Microcosm Publishing, 128 pages, paperback, $7.00

This do-it-yourself manual is a must-have for anyone who wants to break away from Western consumerism and reclaim their home nesting skills, but is not sure where to start. Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills is a handwritten and illustrated manual on everything from a home herbal first aid kit, to chemically free home-gardening, and, in the author’s words, espouses “the idea that DIY is about making even the tiny bits of our lives intentional: we focus our energy on what is right for us, rather than what is dictated by a market or culture.”

I have pursued every element in this book separately, and at many times wished there was a short, sweet home manual that served as a quick and easy reference guide to taking care of bumps, bruises, laundry, physical well-being, and pesticide-free gardening. Here it is!

Briggs’s book urges people to listen to their bodies and learn to heal themselves and prevent illness naturally, in a cost-effective, holistic manner, while also respecting the wisdom of health care professionals and the choice to use conventional medicine. But it’s her pragmatic approach to taking back your home that is what makes this book so appealing.

While the herbalist-inclined and well-seasoned “do-it-yourselfers” and recyclers may find this to be a collection of old news, I found it to be a simplified and comprehensive manual on many levels, and even a Gideon bible-like manual that should be heavily circulated to people who are just scraping by in life, in need of some inexpensive inspiration, as well as a price cut in their trash removal.

Briggs very clearly writes and illustrates how to break away from buying prepackaged mainstream medicines, pesticides, and cleaning products and go almost entirely green at home. Were someone to pop out of bed one morning and decide they were fed up with Clorox Bleach, Theraflu, professional landscapers, and Tylenol, it would be quite a task for them to pore over stacks of books trying to reinvent their life skills, yet this wealth of knowledge is contained herein–Briggs understands one of the basic needs of nesting is being efficient, and that appears to be one the inspirations that birthed this book.

Her writing style is very casual, easily approached, and, at times, absolutely hilarious. Briggs seems to know what an undertaking it is to overhaul one’s nest and lifestyle from “chemical” to “green,” and this awareness shows in her writing and illustrations. She demystifies the green way to live without spending an insane amount of money on “green products,” which are often very pricey. The cost of the materials needed for the DIY recipes are even cheaper than most generic cleaning products.

I came away from reading this book feeling that it was not such a daunting task to change my lifestyle from the everyday path to a road less traveled, and it will make a big difference with my home, children, and budget, as well as reduce my ecological footprint on this earth.