This book would not be out of place on the coffee table. In fact, if you’re one of those people who are best inspired by visual stimulus, then Sheherazade Goldsmith’s book A slice of organic life, will be just up your (eco)street. The beautiful photographs are published alongside simple instructions on how to get your little bit of the good life, even if you live in the city and don’t have a garden. While if you’re a smallholder who has designs on self-sufficiency, this book has something for you too.
Sheherazade’s book is split into three sections, the first part being for the aspiring greenie without a garden at all, then a section for those with a tiny bit of space, like a balcony, roof-garden or small garden, and finally, a section on going green with a reasonable sized garden, community garden or field. It’s the sort of book you can dip into whenever you’re looking for inspiration, rather that one that needs to be read from cover to cover. Today you may be planting salad seedlings on your windowsill, and tomorrow might see you down in the field with some cows. Sheherazade covers do-it-yourself natural toiletries, natural child-rearing, growing your own food, making jam and preserves, and composting and recycling. There’s a lot of information in this book, and all presented with such style. It will have the most hardened commerciaholic sorting through the recycling and growing raspberries before they know it, because an organic life can indeed be glamorous too.
Sheherazade Goldsmith is the wife of environmentalist and Ecologist editor of Zac Goldsmith. She grew into her role as environmentalist when she became a mother and is now leading the way with her book, teaching us that it’s the little things that we do that can make a big difference.
This book would make a great gift for someone who’s always been a little too glam to go green.