Modern Homesteading

This book was interesting as our family is slowly working to become more self sustainable. It included lots of helpful tips and colorful photos. Overall, very enjoyable to read.

Bought this for my husband, who has been a wranglarstar fan on youtube for quite a while. It is neat to read their story (without having the plugs to buy certain brands/equipment etc. that are mentioned in his videos). This book was written primarily by Mrs. Wranglerstar (the books says that)....and is very interesting. I find myself just as "into it" as my husband. Glad I purchased it for him.

The Wranglerstar family consists of Cody (Wranglerstar), Mrs. Wranglerstar, and their son Jack. Modern Homesteading: Rediscovering the American Dream isn’t a how-to book. Rather, it’s a book about their journey from city life to rural country life. While they weren’t always Christians, they are now, and their faith is woven into their lives. They share their faith in a very organic way throughout the book as it was and is a part of their journey. They don’t shove it down your throat, but they don’t shy away from sharing how their faith plays a role in how they live their lives.

I really like that they are okay with sharing all the mistakes they made while getting to their current homestead. I appreciate the fact that they don’t believe that their way is the only way. In fact, they point out that homesteading will look different for each family. They are quick to point out how important it is to know yourself and your family when making decisions on where to live as living “way out” isn’t right for everyone.

In many ways, the Wranglerstar family isn’t a typical homestead family as they don’t have animals. They knew that at this point in time it wasn’t right for them, so instead of automatically doing the animal thing because that’s what homesteaders are supposed to do, they opted for focusing on what was important to them. They homestead is far from complete as they do things as time and money allows. They share how money has made a big impact on what they can and can not do. They also share some of the money mistakes that they made along the way and how they strove to get out of debt.

While this isn’t a how-to book, there are sections that get into some basic how-to things. The Wisdom from the Journey sections help readers really think about the decision to homestead and some issues they may face. Planning, while critical, doesn’t make everything go right. (Boy do we know this from personal experience with our homestead.) It should be no surprise to anyone who knows Cody from youtube that he shares some things about tools and how to care for and utilize them around the homestead.

I received a review copy of this book to provide my feedback.

https://youtu.be/QYnrxlpGFAk <--- Video review

Thanks, Cody and family, for a wonderful book on homesteading. Their insights as a family by sharing their experiences with us is perfect for those starting out or those already homesteading who may be hitting dead ends. To know that another family has been in those shoes is an encouragement. The way the book dovetails with the videos and expresses their Christian faith and how that influences their decisions made on the homestead speaks volumes about their character.

This is a story of two imperfect people, who happen to be perfect for each other. This is their story, the good, the bad, and yes the ugly. The good...Their love for each other, for Jack, the outdoors, hard work, and more importantly God. The bad...Difficult decisions and tough breaks in their quest of finding a homestead. The ugly...well now, you may have to read their story to figure that one out.

What this book is not is a how to book on homesteading. There are some very good sections on homestead skills and thinking in the homestead way, but a step by step guide, it is not, and that's a good thing. Readers come to this book because they likely know the "Wranglerstars" through their youtube channel and want to hear more of their story. If you have been following them on their youtube channel you will likely know their basic story. Modern Homesteading expands on the youtube experience and dives into the "Wranglerstars" how they met, their successes and struggles. Spoiler alert: You may even get to see Cody in a tux.

All in all a very good book to sit back, prop your feet up and get to know the "Wranglerstars" even better.

Although I have been a subscriber of the Wranglerstar channel for a few years, there's a lot of their story that I haven't been familiar with. So I was really excited to dig in and hear about it. What I found is that this book takes you behind the scenes of their YouTube channel, and gives you a really honest look at their journey--decision points, struggles, and the realities of life (i.e....money!), and the inspiration that life on your own terms is possible. While it may take significant amounts of work and heartache, it's not out of reach.

THE MESSAGE: Anyone can homestead. Even if you live in the city, have a 9-5 job, are low on funds, or haven't grown up with a tremendous amount of "hands-on" skill, there is still a version of homesteading that fits your situation. Find what that is, create it, and live it.

THE SUMMARY: The new Wranglerstar book gives readers a really "up close and personal" look at exactly what their family went through in their journey towards self-sufficient homesteading. As you read it, you will quickly find that they are not shy about point out their failures, their wasted time and money, or any of their other faults and shortcomings.

The book takes you through the journey of: their individual childhoods, adolescence, working years, the story of how they met/dated/married, their newlywed urban life, decision to homestead, and the transition to get there.

