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Radio Free Vermont: A Fable of Resistance Hardcover – November 7, 2017

by Bill McKibben (Author)

4.3 382 ratings

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“We've got a long history of resistance in Vermont and this book is testimony to that fact.”
–Bernie Sanders

A book that's also the beginning of a movement, Bill McKibben's debut novel Radio Free Vermont follows a band of Vermont patriots who decide that their state might be better off as its own republic.

As the host of Radio Free Vermont--"underground, underpowered, and underfoot"--seventy-two-year-old Vern Barclay is currently broadcasting from an "undisclosed and double-secret location." With the help of a young computer prodigy named Perry Alterson, Vern uses his radio show to advocate for a simple yet radical idea: an independent Vermont, one where the state secedes from the United States and operates under a free local economy. But for now, he and his radio show must remain untraceable, because in addition to being a lifelong Vermonter and concerned citizen, Vern Barclay is also a fugitive from the law.

In Radio Free Vermont, Bill McKibben entertains and expands upon an idea that's become more popular than ever--seceding from the United States. Along with Vern and Perry, McKibben imagines an eccentric group of activists who carry out their own version of guerilla warfare, which includes dismissing local middle school children early in honor of 'Ethan Allen Day' and hijacking a Coors Light truck and replacing the stock with local brew. Witty, biting, and terrifyingly timely, Radio Free Vermont is Bill McKibben's fictional response to the burgeoning resistance movement.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Is it a surprise that the debut novel from one of our best-known environmental activists focuses on grassroots resistance? In backwoods Vermont, two radicals use an underground radio show to recruit people interested in seceding from the United States. What follows is a zany, witty, and altogether timely imagination of modern resistors.” – The Millions

"Timely..provoctative entertainment...McKibben's book may well be the lost sequel to Edward Abbey's The Monkey Wrench Gang..." – Kirkus Reviews

“rollicking…With a playful and quick-moving plot that belies the seriousness of the book’s environmental and political message, McKibben’s stirring call for recognizing the value and power of smallness in a globalized world makes for a vital and relevant fable.”  –Publishers Weekly

“Radio Free Vermont is a charming bit of artisanal resistance lit…what’s surprising is how well-crafted the book is overall; how unhokey its folksiness feels, and how true it’s observations ring.”–Jennifer Senior, The New York Times

“In a time when smart comedy is essential to survival, McKibben’s shrewdly uproarious and provocative fable of resistance is exhilarating.” –Booklist (starred review)

“Only Bill McKibben could set out to write his first novel and produce an addictive caper loaded with craft beer, contract spies, and chase scenes on cross-country skis! This is James-Bond-meets-A-Prairie-Home-Companion and no one but McKibben could pull it off. He does it with such heart, grace, wisdom and fun that I just couldn't put it down. A story as outrageous as our times.”
–Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine

"What a delicious pleasure to read Radio Free Vermont - a weird and utterly joyous if sometimes hair-raising romp through the dark Wonderland of life under Trump. Bill McKibben is a brilliant storyteller, and I love this book, which is balm for our troubled times."
–Jay Parini, author of The Last Station

“I hope no one secedes, but I also hope that Americans figure out creative ways to resist injustice and create communities where everybody counts. We've got a long history of resistance in Vermont and this book is testimony to that fact.”
–Bernie Sanders

"A lean, fantastical, swift-kick-in-the-pants of a read, Radio Free Vermont may not save the world — but it succeeds wildly in making the formidable prospect of resistance feel a bit more fun." –NPR.org

"A little comic story with a big political message" –The Washington Post

“In a time when many Americans feel alienated from the machinery of government, [this] is a message worth taking seriously.” –Book Page

“If busting loose from Washington sounds like a good idea to you, [RFV] makes for fun reading.”  –Oustide

“A stirring reminder of the importance of loving our home, working with the people around us to figure out what we want that home to look like in the future, and then fighting for that vision.”  –The Christian Science Monitor

