Commoning was a way of life for most of our ancestors. In Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good, author Heather Menzies journeys to her roots in the Scottish Highlands, where her family lived in direct relation with the land since before recorded time.
Beginning with an intimate account of unearthing the heritage of the commons and the real tragedy of its loss, Menzies offers a detailed description of the self-organizing, self-governing, and self-informing principles of this nearly forgotten way of life, including its spiritual practices and traditions. She then identifies pivotal commons practices that could be usefully revived today. A final "manifesto" section pulls these facets together into a unified vision for reclaiming the commons, drawing a number of current popular initiatives into the commoning frame, such as local food security, permaculture, and the Occupy Movement.
An engaging memoir of personal and political discovery, Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good combines moving reflections on our common heritage with a contemporary call to action, individually and collectively; locally and globally. Readers will be inspired by the book's vision of reviving the commons ethos of empathy and mutual respect, and energized by her practical suggestions for connection people and place for the common good.
Heather Menzies is an award-winning writer and scholar and member of the Order of Canada. She is the author of nine books, including Whose Brave New World? and No Time.

Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good

History

Menzies, Heather

Historical Study & Educational Resources

New Society Publishers

Everyone agrees: there aren’t enough hours in the day. But what happened to the promise that technology would provide more leisure time? Instead, everyone is working harder and longer than they did 15 years ago, squeezed and scattered and stressed to the point of burnout. Coping with the dizzying pace of a society drowning in information overload, it’s a wonder anyone functions normally. Building on the success of Whose Brave New World? and Fastforward and Out of Control, Heather Menzies takes readers on a sobering tour of this troubling phenomenon, highlighting personal stories from a workaholic father and a woman suffering from chronic fatigue. Menzies details the root causes of the frantic quest to speed everything up; looks at the especially difficult situation for those such as teachers, nurses, and social workers who are responsible for social well being; and offers commonsense solutions to a problem affecting all of society.

No Time: Stress and the Crisis of Modern Life

Reference

Douglas&McIntyre

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Douglas and McIntyre (2013) Ltd.

Enter Mourning powerfully chronicles the author’s difficult journey through her mother's decline and death from an insidious condition. Heather Menzies and her siblings struggle as part of the sandwich generation that provides care for both their immediate family and their aging parents. From dismissing her mother’s dementia to moving her into a nursing home, Menzies must continuously shift her focus while dealing with difficult emotions raised by her brother and sister. Balancing poetic language and practical sensibilities, Enter Mourning limns a mother losing her grip on reality and a daughter coming to grips with her own as she chronicles her transformative journey from self-interested baby boomer to a slower, more rhythmic language of touch, gesture, and cadence.”

Enter Mourning

Mental Health

Buschekbooks

In this passionate and down-to-earth book, Heather Menzies-one of Canada's leading writers on technology and society-steers us through the jargon of the Information Highway, globalization and the Internet to grasp the moral and political issues at stake in the Brave New World of the new economy. Menzies offers positive suggestions for reviving public debate, and for a democratic renegotiation of the new economy and the Information Highway.

Whose Brave New World?: The Information Highway and the New Economy

Business & Money

Economics

Between the Lines

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Books by Menzies, Heather