Caveat, I am not the intended audience for this book.  I really was just looking for gardening tips and maybe some canning how-to.  I found that and more.  Some useful, selecting fruits to grow or making preserves and cheeses.  Some way beyond my ken, constructing a house out of straw bales or creating a waste water system out of sand and reeds.  Some horrifying, composting toilets and castrating livestock.  While I would like to be less wasteful and become more self-reliant, I enjoy be connected to the grid and love, love, love clean and safe water.  And toilets that do not require me to carry them out to the garden.  Definitely no toting my own waste.