A Walden Two experiment;: The first five years of Twin Oaks Community [Paperback]

Kathleen Kinkade (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 271 pages
• Publisher: Morrow (1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688000207
• ISBN-13: 978-0688000202
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,703,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Walden Two influenced real life community story, January 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Walden Two experiment;: The first five years of Twin Oaks Community (Paperback)

This book was writen after five years of the development of Twin Oaks community based roughly on a book by B. F. Skinner. The premise of Twin Oaks was to establish a community where all members were equal in finance, labor, and living. Kat Kenkade, on of the founding members, relays the difficulties of starting a working commune in the late 1960's in rural Virgina. From farming to manufacture, living in a barn to building their own houses. This book makes a good follow-up to Walden Two.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A frank and funny humanitarian, March 7, 2005

By 

Jennifer M (DeKalb, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Walden Two Experiment; The First Five Years of Twin Oaks Community. (Paperback)

In 1967, Kathleen Kinkade's life changed when she read BF SKinner's utopian novel, Walden Two. Inspired by this vision of
community, Kinkade founded Twin Oaks Community in rural Virginia (an income-sharing intentional community still in existence today).

In this first account of the early history of Twin Oaks, Kinkade outlines the community's earliest struggles for everything from
enough money for survival to learning how to erect buildings with
virtually no material or skill. She tells the stories of Twin Oaks' earliest members and how they contributed to this communal experiment. Throughout these struggles, Kinkade maintains both her wry sense of humor and her humanistic vision.

Kinkade's book remains as fresh and funny as it was in 1972. I highly recommend it as an introduction both to the intentional communities movement as well as for those with dreams of pioneering their own community someday.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative, February 24, 2002

By 

S. Vogt "rainboshea" (St. Louis, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Walden Two experiment;: The first five years of Twin Oaks Community (Paperback)

I am interested in getting involved in, or help build and intentional community. This book was perfect for helping me see the ins and outs of community life. The author was candid about their mistakes, as well as their accomplishments, in the first few years. I found this very helpful.