At the end of each chapter, there are also a few pages of what they call "Wisdom From the Journey", as well as explanations of practical, hands-on skills. This makes for a nice balance between narrative and How-To.

MY FAVORITE PARTS: I really loved how Mrs. Wranglerstar was the primary narrator of the book, since we typically see and hear more from Cody on the YouTube channel. As a fairly new dad myself, I loved the details about their son Jack, and the efforts that they have gone through to involve him on their homestead. I liked how they shared all the details of getting their land--what a saga!!

WHO IT ISN'T FOR: People that can't handle references to God or spirituality. The Wranglerstar family is a faith-filled, Christian family. This journey, has really been a journey of their faith. Through their journey, they have paradoxically found that the more they relied on God, the more "self-reliant" they became. I really enjoy this element to their story, but if this is upsetting to you, it's not the book for you.

Big thanks to the entire Wranglerstar fam and their publishers for all their hard work on this one!

-Dan

The first thing that may come to mind when you see the title of this book is, "I don't need to read this I am not (or maybe cannot be) a homesteader." That is where you would be wrong, this book is about the Wranglerstar family simplifying their lives and adjusting their priorities. It showcases the successes they have had but also the failures and issues along the way. It is a great read for anyone and really highlights the need to step out of the rat race, slow life down a bit and focus on your family, the people around you, and god.

Now that last one may get a few people riled up, and if you watch the Wranglerstar Youtube channel there are more than a few debates about this. Yes the book does quote a few scriptures where the principles and ideas are highlighted and appropriate, however the book is not preachy at all. So whether you are Christian, Atheist, Agnostic, or any other faith the story and experiences that Mrs. Wranglerstar and Cody relate are well worth your time.

Mahatma Gandhi said "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." I have always liked that quote because there are a lot of "Christians" that preach about the bible, but they don't live or treat their neighbors accordingly. They do not practice what they preach. The Wranglerstar family show by their videos, this book, and how they treat others that they really are trying to follow Jesus teachings.

With all that being said, the best thing about this book is that you don't have to be planning on moving off grid and being a Homesteader to enjoy it. My family and I decided to simplify our lives and we moved into a single wide trailer, on a small piece of land, (less than 1/2 acre) that is not off grid. We did this in order to focus on our family, and our faith, and to spend more time together and really make the most of our time. We are still working towards having less fiscal responsibilities, to make our time even more free to focus on more important things. That is really what Mrs Wranglerstar focuses on in this book. Maybe you aren't going to homestead, or live in a tiny house, or go off grid, even if that is the case the ideas in the book about being more self sufficient and focusing on the important things in life are a great benefit to everyone.

Another great part is that Cody and Mrs Wranglerstar come from very different backgrounds (Metric and Standard as it were) and they both have very interesting stories before they came to know each other. This makes for a great story once they are together as well, and that comes through in this book. There are also some basic how to ideas that are very useful canning, carpentry, gardening, and even forest care. Because of the books size they are not all encompassing by any means but they are a great start with references on where to learn more.

I am always impressed by the fact that in the Wranglerstar videos they never claim to be an expert on what they are presenting. They simply show they way they have accomplished it so that viewers can learn from it and sometimes offer suggestions on how to improve. The book is no different, if you have watched and enjoy the Wranglerstar channel then the book is a must read. If you haven't seen the channel, then I would recommend reading the book and I am sure it will peak your interest to go look at the Wranglerstar channel.

I really don't enjoy much TV anymore, there is so much more to learn from creators on YouTube and Cody and his family do a great job of sharing their interests, experiences, and their life with everyone each week. (A few times a week usually.)

This is the story of the Wranglerstar family’s journey from living in the city to their current homestead -- a very personal and relatable story of ups and downs, twists and turns, resourcefulness and perseverance. As they share their experience, they explain that “modern homesteading is a process, not an event or place, different for each family.” Unlike some books I've read on homesteading, the Wranglerstars encourage us to do things in the way that works best for us instead of being bound by an all-or-nothing, purest attitude. Their advice and instruction are realistic and practical, not lofty or unattainable. They humbly share their successes and their mistakes for us to learn from. The Wranglerstars’ story is also a great witness to their faith, which is woven throughout. After reading this book, I felt genuinely encouraged and inspired to do my best as a homesteader, knowing that my journey is unique, yet just as important to our family as their story is to them.

This book is very well written, which makes it an interesting but easy read, and the pictures are beautiful! I recommend this to anyone interested in homesteading, how-to, and family & faith topics.

Side note: If you are not familiar with Wranglerstar, you can find their videos on their YouTube channel, which I also recommend.

