Knox County Public Library invites you to join Jim Gray, co-founder and Executive Director of the East Tennessee Permaculture Research Institute, for a discussion of Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation by James Howard Kunstler at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 18 in the East Tennessee History Center auditorium. This discussion is part of the monthly Books Sandwiched In program series, which is sponsored by the Friends of Knox County Public Library.   
 
“'Too much magic' is what Kunstler sees in the bright visions of a future world dreamed up by optimistic souls who believe technology will solve all our problems,” Gray said. “Their visions remind him of the flying cars and robot maids that were the dominant images of the future in the 1950s. Kunstler’s image of the future is much more sober.” 
 
With vision, clarity of thought, and a pragmatic worldview, Kunstler argues that the time for magical thinking and hoping for miracles is over, and the time to begin preparing for the long emergency has begun.
 
"Too Much Magic is essentially about the need to get the facts – and our thinking – straight about America’s (and the world’s) future," Gray said
 
Jim Gray is a co-founder and Executive Director of the East Tennessee Permaculture Research Institute.  Since arriving in Knoxville in 1995, Jim has worked at a variety of positions including Operations Supervisor in several phases of the US Census, Operations Manager for SEEED (Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development),political operative, and Chair of the Knox County Democratic Party.  He has also produced – and sometimes hosted – Democratic TeleVision, a weekly talk and call-in program on Community Television for eleven years.