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Repair Revolution: How Fixers Are Transforming Our Throwaway Culture Paperback – October 27, 2020

by John Wackman (Author), Elizabeth Knight (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 49 ratings
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Every year, millions of people throw away countless items because they don’t know how to fix them. Some products are manufactured in a way that makes it hard, if not impossible, for people to repair them themselves. This throwaway lifestyle depletes Earth’s resources and adds to overflowing landfills. Now there’s a better way. Repair Revolution chronicles the rise of Repair Cafes, Fixit Clinics, and other volunteer-run organizations devoted to helping consumers repair their beloved but broken items for free. Repair Revolution explores the philosophy and wisdom of repairing, as well as the Right to Repair movement. It provides inspiration and instructions for starting, staffing, and sustaining your own repair events. “Fixperts” share their favorite online repair resources, as well as tips and step-by-step instructions for how to make your own repairs. Ultimately, Repair Revolution is about more than fixing material objects: in an age of over-consumption and planned obsolescence, do-it-yourself repair is a way of caring for our lives, our communities, and our planet.
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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    New World Library
  4. Publication date
    October 27, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1608686604
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1608686605
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The impulse to repair is present in every part of our lives. This book tells the important story of the people leading the repair movement.”
— Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit

“This book delivers good news at two important levels. It chronicles the growing worldwide repair movement (sibling to the Maker movement) in abundant, inviting detail. And it inspires and instructs the actual fixing of things in your life.”
— Stewart Brand, creator of the Whole Earth Catalog and author of Maintenance (forthcoming)

“A gold mine of inspiring stories . . . If you want to kick-start the repair revolution in your community, this book is a must-read.”
— Catherine Weetman, host of the Circular Economy podcast and cofounder of Rethink Global

“Fixing something is one of life’s great pleasures. Repair Revolution is an inspirational yet practical primer on how to build and strengthen communities, one reclaimed, repaired, or restored object at a time.”
— David Malki !, author of Wondermark

“Well-researched, articulate, readable, comprehensive, and compelling, Repair Revolution is a very important contribution to the international repair movement and offers extensive resources for taking action.”
— Vita Wells, founder of the Culture of Repair Project

“It’s heartening to see the rise in popularity of Repair Cafes, to witness communities gathering to collectively build resilience, share technical skills, honor value, and celebrate creativity. I hope communities can use this book to continue building support for a repair revolution.”
— Katrina Rodabaugh, author of Mending Matters

“Presents the what, why, and how-to of bringing repair and reuse to every town in the USA.”
— Neil Seldman, president of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance

“From chapters on resource recovery processes to repair efforts in classrooms, workshops, and at home, Repair Revolution makes a strong case for recycling, reuse, and better resource management long-term.”
— Midwest Book Review

About the Author

TV producer and writer John Wackman founded the first Repair Cafe in New York. He lives in Kingston, New York. Community sustainability activist and organizer Elizabeth Knight is the author of Welcome Home and other books. She lives in Warwick, New York.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ New World Library (October 27, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1608686604
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1608686605
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 49 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Elizabeth Knight

    Elizabeth Knight

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    New to the Hudson Valley, Elizabeth Knight visited a Repair Cafe in a neighboring city. Impressed by the “fixit” skills and warm welcome that volunteers extended to all the strangers who walked through the door clutching torn shirts, wobbly chairs and wonky lamps, she started the first Repair Cafe in Orange County. Fours years on, she also runs Too Good To Toss, an annual free community swap, and continues to look for creative ways to connect strangers, and build community, over a steaming “cuppa” tea while waiting to have their beloved but broken items repaired.

    Elizabeth is the former tea sommelier for the historic St. Regis Hotel located in New York City. Widely recognized as one of the country's foremost authorities on tea and entertaining, she has appeared on national television and radio programs including WNBC's "Today in New York," WOR's "Food Talk," The Travel Channel, The Home Shopping Network and QVC. In addition to her books, "Celtic Teas With Friends," "Tea With Friends," and "Tea in the City - New York," a photo guidebook to sipping and shopping, she wrote about tea, travel, and entertaining for magazines such as Tea Time, Romantic Homes, Tea & Coffee Asia, and Tea A Magazine.

    See more on the author's page
  2. John Wackman

    John Wackman

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    JOHN WACKMAN founded the first Repair Cafe in New York State and now describes his role as that of coordinator, communicator, and cheerleader for Repair Cafes in the Hudson Valley, Catskills, and Capital District of New York, as well as for the repair movement globally. He has participated in Repair Cafes in the Netherlands and co-presented with Martine Postma at the Drawdown Learn Conference at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York. He has presented on community repair at the New York and New Jersey Library Associations’ annual conferences and led a statewide webinar for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. He serves on the board of Sustainable Hudson Valley and is a commissioner for the City of Kingston Climate Smart Commission. John is a recipient of an Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Champion Award.

