New Titles by Chip Kussmaul-The Radical Individualist
Just a little shameless self-promotion. Interesting summer reading for both you and friends.
2084 The Reawakening
In 2084 all is peace and harmony. Dissent is a forgotten relic of the past. But can new ideas and individual thought be permanently suppressed? Should they be?
When a person feels senselessly isolated, even among fellow workers and classmates, what can they do?
When living every day seems more like following a script than living a life, what can they do?
When a society is focused on conformity, what place is there for an individual with their own thoughts?
In 2084, society has achieved the dream of peace and harmony. No one disagrees. No one dares.
But then, one person dared to question...
“I think back to those years, in school. It seems almost like another lifetime, but really not so long ago. We are all taught in school about working for the common good. And I believe that; believed it then, believe it now. But what is the common good? The Thought Leaders explain it all in the Manifesto, which they revise to keep up with the latest developments.
It makes so much sense. Everything is carefully considered and planned so that We the People can act in unison to achieve the greatest good. And I am part of this, or was, …”
Trilogy-Passages From Life Stories in the Time of Slavery
Nineteenth century America fascinates me. We all know about the issues of slavery. Most know at least a little about the civil war. Yet this is one of the most significant centuries in the history of man, of which slavery is only a part, albeit a significant one. It is the century when the industrial revolution truly took hold. Ways of life were continually changing, generally improving. The concept of the individual as an autonomous person and not just a subject of the ruling class was beginning to take hold. And that naturally led to critical examination of slavery.
Slavery was justifiable to an aristocratic class that had been for generations comfortable with ruling over others. They typically felt benevolent in their oversight of the lower classes in general, not just slaves. On the other hand, there were those who were developing a fierce sense of individual liberty previously unknown in the world, and largely unattainable prior to the industrial revolution.
TRILOGY consists of passages from three autobiographical books by people of that time.
Cornelia Randolph was the aristocratic daughter of a plantation owner who owned hundreds of slaves.
Solomon Northup was a free black man who had been kidnapped into slavery for a period of twelve years.
Albion Tourgee had been a Northern officer in the civil war, moving to the South after the war, becoming a carpetbagger.
None of these three knew each other personally, but they share the times. They are a window into those times.
Elysian Place-A Family Renovation
Elysian Place, A Family Renovation is not so much a how-to book as it is an illustrated idea book. In it, the book shows photos with descriptions and thoughts concerning the renovation of a rundown Italianate Victorian house while blending two families into one. Chip Kussmaul is a skilled tradesman and business owner, now retired. He spent the better part of forty years renovating Elysian Place. This he did in between operating his architectural woodworking business and working with his wife, Jan, to raise their combined four children.
The book provides design ideas and progress photos that show how things are done. It contains photos of some of the author's non-architectural woodworking efforts, including the production of replacement wood bodies for old woodie station wagons. It also hopefully provides inspiration to those who see daunting renovations and other challenges in front of them. Whatever it is, it can be done. But it takes perseverance and commitment, whether it be the renovation of a house into a home, or the building of a family.
This avid reader~without shame~highly recommends these publications of talented, subtly clever author Chip Kussmaul ! Bravo Mr. Chip !!
Patricia