"Part ethnography, part regional history, part memoir, and every bit entertaining, Strange's book will be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of students of Appalachia, environmental writing, cultural studies, or simply good, compelling writing." --Arkansas Review
"Strange offers a nuanced exploration of the concept of literacy." --Choice
"This well-written book offers a judgment-free assessment of the core reasons for our nation's cultural divide, along lines created by disparate access to education and opportunity. " --Progressive
​"[Strange's] book has many moments of humor and presents a rich array of folk wisdom imparted by real folk." --Homestead.org
"An important and much needed addition. Strange does a strong job of providing the historical context for homesteading and the reasons why it is so significant today. But even more important are his willingness to ground the book in the words and deeds of the homesteaders themselves and his own history with homesteading, and to go beyond a historical description to explore the role of class and capitalism in explaining the homesteaders' differences."--Stephen L. Fisher, coeditor of Transforming Places: Lessons from Appalachia
"An intimate but sprawling, profound but accessible gem of a book, Shelter from the Machine provides a useful and accessible critique of our 'macroparasitic' political economy and a timely reminder that transformative change is as possible as it is necessary."--Shaunna L. Scott, coeditor of Studying Appalachian Studies: Making the Path by Walking
"Do yourself a favor, and read Shelter From The Machine." --Smokey Mountain Living Magazine