Ferenc Máté
A Reasonable Life
Toward a Simpler, Secure, More Humane Existence"If 'in adversity is hidden opportunity,' then lurking around the corner must be the Mother of All Great Chances."
With our environment on its knees, our great myths and cities crumbling, Ferenc Máté argues in this passionate, darkly funny book that now is the time to begin our lives anew, on a more human scale. With our lust for mechanized "progress" we have damaged and endangered not only our planet but also our communities, families, and even friendships. He warns that our environmental movement by itself is as effective as "trying to stop a freight-train with a feather." He argues for fundamental change—by each of us. We must place simple human needs and the human spirit far ahead of material wealth. We must rethink our concepts of career, home life, habits, and what we call security and success. And we must resurrect our foundations: the small town, the family, and a dignified caring self. Only then will our earth become the paradise we once had and mistakenly took for granted.
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Ferenc Máté was born in Hungary and escaped after the revolution at the age of eleven. He grew up in Vancouver, and has lived in California, Paris, the Bahamas, and New York. He has worked on a railroad extra-gang and as a boatbuilder, photographer, deckhand, and book editor. His many books include the nautical bestsellers From a Bare Hull, Shipshape, and The World's Best Sailboats, as well as the acclaimed Autumn, A Reasonable Life, and The Hills of Tuscany. He lives with his wife and young son, tending his olives and vineyard, in an old farm house in the hills of Tuscany.
April / paper / ISBN 0-92025-636-8 / 256 pages / 5-1/2" x 8-1/4" / SELF-HELP
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