Description
Named after English radical John Ruskin, the utopian socialist community of the Ruskin Co-operative Affiliation used to be founded in 1893 simply fifty miles west of Nashville, Tennessee. Bakker (English, Utah State U.) and Butler (formerly English, U. of Connecticut) present an off-the-cuff general introduction to the history of the community, according to traditional historical sources and the reminiscences of Butler’s overdue husband, a descendant of community members. Topics come with education, gender politics, the community’s response to the Spanish-American war, and the strain between more recent and older members over questions of materialism and sexual morality. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)