Take a reporter, a small town in western New Hampshire (Grafton), a libertarian utopian project (Free Town Project circa 2004-2019), mix in brooding forests, plenty of bears, and a whole mess of folks, and you have this book. It is a tale of free wheeling, radical idealism run amuck in rural New Hampshire where oddly enough, similar concepts seemed to be part of its history. So set back, grab a doughnut or two, plenty of beverages and dive into this world of bears, bears, and strange folk.
Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling breaks the story into three books (Verge of the Wild; Rugged Growth; and Boundless Ruins) with multiple chapters in each book. He has an interesting cast of characters telling bits of the story what with a logical libertarian, a very strange pastor, a bear fighting firefighter, a former Moonie, plus assorted other libertarians and townsfolk. Not to mention the bureaucracy of bears out in the woods eating doughnuts, stray cats and dogs, plus the occasional chicken. The story winds between the present and the past in the same manner that the roads of Grafton manage between clearing and forest.
A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear is the tale of a utopia gone awry as they so often do in the Northeast and the rest of America. Grand plans are all too often crushed when reality refuses to bend to wishful thinking. And even true believers will succumb to guilty pleasures such as paved roads, decent schools funded by local taxes, and bear patrols. But if you are interested in reading about libertarianism in the wild and the muck-up that ensues, be sure to pick up this title and enjoy yourself!
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