Vermont Perspectives: Sense of Place, State of Mind

by Anne Averyt

Vermont is a tiny state with a big heart. It’s a place that inspires dreams and stirs imagination. It’s a state of mind, with a deeply rooted sense of place. One that values the land and moves to the beat of the seasons. For more than forty years, author Anne Averyt has called Vermont home. She has shared the land and the life of Vermont; she knows what makes this small state special. In Vermont Sense of Place, State of Mind, Averyt easily moves between a spirited fiddle hoedown and the calm of a backcounty road. She explores, with insight and humor, the keen sense of place and solid footing in local values that shape Vermonters’ views of home and the world beyond. A nine-year veteran commentator on Vermont Public Radio, Averyt shares her experience in this expanded collection of eighty of her Commentary essays.

174 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2022

Reviews

[Adrienne]

I bought this on a whim at a little bookstore in Wilmington, Vermont. I love spending time in the Green Mountain State, and I wanted to take some it home with me. Ms. Averyt’s short essays do accomplish that, though they are fundamentally bland and forgettable. Still, it’s a quick and pleasant read (minus the times toward the end when she gets political—I didn’t care for that, even though I actually share her views. I just wanted to enjoy dreaming about Vermont. No need to ruin it with memories of the 2016 election.)

[James Easterson]

We live in Seattle and traveled to Vermont for a 10 day trip to view the solar eclipse and exploring the state. Both the eclipse (my third) and the state lived up to our hopes. They were both awesome. I think Moose Bogs was my favorite little spot where we ran into a wonderful older (same as us) man out enjoying nature and who to me was about as close to talking to Robert Frost as you could get. I picked up this book -a gentle account of the state of mind of Vermont- in the Bridgeside bookshop in Waterbury. Like the state, it was a nice easy roadtrip read.

[Karen Grace]

This book of essays about life in Vermont, its’ people and places, is such a heartfelt and poignant tribute to this little state. If you have been to VT, have family there, or longings to visit, this book will make a wonderful present for anyone on your shopping list, yourself included!

[Kylie]

I am almost strictly a fiction girl. The only non-fiction I have read in recent years are books/memoirs written by celebrities I like. I picked up this book because it is the One Book, One Town read for 2023 at my local indie bookstore.
While I can't say this converted me to non-fiction, it gave me a sense of pride for my state. There are days deep in the winter when I just want to move south. Reading this just kind of made me think "you know, it really is nice here."
There was one chapter in particular that pulled on my heart strings. It was the chapter about Tropical Storm Irene and how it absolutely destroyed so much of the state in 2011. Just a few weeks ago, there was another catastrophic flood that was even worse than Irene in some places. My own basement had several feet of water and the river was dangerously close to damaging our first floor. So many Vermonters then and now gave everything to help the people most in need and I think Anne captured this perfectly.
I think this book paints a really nice picture of life here and I'm glad I decided to step (way) out of my comfort zone to give this one a go!