    For nearly three decades, John wrote and produced programming for public television and national cable networks to encourage strength and creativity within communities. With Lightworks Producing Group in New York, he worked on many specials and series, and executive produced the civil rights documentaries You Don’t Have to Ride Jim Crow! and Here Am I, Send Me: The Journey of Jonathan Daniels. For PBS, he created, with host Mary Ann Esposito, the cooking series Ciao Italia, still in production and the longest-running cooking series on television.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
49 global ratings
A treasure trove of information to guide us in this throwaway culture
5 Stars
A treasure trove of information to guide us in this throwaway culture
As I began reading, being a Repair Cafe organizer, I knew a highlighter was needed as the authors and contributors have passed on so much wonderful information.From day to day useful tips to historical information, to how to get your own repair cafe started and even tips on fixing your broken but beloved items on your own, this book is an encyclopedia of guidance.I look forward to sharing this book with the volunteers at our Repair Cafe!Win win!
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Top reviews from the United States

Amy
5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to actively disrupt throw-away culture while building community- this book is for you!
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Have you ever purchased something new only to find it no longer works or is tattered a year later? Did you throw it out because it was cheaper to buy a new one or you didn't know how to fix it? Whether you grew up in a different time or are a thrifting pro do you find yourself saying "they don't make things like they used to!" Have you ever wondered where all of this broken STUFF ends up? And what exactly can you do about all of this?

If you're interested in disrupting throw-away culture and building community while protecting our environment for future generations( and did I mention saving money, making friends, and learning new skills?)- I highly recommend picking up Repair Revolution. The art of repair is becoming lost in our modern techno industrial culture of planned obsolescence- and the large corporations prefer it that way. When the art of repair is lost or stolen from us we no longer have the skills to be self sufficient and we become reliant on having to purchase more and more material goods. And make no mistake- in Repair Revolution you will learn about how it's not an accident that your coffee maker broke after a year- a quick end of life is now planned into products to perpetuate an endless cycle of waste and purchasing. Whether it's fast-fashion or disposable goods, modern life seems to favor a linear throw-away culture over a circular economy.

Repair Revolution is a wonderful introduction to the repair movement- it will teach you how to take the power back into your own hands, realize your right to repair, and give you a roadmap of how to learn new skills. Repair Revolution will bring you through the history of repair, how we risk losing this lost art, and how you can get involved in the Repair Movement to revive the culture of repair. It will take you inside community Repair Cafes where repair coaches can teach you everything from woodworking, fixing electronics, home appliances, furniture, jewelry, clothing- you name it and a fixer can teach you how to fix a broken item. You will learn that the repair movement is about so much more than simply fixing something, but it's also about sewing together the seams of our communities that can often feel broken. It's about mending hearts while mending a family heirloom. Absorbing or passing on generational knowledge and learning new skills. It's about community resilience and most of all it's about a revolution in which we embrace our self reliance and no longer accept that when something is broken it is beyond our power to fix it- whether it's a material object or a life problem. Repair has many lessons to teach. Pick this book up- its a roadmap about how to become active in your community today and join the Repair Revolution!
4 people found this helpful
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Frank
5.0 out of 5 stars An enthusiastic and inspiring look into the Repair Cafe movement. It's a Repair Cafe handbook!
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2020
Verified Purchase
Repair Cafes are an international movement, founded on grass roots community interaction. Anyone interested in sustainability, community involvement, creative tinkering or becoming more than just a consumer will love this book and be inspired to find a Repair Café in their community, or even get one started.
Elizabeth Knight and John Wackman provide a complete road map to setting one up in your community. Their enthusiasm shines through as they affectionately describe the “fixers” and their patrons, and the wonderful stories attached to the “beloved but broken items” brought in for repair. The genuine feeling of satisfaction and sense of community is evident in every line. Sample documents, job tickets and more are included, as well as several informative “How To” chapters developed by the repair coaches. It’s a Repair Café handbook!
Repair Revolution, How Fixers Are Transforming Our Throwaway Society, written by two Repair Café organizers in New York State’s Hudson Valley, describes the fascinating development of Repair Cafes from the single event established by Martine Postma in the Netherlands, to more than 2000 in practice today in over 33 countries, 150 in the United States. A simple but elegant idea; volunteer repair coaches gather to repair, free of charge, items brought in by community members. Not a drop off service, the owners stay and learn how the item is repaired and have a cup of coffee as well. The repaired item given a longer life is kept out of the landfill, new knowledge is gained, and the repair person is your neighbor.
This book also explores the movement’s historical and social contexts, the shift in thinking towards repair and reuse as the best road to sustainability, and the documented human impulse to create and repair. Further, it describes the development of other similar institutions such as Tool Libraries, Fixit Clinics, giant swap meets and charitable initiatives that collect, mend and distribute helpful items like bicycles and baby strollers that make a big difference to people in need.
In addition to fostering sustainability attitudes and practices, Repair Cafes can be seen as a path to revitalizing communities, to fostering feelings of trust and belonging, to establishing intergenerational communication. Martine Postma says Repair Cafes send the signal, “We are better off when we see our community in the midst of cooperation creativity and downright decency, in a place where goals are achieved and positive outcomes are realized.” She also states that the ethos of skill sharing is a mutually beneficial empowering thing. Singer, songwriter Dar Williams calls it positive proximity. This book opens the door to all of that and much more.
5 people found this helpful
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