How Good Is Vertical Farming? (Your Radical Questions with James Rebanks)

English Pastoral is a narrative that spans three generations of James Rebanks' family, detailing the transformation of rural landscapes and the decline of traditional farming practices. The book is divided into three sections: Nostalgia, Progress, and Utopia, reflecting Rebanks' journey from learning the old ways from his grandfather to navigating the industrial changes in farming and eventually adopting regenerative farming methods. It is a story of love, pride, and the struggle to restore the natural balance of the land, offering a hopeful vision for the future of farming and the environment.

In 'The Tyranny of Merit', Michael J. Sandel argues that the current system of meritocracy has led to significant social and political issues. He contends that meritocracy stratifies society into winners and losers, based largely on economic status and educational credentials, resulting in hubris among the successful and resentment and humiliation among those who are not. Sandel suggests that this system ignores the role of luck and external factors in success and instead attributes success solely to individual talent and hard work. He advocates for a new way of thinking about success, one that is more attentive to the role of luck, more conducive to an ethic of humility and solidarity, and more affirming of the dignity of all work. The book also explores the impact of credentialism and the need to restore dignity to work that does not require a college degree, promoting a politics of the common good.

In this book, Chris van Tulleken marshals the latest evidence to show how governments, scientists, and doctors have allowed transnational food companies to create a pandemic of diet-related disease. He undertakes a self-experiment, eating a diet of 80 percent ultra-processed food for a month, under the supervision of colleagues at University College London. The book explores the origins, science, and economics of ultra-processed foods, revealing their catastrophic impact on our bodies and the planet. Van Tulleken proposes real solutions for doctors, policymakers, and consumers, emphasizing the need for global action to address the issue.

The book chronicles James Rebanks' life as a shepherd in the Lake District of Northern England. It follows a full year of his work, from the communal efforts of gathering the flock in summer to the challenging lambing season in spring and the harsh conditions of winter. Rebanks reflects on his family's generations-long commitment to sheep farming, his own education at Oxford, and his return to the traditional ways of his ancestors. The narrative is intertwined with the history of Lake District shepherds, the author's coming of age, and his critiques of modern industrial agriculture and the value of traditional knowledge and community.