Paragraphs from a notebook -- The commerce of violence -- A forest conversation -- Local economies to save the land and the people -- Less energy, more life -- Caught in the middle -- On receiving one of the Dayton Literary Peace Prizes -- Our deserted country -- For the 50-year farm bill -- On being asked for "a narrative for the future."

"In this new collection of [ten] essays, Berry confronts head-on the necessity of clear thinking and direct action. Never one to ignore the present challenge, he understands that only clearly stated questions support the understanding their answers require. For more than fifty years we've had no better spokesman and no more eloquent advocate for the planet, for our families, and for the future of our children and ourselves." --Provided by publisher.