I'll start by saying I am new to reviewing books so forgive me my inexperience... I really enjoyed the book.

Being a "Wranglerstar" subscriber on YouTube, I have been following their story for a few years now. I look forward to the new content and share the videos with my wife, we both appreciate the work and commitment this lifestyle takes along with all the extra work that filming, editing, and uploading from a off grid location. For those of you that don't know, YouTube is a JOB that takes time and great effort to be just watchable, these videos are exceptional in my opinion.

This book has really good and well thought out picture placement that lends to very good story telling and instructional parts. You get to see more of Mrs. Wranglerstars perspective in the book compared to the videos. I enjoyed the differences in the styles they both contributed to the story. This book filled in more of the details that will allow newer viewers to be up to speed when starting out on the channel.

I imagine the faith aspect of the book will bring a mixed bag of opinions, that will be no different here then their channel. I like when people share all the driving forces good and bad. Its great when people refuse to sanitize things and be who they are supposed to be. The religious aspect and verses flow well in the book to me, but I am biased, since I am a believer as well.

I enjoyed the book, and the advice and instructional portions lead me to believe that another book may follow?? It is a great introduction and example for anyone wanting to learn more, and still entertaining for veteran homesteaders.

Modern Homesteading covers the life of the Wranglerstar family and their journey to a lifestyle of “modern homesteading”. If you don’t know who the “Wranglerstar” family are, they are a YouTube phenomenon with 1,000+ videos and over a quarter of a million subscribers who avidly await the next video. The Wranglerstar videos are a tonic for many of us – detailed videos of a man and his family trying to live “The Good Life”. They are not intended to be “Masterclass Tutorials” but show a guy carrying out wonderful projects from building a treehouse to timber framing and milling their own timber. My personal favourite video shows the husband and wife team felling a 125’ tall, 4’ diameter tree with a crosscut saw. Inspiring stuff.

I mention the background because I feel the book will be most appreciated by those familiar with the Wranglerstar videos.

The videos are usually detailed, skills based and filmed by Cody (Mr. Wranglerstar) with occasional guest appearances from Mrs Wranglerstar and son Jack (the book is written predominantly by Mrs Wranglerstar). It is none the worse for that! In the book Mrs Wranglerstar talks about her, quite sensible, initial aversion to appearing in the videos and putting too much into the public domain. Having read the book, I have to say that I think, in writing, Mrs Wranglerstar has found her medium. Her style is witty, light hearted and engaging, it feels very much as though a friend was telling you their story over a coffee.

So for those considering the book, what is it about? The book covers, in the main, the journey of the Wranglerstar family to their current homestead. Their backgrounds (Mrs W trained sled dogs!), how they met (it was certainly not love at first sight), their early married life, jobs they did and properties they bought. Far from being a simple chronicle of events however, there is a lot of time discussing why they made decisions – and mistakes!

What the book is not is a “homesteading how to” encyclopaedia. Most of this book is a blend of autobiography and advice on things to consider to the wannabe homesteader. If what you want is a book on how to live “The Good Life”, then this is not the book for you (buy instead John Seymour’s “New Complete Guide to Self Sufficiency”), however if you are fans of the Wranglerstar channel and want to know more about their back story, or are considering quitting the rat race and starting a new life in the countryside, then this is for you.

This is I believe the first Wranglerstar book. It does show. There are things I would like to see done differently. Firstly as the book is mostly autobiographical and advice based, I would have left it there. A book on “the route so far”. There is other, good, material in the book that feels muddled. There is, for example, a brief chapter on timber framing. I found it jarring to be reading with great interest a life history of people I admire and then at chapters end, suddenly reading a technical piece on carpentry. It “broke the flow” for me. I very much want to read Mrs Ws thoughts advice and reminiscences and Cody’s thoughts on timber framing – but separately and probably in different books.

My other difficulty is there is, particularly in the first 50 pages or so, a lot of material about the couples (Christian) faith. In places I found the material relevant as aspects of their belief led to, or at least informed, decisions they made. In other places it detracted from the flow of the book. For me a chapter in the book about their faith and what it means to them or again, a separate book would have been better.

I suspect there are many audiences for the Wranglerstar family:

• Those who simply enjoy escapism and vicariously “living the life”
• Those who are looking to acquire hard skills
• Those who wish for religious guidance.

In future it might be better to “theme” books along these lines to make the content more consistently relevant to the audience.

Overall the book is an interesting read and Mrs W has a great future as an author with a witty and engaging style. For fans of the Wranglerstar channel and those considering a homesteader lifestyle (particularly in the US) I recommend it.