“A delightful romp.” –The Buffalo News

“A witty tour de force.” –The Addison County Independent

About the Author

Bill McKibben is an author and environmentalist. His 1989 book The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change, and has appeared in 24 languages; he's gone on to write a dozen more books, including Eaarth and Oil and Honey. He is a founder of 350.org, the first planet-wide, grassroots climate change movement, which launched the fast-growing fossil fuel divestment movement. McKibben lives in Vermont.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Blue Rider Press; First Edition (November 7, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0735219869
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0735219861
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.88 x 0.85 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,119,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,585 in Political Fiction (Books)
- #8,538 in Humorous Fiction
- #49,885 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 382 ratings

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Bill McKibben is the author of The End of Nature, Deep Economy, and numerous other books. He is the founder of the environmental organizations Step It Up and 350.org, and was among the first to warn of the dangers of global warming. He is a scholar in residence at Middlebury College and lives in Vermont with his wife, the writer Sue Halpern, and their daughter.

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382 global ratings

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amachinist

TUNE IN to Radio Free Vermont!

Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2017

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McKibben has written a delicious political satire that will create laughter and perhaps hope. Vern Barclay, a 72 year old Vermonter, has been a local broadcaster on independent Vermont radio since his late teens. He was forcibly retired when the radio station was bought out by a mid-western conglomerate. Upset about climate change, the threat on small state dairy farms and the current policies of the administration in Washington, Vern broadcasts illegally from a station he dubs: Radio Free Vermont: Underground, Underpowered and Underfoot. Indeed, on March 1, 2018, the 246 cities and towns throughout Vermont will actually be holding town hall meetings to debate issues to be brought before the state legislature. Vermonters have been exercising their right to free speech for 246 years, before there was a United States. McKibben uses this event to have Vern suggest over the airwaves, that one of the issues up for discussion, should be the sucession of Vermont from the Union to form its own nation. Listeners in support of Vern's idea of sucession, have aleady raised a new "national" flag and voted for an appropriate "national anthem." In the course of this fable, the reader will learn about Vermont's history, its many independent thinkers and meet quirky characters who embody the free spirit of the state's residents. This is such a timely read, for as the author writes, ",,, when confronted by small men doing big and stupid things, we need to resist with all the creativity and wit we can muster ..." Here! Here!

3 people found this helpful

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Jim Purdy

Entertaining novel with a point!

Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2017

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Recommended for any McKibben fan. Well written and witty comic novel by a great writer in other genres. It’s a profile of real Vermont and Vermonters, and a fable of real democracy.

3 people found this helpful

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E. Burton

Fun and thought-provoking parable

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2018

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This is a fun, but a thought-provoking book. Author McKibben promotes creative, non-violent change in this modern-day parable. Characters work together in an unlikely partnership to capture the attention of their state and their nation, communicating winsomely the causes that are dear to them. I rarely read fiction, but this is a delightful read.

3 people found this helpful

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Ellie Parker

Funny and oh so relevant!

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2020

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I hadn’t laughed out loud at a book or film—or much else—for a very long time until I stumbled over this wonderful piece of fiction. I have most of Bill McKibben’s powerful nonfiction books and had no idea he had ventured into fiction. Congrats, Bill.

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Allan Stellar

Sometimes Bad Can Be Good

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2017

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So I just finished Bill McKibben's first (and hopefully only) novel. It is long on monologues, has very little action, is totally implausible,and doesn't actually demonstrate why Vermont should secede from the Union. The book borrows heavily from both Ecotopia and The Monkey Wrench Gang. I never cared for Ed Abbey's fiction. This is worse. Much worse.

HOWEVER, I must admit I found the book to be playful and fun. The inclusion of nearly every micro-brew made in Vermont along with every character owning a Subaru (Enviro Group Think--I just bought one) is self-depracating and laugh out loud funny. In these dark days when Enviros don't have all that much to laugh about, this book brightened my spirits. It is poorly written, implausible, preachy---but ultimately, in the Age of Trump, worth reading. Sometimes something bad can be good. Plus we haven't had any decent Environmental fiction since Abbey created the genre in the 70's. We still don't have any decent Enviro fiction---with the exception of Ecotopia.

