Living on the Edge

When it comes to survival, one size definitely does not fit all. That's exactly what author F. J. Bohan discovered when he and his family set out on a quest for self-sufficiency, a journey that has lasted more than 17 years.

Living on the Edge describes why Bohan and his wife made the decision to pull their four sons from public school in the East and set off in a converted school bus to the American Southwest. On a very limited budget, the Bohans began their new life in a tent pitched in public campgrounds. As soon as they could, they purchased remote ranchland, on which they constructed a rustic cabin from the ground up that grew as they could afford to add on. In addition, they homeschooled the boys so well that all four received scholarships to the schools of their choice. On their journey, the Bohans learned a lot about living off the land and off the grid, mostly through trial and error. In this book, the author graciously shares valuable lessons on the following:

• Keeping a wife, four boys, two dogs, and two cats happy in a tent for 18 months
• Creating power for a tent or cabin through a combination of solar panels, car batteries, generators, and oil
• Heating and cooking on wood stoves
• Finding creative ways to earn money in an insular, impoverished rural area
• Securing enough water in the desert for a family of six, plus animals, to live on
• Erecting fences—literal and figurative ones—for privacy and security
• Raising chickens, goats, and ducks for food, while avoiding bears, bobcats, skunks, and other country critters

Relocating to the desert, living in a tent, or homeschooling kids may not appeal to you. But if you have ever thought of living off the grid or simply becoming more self-sufficient, this is how one American family successfully did it... and found freedom along the way.