{"title":"Thought-Provoking Nonfiction","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"fire-the-landscaper-book-phil-m-williams-9781943894000","title":"Fire the Landscaper","description":"\u003cb\u003eRarely does a gardening book raise eyebrows, let alone hell.-Diana Morse\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFire the Landscaper\u003c\/i\u003e is a biting critique of current landscape design and maintenance practices. The book explores the health risks, cultural biases, origins, and the insults to Mother Nature caused by our culturally backed, legally enforced obsession with artificial representations of nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe author, Phil Williams, is a former owner of a successful lawn and landscape company. He exposes the waste, fraud, and downright ridiculousness of an industry focused solely on aesthetics. Through his subsequent training as a permaculture designer, he offers many practical solutions aligned with nature to increase the health and productivity of landscapes, and the world by extension, while simultaneously reducing the workload of upkeep.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat readers are saying.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRarely does a gardening book raise eyebrows, let alone Hell. Phil M. Williams' Fire the Landscaper sounds a battle cry defending private property, homesteading and chemical-free living -- weeds and all. A former landscaping mogul, Williams exposes the industry's practice of over-fertilizing and over-mowing lawns, a cycle driven by homeowners chained to such maintenance by Home Owner's Association (HOA) rules or a keeping up with the Joneses mentality. Williams also discusses questionable landscaper design and pricing practices, to educate consumers about what they're really paying for, from below-grade trees and shrubs to the lack of permaculture-style plantings that can provide food as well as aesthetics. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePart biography, part instruction manual for turning lawns into natural and productive garden-spaces, Williams describes the pride and pitfalls of homesteading. From living with nosy neighbors who can't get their heads out of their mole-holes long enough to understand perfect lawns require plant killing toxins that impact land for generations, to downright mean folks who can't comprehend that so-called weeds are often edible, and necessary for healthy soil. For the intrepid homesteader, it seems, fighting City Hall often comes with nature-led land management. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWilliams bucks the system with style, however, and digresses from instructor to insider often. His stories includes a satisfyingly lurid dream sequence worthy of Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here guaranteed to make the reader want to start an illegal mulch pile immediately. Damn the HOA, full speed ahead  After all, it's your property, right? -Diana Morse ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMr. Williams had me in tears a few time with his rich descriptions, story telling, and simplistic revelations of truth to a simpler, richer way of living. A definite MUST READ for everyone - and I mean everyone. -Terri R. ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs much about life as it is about the lawn, Fire the Landscaper is a quick and very timely read about the organized destruction of our ecosystems one yard at a time. - T. Hall ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGreat book, I went through it in an evening. Mr Williams does an excellent job using real life examples to paint the picture of where we are, where were going, and where we could go. I wish I could stand on a corner and hand this out. - Matt M. ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat an awesome book  Its great to have a book out there that challenges the cultural norms head on. It exposes the practices of the lawn care industry, and how toxic and wasteful it is for our environment. It definitely inspired me to get out there and grow some food in my yard instead of just mowing down my weeds, i mean grass...no weeds. A big thank you to Mr. Williams for writing this spectacular book  - Desiree H. ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is one of the few books I have actually read in its entirety for many years. If you are one that seeks after true nature, this is the book for you. I can't wait to read his future works. - Aaron ★★★★★","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49574032834833,"sku":"GOR013723822","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50403492659473,"sku":"CIN1943894000G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51170500542737,"sku":"NIN9781943894000","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53337848054033,"sku":"CIN1943894000VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1943894000.jpg?v=1751282568"},{"product_id":"propaganda-project-book-phil-m-williams-9781943894185","title":"The Propaganda Project","description":"\u003cb\u003eWhat if it's all a lie?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSince birth, human beings are bombarded by propaganda from the media, religion, schooling, government, culture, and even our friends and family. How do we know our thoughts are really our own? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a world of infinite information and propaganda screaming at us from every direction, the truth is of paramount importance to our mental health, and can be a matter of life and death for every person on this planet. In \u003ci\u003eThe Propaganda Project\u003c\/i\u003e, I expose the tricks of the propagandist-the tricks needed to legitimize the illegitimate, to make us think up is down, black is white. I dig deep into the muck to extract the truth about government, and the financial interests pulling the strings. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e I hope you'll open your mind and journey with me into the belly of the beast. For the rest of you, don't worry, the best slaves think they're free. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat readers are saying.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eI really liked your book, as with everything else you write it was thoughtful, well written and well presented. I've edited a number of 'political' books in recent months and I think your book was the best by far. Your arguments were coherent, persuasive and well sourced. Your use of personal anecdote is very good and it really brings this book to life. The opening section about your dad sets the scene and really pulls the reader into the book. Your referencing is well positioned and well presented. I come across so many books that just present facts with no evidential support. Your use of references really helps to build trust in what you have to say. -Gary Smailes, Editor \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRarely these days does one have the opportunity to read something completely honest. Phil Williams has done it here and I applaud the risks he took to write it. - AZ ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThought opening, dogma bashing, recommended reading, but be warned, your certainties will lose their footing. - Miroslav ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book is unlike any other I have read. - Texaspup ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is one of the best, most documented, and easy to understand books I've ever read on propaganda  - Kendra M. ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOne of the most thought-provoking books I've ever read  It opened my eyes to a much broader perspective of the world and it's workings. - D'Arcy P. ★★★★★ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTruth. Truth. Truth. - Mindy W. ★★★★★","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50395561656593,"sku":"CIN1943894183G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50577966203153,"sku":"GOR013378285","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":50993547313425,"sku":"NIN9781943894185","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1943894183.jpg?v=1751314804"},{"product_id":"you-matter-more-than-you-think-book-phil-m-williams-9781943894949","title":"You Matter More Than You Think","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThrough his detailed investigations of flora and fauna, Gaumy devises an innovative view of Monet's Giverny garden\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eClaude Monet's garden at Giverny is famous the world over for its water lily pond, which gave rise to some of the artist's most dazzling paintings. Magnum photographer Jean Gaumy (born 1948) has had privileged access to Monet's garden for many years, allowing him to conduct photographic research inspired by his love of science and botany. Drawing from the joy he experienced in his family's garden while young, he has sought to re-create that childhood curiosity and sense of wonder through photography that is both abstract and naturalistic. Jean Gaumy's \u003ci\u003eGiverny\u003c\/i\u003e is not an atlas of forms, but rather a photographic experiment in documenting nature from different angles. 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