8 people found this helpful

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Black Lab

Meeting At The Heron House

Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2018

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The book had some good moments like the beer truck incident. Despite the musical references in the book I would put REM Document on while reading and the book jumped to 5 stars.

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2022

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Bill Mckibben brings the simpler, more pleasing aspects of life to his works and challenges us to think not so much about ourselves but more about the health and welfare of the entire community. Thinking small and neighborly is not a sin, but a necessary responsibility that we all should share and above don't sell ourselves out to anyone person, corporation or philosophy that doesn't seem gut tested.

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Martin Gugino

A bedtime story that could be true, as fairy tales are true.

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2017

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Quite a yarn, at times touching, moving, interesting. Occasionally stretching belief almost to fairy tale lengths, possibly a bedtime story in its hopefulness, and a significant contribution to the imagination. Did he actuallly write this? Can geeks write well and movingly. Who knows. A wondeful story, and if you are going on a long drive sonmeplace, it's a fine choice to make the trip seem shorter. Do pause it in heavy traffick.

6 people found this helpful

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B Gray

Pure Vermont

Reviewed in Canada on March 10, 2018

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As a descendent of Ethan Allen (and I am), I highly recommend this fantastic tale, to both people who live within daily view of Camel’s Hump, and those like me who wistfully wake up every morning far far away. But we all can hear the midnight train whistle echoing off the hills from the green valleys, no matter where we are. The gods of the hills are, indeed, not the gods of the valleys. Ethan said that. You can look it up.

gerardpeter

Small State Stories

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2018

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The author is a respected scientist and activist. This is his first attempt at fiction, interwoven with his political views. It is an easy read but does not really come off either as a manifesto or a novel.

The protagonists are united by their opposition to big business and big government. They figure that Vermont would do better by seceding from the United States. McKibbin suggests it is not such a bad idea and that it might be achieved by clever publicity and non-violent direct action.

The principals are quirky, honest and feisty, but as literary characters they have absolutely no depth. The plot might be fun, but utterly implausible and lacks any sense of tension or excitement. It is in the manner of a children’s adventure story – charm, humour, escapades, goodies, baddies.
The political is worked in at the expense of the narrative. Vern – a former radio talk show host – broadcasts on the illegal station of the title. Chapters are given over to his addresses over the airwaves. Sufficient to persuade his listeners it seems.

Serious questions are just ducked. Vern offers as evidence other small states that are doing well. Luxemburg, for example. Luxemburg!! Luxemburg does well indeed by hosting global corporations tax-free. Vern reassures his audience that in the new utopia – where neighbour helps neighbour and all is good and small – every man and woman will retain the right to bear arms. Catalonia does not get a mention – well that’s going well isn’t it?

I guess committed supporters of Bernie Sanders will find it diverting and my sympathies lie there in fact. But McKibbin would do better by sticking to the facts and skipping the fiction.

One person found this helpful

Michel Forest

Good intentions, lousy novel

Reviewed in Canada on April 20, 2018

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I am sure that the author has achieved great things in making society aware of the perils of climate change, but he is simply not a novelist. While I agree with a lot of the ideas that Mr. McKibben defends, this novel proves that good ideas don't automatically make great literature. I know that this is a "fable", but the characters lacked psychological depth and were, most of time, barely mouthpieces for the author's opinions. I simply could not cheer for the main characters because they are way too self-righteous and full of themselves. Also, the author makes Vermonters look like a bunch of narrow-minded, pretentious smartasses who look down on anybody who thinks differently. Basically, they are right and everybody else is wrong, and there's no room for any other opinion that their own. I go to Vermont 2-3 times a year and, fortunately, I find real Vermonters so much more welcoming and warm than the characters in this novel.

I feel like the author was writing a novel for his admirers, in other words, he was preaching to the converted. Sadly, this is not a novel that will change anybody's opinions... If the American left wants to get rid of Trump, it will have to adopt a different approach than simply looking down on people with a know-it-all, patronizing attitude, because this kind of attitude is one of the reason people voted for Trump in the first place. Instead of giving a morality lesson, Mr. McKibben, try to get down from your ivory tower and preach less. Only then, hopefully, the world will be free of the Orange Mistake in the White House...

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