it!I liked the book and I liked how Bill Powers intertwines his personal life into the narrative of writing about global warming, permaculture and the environment.Lois Zook Wauson

So.. I bought this book expecting it to be about the title...Nope.. utter garbage, it is mostly about the author himself, banging on about how he gently flows his fingers through Leah's hair, watching her eyes twinkle like diamonds... it's more of a Mills & BoonTerrible, seriously up to page 137 and I have had enough.. time to use this to keep the house warm and chuck it on the fire..What I was expecting was a book about what life is like in the 12x12, not the authors relationship with Leah or Liberians, or his time in Bolivia...

its mainly about the writer and his memoirs ,more than living in a 12x 12. disappointed read only bits of information on what it was like.

Loved this book, read it over a timespan of only 2 days! I also believe many people should read this book, because it holds many lessons that (unfortunately) too many people could learn a lot from. Apart from that it's just really beautiful.

As a student of sociology, I found this book fascinating. It doesn't necessarily touches on 'new' things (at least not for me), but for some reason, it opened a whole new world that I ignored existed in such a big scale out there...it also gave me HOPE. This book introduces you to the small house movement, off the grid and simplicity living, sustainability and living with just enough, and many other subjects such as where our money is put when we pay taxes, how we raise our children and what is the purpose of our lives...these are things we need to think about, no matter our political or philosophical views, as no matter how we think, we are all part of this world here and now...therefore responsible for what will be of it when we are not here anymore...A book that does this is, for me, an excellent book. I did not pay that much attention to the personal journey the author was describing, although I respect his journey as I respect anybody's journey as long as it is honest. His journey was, for me, the set up of scenery when you really want to talk about something more important, and I think William does an excellent job, as we are being introduced gradually into each new concept, as we were walking there with him. This book makes you think, whether you like what he proposes or not.I finished the book in about two weeks, even when fully dedicated my entire time to read it (Christmas holidays). And I took my time because each chapter brought a new discovery. So I stopped and googled each new concept, name or idea, to find out even more.For those who criticized the author for having a child and not living with her (I myself rather live without a father than with an un-involved, negligent or abusive one, and William seems to be a loving and caring father who is always there for his child): some readers forget that that decision wasn't only his (there was also a mother). Some commenters tried to get personal asking who pays for his trips: he has worked for the World Policy Institute and other international aid organizations, and they are usually non-profit and are funded by donations and government's help. I rather put my money into these efforts than into weapons.The thing we forget is that this book is not that about William Powers himself but about the choices we make, and about re-thinking them as a society. There are certain choices that can't be left to the individual: polluting the Earth and killing all the resources at once is irresponsible and selfish, no matter what is your political colour or your cultural background. Thinking that the US (or any other country) has to continue spending public money in nuclear or any other type of weapons, just because other countries do the same is childish. If we all think that way, then I have to imagine that destroying the whole planet is much better, like the type of thinking some men have: "if you are not mine, you are nobody's, then I'll kill you to make sure you won't "belong" to anybody else"...there has to be another way to avoid wars than making more powerful weapons...why not put all that money to encourage creative people to think about an alternative solution? And let's face it, all this happens because we still continue thinking in terms of "us" and "them" and in terms of countries as they have existed forever and are written in stone...well, they are not!Powers doesn't go too far on certain subjects, such as immigration or cultural diversity, and I may have different ideas on whether developed countries people are happier or "better" as a culture. He does seem to idolize in a way the concepts of freedom, healthy laziness and happiness from some of those called 'underdeveloped' countries, but I respect that he doesn't ignore the pain, inequality, corruption and complexity living in these countries, not all is related to the world becoming flat.... These subjects are too complex to be analyzed in a book like this one, but I appreciate the fact that he was honest and courageous enough to bring them up, knowing how controversial they are. Again, this is a book that makes you think and what I call a book of resources: it has more material to explore than many 'specialized' sociology books I've read. Actually, I would use this book as a side reading for any introduction to sociology course.I have to confess that I won't live at a 12 x 12 off the grid cabin, I have a family and way of life that wouldn't allow, at least for now, to make those changes. However, I have started making small changes to my life, inspired in it, and I'm sure these changes will lead to bigger ones and will inspire others as William's book has inspired me. I have also reinforced values and opinions on many things.If you are at the right moment in your life, this book may be what you need to start re-thinking your values, projects and purpose, not just as an individual, but as part of something bigger. You may not like some passages, but again, this is a book whose value is making you think...

Loved this book for so many reasons mentioned in the previous review. Leaves you with a feeling of hope, and desire for increased simplicity. Contemplations and concepts linger long after the final page. Friends I have lent the book to agree. I now live in a 20/16 cabin and seek to say ‘enough’ each day in my large and small choices to the more-ish tendencies of our culture when I am tempted with excess and unnecessary accumulation and want beyond my needs. Not always an easy feat but a new habit in the making with practice. Thank you and Bravo William!