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A review by opinionsofawolf
Homesick: Why I Live in a Shed by Catrina Davies
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
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Review:
I appreciated the honesty in this book depicting a counter-cultural life in a shed (not zoned for housing in the UK). I learned a lot about the current state of housing in the UK. I think that sometimes with the NHS and the dole, the UK can seem more advanced in caring for everyone than the US but this book revealed the inequities in housing.
That said, I do wish the author demonstrated a bit more insight into her own privilege - she only can live in the shed because her father bought and paid for it. There is intergenerational assistance and provision here, even if she doesn't recognize it as such. Similarly, she is very fond of Thoreau, but doesn't recognize that he only could live on Walden Pond in the way he did because of his own family's wealth and his Harvard connections. I'm not saying that it's the same thing as having a trust fund handed to you, but it's also not the same thing as her friends who squat in sheds of their own making on public land.
Check out my full review.
Review:
I appreciated the honesty in this book depicting a counter-cultural life in a shed (not zoned for housing in the UK). I learned a lot about the current state of housing in the UK. I think that sometimes with the NHS and the dole, the UK can seem more advanced in caring for everyone than the US but this book revealed the inequities in housing.
That said, I do wish the author demonstrated a bit more insight into her own privilege - she only can live in the shed because her father bought and paid for it. There is intergenerational assistance and provision here, even if she doesn't recognize it as such. Similarly, she is very fond of Thoreau, but doesn't recognize that he only could live on Walden Pond in the way he did because of his own family's wealth and his Harvard connections. I'm not saying that it's the same thing as having a trust fund handed to you, but it's also not the same thing as her friends who squat in sheds of their own making on public land.
Check out my full review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder