Holly Hogan

EN 102

04/09/18

Book Evaluation 3




One Straw Revolution by Mansonobu Fukuoka is an extraordinary book which can reshape one’s ideas on society and agriculture. In this book, Fukuoka is a farmer who decided to change the way farming is practiced. The man constructed a system, where he did the bare minimum and let nature take over. By not enhancing his crops, Fukuoka found that this was best and healthy. Fukuoka is a truly inspirational man, with a very free-spirited mindset about the world, food, and how we all connect.

Something In Fukuoka’s book which resonated with me is his viewpoints regarding the price of healthy, organic food and its accessibility to the general public. On page 91, he states that, “Furthermore, if natural foods are expensive, they become luxury foods and only rich people are able to afford them” (91). This is something that in American grocery stores we witness first-hand. Foods that are generally healthiest cost the most, and food that has very little nutritional value is easy to obtain. Similarly, high-end dining usually has all-natural courses, and fast-food is accessible to the average American.

This issue and others referenced in Fukuoka’s book are just some things that need a solution within society. The Idler’s Tom Hodgkinson praises Fukuoka’s writings, sayng, “Every now and then you read a book which is so inspiring and such a pleasure that you feel impelled to stride down the street shouting “read this!””. I agree with Hodgkinson, I want to share these wonderful ideas Fukuoka has. We can all learn from him, whether we farm or not.























Works Cited

Fukuoka, Masanobu. The One-Straw Revolution. New York, NY, The New York Review of Books, 1978.



New York Review Books, New York Review Books, https://www.nyrb.com/products/the-one-straw-revolution?variant=1094932353. Accessed 9 Apr. 2018.